Panthers come up just short

SOLON - Mt. Pleasant nearly had the upset of the weekend in Class 3A. The Panthers pushed No. 5 Solon to the brink of their first loss on Saturday, but the Spartans survived by the skin of their teeth, 34-28.

The game was pushed back a day due to lightening on Friday night, and Mt. Pleasant brought the thunder on Saturday morning. The Panthers scored the first two touchdowns of the game to put some fear into the hometown fans.

The first score was a one-yard touchdown run by Zach Beason in the second quarter. That put the Panthers up 7-0 and set up for the defensive play of the year for the Panthers no the ensuing Spartan drive.

Solon quarterback Cam Miller was picked off by Chase Lamm on Solon's side of the field. Lamm returned that interception 38 yards to the house for a thrilling pick-six. The PAT missed but Mt. Pleasant led 13-0.

Miller found star receiver A.J. Coons on a 58-yard touchdown pass to cut Mt. Pleasant's lead to 13-7 with 3:55 left in the half, but the Panthers bounced right back with another stellar play by Lamm. This time, Lamm caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from Beason. Levi Puig caught the two-point pass and the Panthers were roaring, 21-7 with 3:38 remaining.

A good amount of Mt. Pleasant's momentum was lost on the last play of the second quarter. Miller threw up a ball to Coons from 35-yards out, and Coons caught it in the end zone to save face for the Spartans in the first half. The PAT was good and Mt. Pleasant's lead was down to 21-14.

Solon tied the game in the third quarter on a five-yard run by Cole Franberg, but the Panther offense wasn't done yet. With 1:14 left in the third quarter, Beason capped off another big drive with a three-yard touchdown pass, and after three periods it was 28-21 Mt. Pleasant.

The Spartans came climbing back in the fourth quarter. Coons had a 46-yard touchdown catch early in the period to help the Spartans tie it up at 28-28, and Franberg gave Solon their first lead on a three-yard touchdown run, making it 34-28. The PAT did miss, however, leaving the door open for Mt. Pleasant.

The Panthers nearly pulled off the stunning win on their final drive. Rylan Seberg and Tucker Johnson pulled off a hook-and-ladder play to get the drive going. The Panthers caught a couple balls on the sideline and the Panthers had a couple of chances to win it in Spartan territory, but the Panthers couldn't complete a touchdown pass and the time ran out on the Panthers.

'The game was so fun all the way up to the end,” head coach Shawn Striegel said. 'It went instantly from being fun to dreadful as soon as the clock went to double zero.”

Striegel praised his entire team for sticking with the Spartans. He said the Panthers believed all week they could pull off the upset, but that there just wasn't enough time on the clock.

'There were kids stepping up all over the field and doing amazing things,” he said. 'I'm proud of all of them for playing so well in a big game. I'm happy that the kids will have a memory of playing in such a big game and doing so many great things.”

Beason went 20-35 for 393 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 29 yards and two scores.

Three different receivers went over 100 yards through the air. Seberg had seven catches for 131 yards. Lamm had six catches for 125 yards and a touchdown, and Johnson had four catches for 101 yards.

Logan Bass led the defense with eight tackles. Johnson and James DeMeyer had 7.5 tackles each. Lamm and Shull each had an interception, and DeMeyer had the team's lone fumble recovery.

Mt. Pleasant is now 6-3 overall and 2-1 in the district. They will need to win their final two games to keep their playoff hopes alive, but will still need some help from the RPI rankings even if that happens. The next Panther game is on Friday, Oct. 12, in Ft. Madison.