Concordia Football Blasts Hiawatha 49-0 for First Win of 2023
The Concordia High School Football team rushed for 496 yards and seven touchdowns and the Panthers handed the Hiawatha Red Hawks a 49-0 loss Friday, September 29th in Class 3A District 5 play.
Senior Fullback Mason Eickmann ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns for the Panthers, who snapped a four-game losing streak to start the year, marking their worst start to a season since 2013.
Defensively, Concordia collected four interceptions in earning their first shut out win since a 50-0 home victory over the Clay Center Tigers on October 1, 2021.
Concordia played without starting quarterback, Senior Braeden Primeaux, who suffered an ankle injury the week prior in the team's 23-6 home loss to the Marysville Bulldogs. Freshman Drake Blochlinger got the start and finished with 11 carries for 117-yards and two touchdowns. He was named our Nex-Tech Wireless MVP of the Game.
The Panthers had five scoring drives in the first-half, including Blochlinger's 27-yard run. Eickmann exploded for a 33-yard score and a 76-yard touchdown, while Junior Drew Sterrett had a 1-yard touchdown run before turning on the jets for a 40-yard score before halftime.
Sterrett finished with 8 rushes for 96-yards and two touchdowns.
In between those touchdowns, Blochlinger, Sterrett and Senior Payton Breese all captured first-half interceptions.
Blochlinger scored his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter on a 2-yard rush to make the lead 41-0.
Junior Linebacker Kaide Gropp kept the Red Hawks off the scoreboard with a second-half interception.
Eickmann continued the blowout with his fifth touchdown of the season, bursting through the middle for a 24-yard touchdown run to make it 49-0.
Senior Center Jace Tholstrup, working with a new freshman signal caller in his first varsity start, was the recipient of our H&R Block of the Game.
The Panthers had entered the game averaging just 9.3 points and only 179.6 total yards per game. Friday night, Concordia amassed their most offensive yards in a game since posting 743-yards in a win over Council Grove on September 24, 2021.
On the defensive side, Concordia recorded 11 tackles-for-loss, led by Junior Defensive End Tracer Murdock who had 7 total tackles, including three tackles-for-loss.
The Panthers look to build off their momentum when they return home to Harold M. Clark Stadium to host the Clay Center Tigers on Friday, October 6th at 7 pm. Clay Center suffered its first loss of the year at home Friday night, 22-17, to the undefeated Southeast of Saline Trojans. Live coverage of next week's game can be heard on 1390 KNCK, 98.3 FM and NCKToday.com.