Blanco opened the 2020 season in style Friday night in Yorktown.
The Panthers rolled to 21 first quarter points en route to a 48-0 win over the homestanding Wildcats in the season opener for both teams.
“I was pleased for the most part by the way the defense played. Anytime you have a shut out is good,” said Blanco coach Bill Tesch. “Offensively we scored on every possession but a few. That was self inflicted. Cody Cross had a punt return for a touchdown with one shoe!!!”
The Panthers (1-0) set the tone on defense with a quick three-and-out, then took over on offense and scored on their opening drive on an 18-yard touchdown run by senior Jackson Cress. Cress led the offensive attack with 118 yards rushing on only eight carries with three rushing touchdowns.
“It felt great starting off the season with three touchdowns,” Cress said. “We all worked hard in practice for weeks, and when it was finally game time, everyone did what they were supposed to do. I couldn’t have done it without the other 10 guys out there with me.”
The defense again stepped up and forced another three-and-out, forcing the Wildcats to punt to junior Cody Cross. The first defender to reach Cross shortly after he fielded the punt could only manage to grab him by the shoe, pulling it off as Cross broke free and scampered 80 yards for the Panther touchdown. Cross scored wearing only one shoe, making it an early 14-0 lead for Blanco.
Yorktown (0-1) still could not get any offense going against the stingy Panther defense coached by defensive coordinator Logan Lucke. The defense was led by linebackers in senior Brandon Gombert and junior Deonte Hector. Hector led the team with nine tackles, while Gombert added six.
The offense took over and scored in five plays on a 4-yard touchdown run by Cress, his second score of the night, and led 21-0 with a minute left in the first quarter.
The next Wildcat possession saw Yorktown put together a nice drive down to the Panther 30-yard line, only to have senior lineman Julian Pesina strip-sack Yorktown quarterback Drew Alexander, which caused him to fumble and give it back to the Panthers. Senior Blanco quarterback Baylor Smith hit Cress in the flats on the next play for a nice 22-yard gain, crossing midfield into Wildcat territory. Four plays later, Cress again scored on a 22-yard run for his third touchdown of the game to put the Panthers up 28-0.
The Panthers received the kickoff to start the second half, and four plays later, Cody Cross scored on a nice sweep play for 39 yards, extending the lead 35-0. The defense again swarmed the Wildcats with sophomore Preston Guinn having one of his two sacks to lead the Panther defense.
With the game in hand, Tesch pulled most of his starters, giving way to a talented group of underclassmen who didn’t let up. Blanco scored on a 13-yard run by freshman Carson Smith to take a 42-0 lead with 2:57 left in the third quarter. The defense again forced another three-and-out, and this time sophomore Devin Newsome fielded the punt around midfield and returned it 40 yards to the Wildcat 10. Sophomore Cade Cress was next up with a 9-yard touchdown run putting the Panthers up 48-0 for the final score.
“We all want to not only make the playoffs this year, but go as far as we can,” Jackson Cress said. “Our team unity is a lot better than last year. Everyone seems to be having a lot more fun when we aren’t playing, and when we are, we work really well together and play hard.”
Blanco showed a good mix of senior leadership and underclassmen with athletic prowess in its first game after the realignment, moving up to Class 3A, Division 1. Blanco will host Shiner, the number one ranked Class 2A team in the state, this Friday at 7:30 p.m.
“All areas need to improve for this week,” Tesch said. “Shiner is number one in the state. They’re physical and fast. We look forward to the match up. It should be a good game.”
Score by quarter
Blanco 21 7 14 6 - 48
Yorktown 0 0 0 0 - 0
