With an emotional comeback riding on one final play, the Panthers’ defense stuffed Penney (0-4) short of the end zone when the Hornets went for the win on a 2-point conversion try in double overtime and the North Platte football team (2-2) made it back to .500 with a 25-24 victory on September 16.
The Panthers didn’t have much going for them early, heading into the locker room with a 12-0 deficit after both teams went scoreless in the first 12 minutes of play. While the Hornets were up by two possessions, North Platte junior quarterback Colton Kirkham ignited the comeback in the fourth quarter.
With the Panther defense shutting out the Hornets in the second half, Kirkham single-handedly brought North Platte back. The junior rushed in for a pair of touchdowns in the final quarter of regulation to tie the game at 12.
In overtime, both teams have a chance to play offense deep in its opponent’s territory until one team has more points and is elected the winner. Penney won the coin toss and started on offense in overtime, scoring a touchdown and taking an 18-12 lead after failing at the 2-point try.
The Panthers responded with a score of their own when Kirkham connected with Waylon McCracken through the air. The Hornets extended the game by blocking the extra point and the game went into double overtime.
North Platte junior quarterback Colton Kirkham (#3) rushed for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and threw for two scores in the overtime periods to help the Panthers erase a 12-0 deficit against Penney and pull out a 25-24 win in double overtime on Sept. 16.
North Platte started with the ball in the ensuing overtime period and Kirkham tossed another touchdown pass, this time to Kaden Mullendore. After the successful extra point kick, the Panthers took their first lead of the night, 25-18.
The Hornets found the end zone and trailed 25-24 and once again decided to go for a 2-point conversion, even though they were zero for three up to that point. Penney’s quarterback rushed to the left and was denied the score to clinch the home victory for North Platte.
Kirkham completed seven of his 15 passes for 95 yards and two scores in the air, while having 103 yards on 14 attempts on the ground. Dylan Armstrong had 10 carries for 44 yards and Mullendore had four receptions for 57 yards.
Defensively, the Panthers forced four turnovers as Jason Shanks, McCracken and Kirkham all had an interception. Jesse Williams forced two fumbles and Owen Stockbauer recovered one of them.
This was North Platte’s first home win since defeating East Buchanan 39-20 on October 18, 2019. While the Panthers haven’t had a ton of success in recent history, they’ve won all three overtime games they’ve been in since 2011, with the last one occurring on October 30, 2016, over Wellington-Napoleon.
The Panthers have a chance to earn a winning record if they’re able to take down Plattsburg (0-4) on September 23. The Tigers haven’t won a game all year and have less than 20 players, while the Panthers have reached two wins for the first time since 2017.