Mason County Central (MCC) has a star in their backfield and Hesperia quickly learned that in a 50-13 loss for the Panthers, Friday, Oct. 11.
The Spartans’ Peyton Merz has been the catalyst for what is turning into a very impressive season for MCC. Merz continued to pile onto his rushing stats, recording 268 yards on the ground.
It seemed as though Hesperia was up to the task early, trailing by just eight points at the end of the first quarter. MCC quickly erased all hope for the Panthers however, piling on until they held a 50-7 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Panthers found the endzone once in the fourth quarter to add some points to the board, but at that point it was purely cosmetic.
Statistical leaders for the Panthers were senior quarterback Blake Sayer who was 7-for-15 through the air for 108 yards and two touchdowns along with eight carries for 32 yards on the ground. Senior Skyler Stalbaum took 13 carries for 68 yards while senior Ian Fox had two catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. Zach Loughridge also added two catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, Sayer led with 10 tackles while Thor Klaus had eight and Stalbaum had six.
The Panthers fell to 2-5 overall on the year with the loss.
