By NATE BEIER | For the County Line
Plenty was at stake for the Royall football team as it prepared to take on rival New Lisbon for homecoming last week.
The Panthers were eyeing up a rare homecoming win as well as the chance to become playoff eligible for the second time in as many years.
The home team set the tone early, both on offense and defense, and managed to stave off the Rockets’ aerial attack to claim an 18–12 win.
Royall’s first drive looked good, but fizzled out before the Panthers could get inside the red zone. The defense then went to work by flying to the ball and keeping pressure on New Lisbon quarterback Gunnar Pedersen.
The second Panther drive was set up by Seth Brown’s run and ended with Noah Friedl’s short touchdown hop from a yard out.
Later in the quarter, Pedersen worked his way out of a jam in the backfield by passing the ball for a big gain, and then went back to the well, as he found a wide-open Cody Haschke in the end zone, which resulted in the Rockets’ first score of the night.
Adrian Reneau finished Royall’s first drive of the second quarter with a 22-yard scoring run, lifting the home team to a 12–6 lead.
New Lisbon went back to work, moving the ball on the rainy night toward midfield before Pedersen found Haschke again for a big reception. Seth Brown made the stop to prevent a touchdown on the play. The Rockets were held out of the end zone, however, after moving the ball inside the 20-yard line.
New Lisbon did tie the game in the third quarter on an 81-yard catch and a run by Zach Loew, but Royall responded shortly after with a drive that Reneau capped with a 16-yard run.
Leading to an 18–12 victory, the Panthers’ defense did the rest of the work, holding New Lisbon at bay.
Royall ran the ball 46 times for 296 yards, while New Lisbon was held to just 80 yards on 31 carries. Reneau led all rushers with 163 yards and two scores on 18 carries. Also, Brown added 102 yards for Royall. Gunnar Pedersen led New Lisbon with 31 yards on 13 rushing attempts.
Pedersen’s arm was able to keep the Rockets in the game; he went 5–12 for 207 yards and two scores. Loew’s 81 yarder was the longest, but Haschke’s two receptions totaled 78 yards, and Isaac LaBudda caught two passes for 48 yards.
Friedl and Brown each collected tackles each to lead the Panthers’ defense. Reneau and Ty Dragen had seven a piece.