Mike Dumpert was ready to send his field goal unit out to attempt a game-winning kick Friday night. But his senior quarterback wouldn’t let him.
“We knew we could get it in (the endzone),” said Garrett Williams. “We knew how well our offensive line was playing, and we wanted to push it in right then.”
“I wanted to kick a field goal,” said the Paola head coach. “And they’re all screaming at me, ‘No, no, no!’”
In a clash of Kansas Class 4A powers, No. 2 Paola and No. 3 Tonganoxie were tied at 28-28 with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter. Facing fourth-and-4 at the Tonganoxie 9-yard line, Dumpert decided to go for it. Williams tossed the ball to Jovanni Blackie, who ran around the right side and pushed a pile of tacklers inside the five and stretched to the 2-yard line for a first down.
On the next play, Williams followed the block of fullback Fletcher Aude and fell into the endzone for the winning touchdown. The Panthers beat their Frontier League rival 35-28 to remain undefeated.
“I love their confidence. They did what they had to do, and that was a fun high school football game,” said Dumpert.
Brock Pitzer's interception sealed the deal for the Panthers.
Paola had a two touchdown lead to start the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-1 at the Paola 8, Tonganoxie’s Tyler Bowden slipped a tackle and ran into the endzone. That cut Paola’s lead to 28-21. Isaac Meyers muffed the ensuing kickoff, and Tonganoxie recovered the ball at the Panthers’ 27-yard line. Five plays later, Bowden scored his third touchdown of the night, and the game was suddenly tied at 28-28.
Momentum belonged to the Chieftains.
“It sounds cliché, but you never really know how your team is going to respond to adversity until it gets it,” said Dumpert. “Our first adversity was last week (at Spring Hill). We got up early and kind of let down, and we didn’t respond well to it at all. I was really proud about the way our kids grew from that and responded. They never panicked. They stayed with it. Stayed with the game plan.”
Paola took possession of the ball at their own 27 with 9:37 left in the fourth quarter. The Panthers won the game with an 18-play drive that lasted 8:42. They converted on three fourth downs.
“I like to think that’s a sign of a really good team when you can answer from that. Our kids didn’t get down. We knew we were going to get one more shot,” said Dumpert. “That was a great drive. I mean, that was a great drive to stick it in the endzone and win it.
“The offensive line won that drive for us,” said Williams. “We fought for every yard in that series. It was just a great drive.”
The victory was especially gratifying for Williams, who had 15 carries for 135 yards and three touchdowns. The Panthers’ quarterback suffered a season-ending injury during the 2019 playoffs.
“Last year was kind of heartbreaking. I broke my collarbone in the playoffs, and I was out. I’ve been waiting for this season for a long time. I’m just glad we get to be out here playing,” said Williams.
Dumpert says his team grew up after a less-than-stellar 41-38 victory at Spring Hill last week.
“I love the heart of my team. They kept on coming back. Kept on finding a way,” he said.
The Chieftains opened the game with the football. On the first play from scrimmage, Bowden broke three tackles and took off on a 60-yard touchdown run. Bowden ran 35 times for 239 yards and three touchdowns.
Paola moved the ball to the Tongie 9-yard line. On fourth-and-8, Williams tossed a fade to Bo Robison for a touchdown.
On the first play of the second quarter, a pass from Tongie quarterback Gabe Bailey was tipped and intercepted by Paola’s Jack Earlywine. The senior linebacker returned the pick 50 yards for a touchdown. Paola led 14-7.
Blake Poje, the Chieftains’ starting quarterback, missed his second straight game. Bailey, the junior back-up, tied the game at 14-14 with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Sam Kleidosty.
Paola regained the lead on a spectacular play by Williams. On a third-and-two from his own 23-yard line, Williams ran a read-option. He pulled the ball back and streaked down the far sideline for a 77-yard touchdown. The Panthers led 21-14 at halftime.
Paola received the second half kickoff. On fourth-and-9 from their own 31-yard line, Williams lined up to punt. Instead, he tucked the ball and gained 19 yards for a first down at midfield. The drive ended with another fourth down conversion at the Tongie 2-yard line. Williams dove into the endzone for a 28-14 lead.
Paola (3-0) goes on the road next Friday night to Ottawa. Tonganoxie (2-1) hopes to have Poje back at quarterback when the Chieftains visit Eudora next week.