Great Bend snaps 19 game losing streak

GREAT BEND, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - The Great Bend Panthers snapped a 19-game losing streak by defeating the Buhler Crusaders 31-6.

Both entered the contest at Great Bend’s Memorial Stadium without a win in the still-young season.

For the first time since at least 2008, Buhler entered week three without a win.

Great Bend had not won a game in 1,051 days coming into the matchup. The Panthers went winless in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The two seasons that they played in 4A.

With less than a minute left in the first quarter, Great Bend quarterback Cayden Scheuerman fired a pass from five yards out and found Colton Brack on the edge of the endzone to put the first points of the evening on the board. Alex Galindo added the extra point to give Great Bend a 7-0 lead.

Buhler then went three and out with Jeffery Neill kicking a 43-yard punt to put the Panthers on their 21-yard line.

Two plays later, Cayden Scheuerman found Cody Miller along the far sideline and threw the ball to him. Miller caught it and took it in for a 66-yard touchdown.

Another Galindo point-after-touchdown made the score 14-0.

Buhler took the kickoff to their 37-yard line. Neill would quarterback a drive all the way to the Panther’s two-yard line. The drive would stall out on fourth down.

Neill lined up to kick a 19-yard field goal. The kick was blocked and Great Bend’s Maddox Spray recovered it on the one-yard line.

On the sixth play of the drive, Scheuerman found Maddox Spray for a 35-yard touchdown reception. This capped a 99-yard drive. Alex Galindo once again made the PAT.

Great Bend took a 21-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Buhler took the kickoff to start the second half. Unfortunately, they went three and out.

Great Bend went on an eight-play drive capped with a made field goal by Alex Galindo. The score now stood at 24-0.

Buhler would turn over the ball on their next possession. Great Bend took over on the Crusader 31-yard line. Three plays later, Cody Miller ran in from the 22-yard line to score a touchdown. Galindo’s extra point was good to make the score 31-0.

Buhler got on the board with 4:42 left in the game. Jeffery Neill executed a perfect fake handoff to run the ball in from the Panther six-yard line. Neill’s extra point attempt was blocked and no good.

“It means so much for these kids. It reminds me of everything we’ve gone through to get to this point,” said Great Bend Head Coach Erin Beck. “Hopefully, this win propels us into the next week and the rest of the season. It tells you a lot about these kids and the young men they are becoming and hopefully, it carries on past football.”

Great Bend’s Cayden Scheuerman led the offensive stats with 10 of 19 passing for 221 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball eight times for 65 yards.

Cody Miller rushed with the ball 19 times for 145 yards and one touchdown.

Braylon Council caught four passes for 142 yards and one touchdown. Maddox Spray and Colton Brack both caught a touchdown pass also.

Great Bend did not turn the ball over once in the game.

For Buhler, quarterback Jeffery Neill made six of 16 passes for 72 yards and also threw one interception. Neill also rushed eight times for 23 yards and one touchdown. He also fumbled the ball twice.

Gavin Patton ran the most with 17 carries for 133 yards. Patton fumbled twice.

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