Parkway outlasts Knights in grid opener

Van Wert independent sports

ROCKFORD — The Parkway Panthers scored the first four touchdowns of their non-conference game against Crestview and then managed to hold off a second-half rally by the Knights to eke out a 26-21 win in both teams’ season opener.

The Panthers drew first blood when quarterback Riley Bransteter connected with Bryce Bedwell on a 39-yard scoring strike with 8:38 remaining in the first quarter. It was the only score of the first period.

Parkway scored twice in the second period, with Bransteter and Bedwell hooking up again on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 6 minutes left in the first half. Bransteter ran for the next TD, scoring from the Crestview 37-yard line with 2:07 left in the half.

The Panthers scored once more after halftime, with Bransteter passing to Derek Luth for a 30-yard score with 3:06 remaining in the third quarter and a 26-0 lead.

It was then the Knights’ turn. Crestview running back Matt Holden took the ball into the end zone from 4 yards out to trail 26-7 with just 10 ticks left in the third quarter.

The Knights scored two more times in the final stanza, with Malcolm Oliver running for a 4-yard TD with 6:08 left in the fourth quarter. Holden ran it in for the two-point PAT and it was 26-15, Parkway. The Knights’ final score came with 3:57 remaining. Trevor Roop hit Holden for a 75-yard scoring strike. The PAT failed and that was the game, 26-21.

Both teams generated plenty of offense, with Crestview rushing for 268 yards and passing for 196 more for a total of 464 yards offensively. The Panthers weren’t far behind, generating 428 yards of total offense: 162 yards on the ground and 266 through the air.

Bransteter was the only player to rush for more than 100 yards, garnering 103 yards on 21 carries – an average of 4.9 yards a carry. Moorman rushed five times for 59 yards for Parkway, an average of 11.8 yards per carry. Roop was the Knights’ top rusher with 92 yards on 13 carries, an average of 7.1 yards per carry. Holden had 12 rushes for 78 yards, a 6.5-yard per carry average. Oliver had only two carries, but ran for 24 yards — an average of 12 yards for each rush.

Bransteter hit 26 of 46 passes for Parkway for a total of 266 yards, with three TDs and an interception. Roop hit 9 passes on 27 tries for 196 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

Crestview goes to 0-1 overall, while the Panthers are 1-0 in the early season.

The Knights will play Lima Central Catholic in their league and home opener this coming Friday, starting at 7:30 p.m.