A dominant third quarter proved to be the difference for Raymore-Peculiar in its season opening victory of Belton, 37-22.
After entering halftime down 14-10, the Panthers outscored Belton 20-0 in the third quarter to separate themselves from the rival Pirates.
The decisive quarter was highlighted by three rushing touchdowns by Chris McKinzy, who finished with 172 yards and four touchdowns.
McKinzy wasted no time in the opener showing off his speed. The defending Missouri Class 5 110-meter hurdle champion, McKinzy bolted 68 yards on the Panthers first offensive play to score a touchdown.
“I was supposed to go inside but it got cramped up so I went outside,” McKinzy said. “I trusted my speed and I was gone.”
Even with the quick score, the Panthers never led in the first half. Belton got on the board first when Bart Harris found Jaden Clark for a 46-yard touchdown on a fourth-down play on the opening drive.
It was one of two touchdowns for Harris. He also closed out the scoring with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Ezekial Henson. The Pirates also got a touchdown on the ground from Dante Madden.
After scoring on the first two drives of the game, the Pirates offense stalled until midway through the fourth.
“We needed to just execute our game plan,” Raymore-Peculiar head coach Tom Kruse said of the strong third quarter. “We were able to run the football. We had the long pass down the sideline to Luke (Grimm) that really opened it up for us and plus Chris had a good night. He was patient and waited on his blocks.”
