Huskies slaughter Panthers 42-7

Owatonna kept its perfect record intact last week after beating a winless Rochester Century team 42-7 in enemy territory.

The Huskies came out swinging in the first quarter and never looked back, amounting to a 21-0 lead by the start of the second.

“This game was one that we had full confidence going into that we were going to win, so the focus was just on playing with confidence and focusing on what we need to do. We came out well and put up 35 points in the first half. We knew the job and got it done. I’m really proud of our team,” said Owatonna wide receiver Nolan Ginskey.

Owatonna’s first touchdown came on a 73-yard passing touchdown from quarterback Hunter Theis to Ginskey.

The standout senior receiver has become a big-play maven and continues to terrorize opposing defenses.

He now has 30 receptions for 611 yards and eight touchdowns on the season and is averaging 122 yards per game.

Just minutes after the opening score, Owatonna extended its lead to 14-0 when Theis connected with wide receiver Seth Johnson on a 20-yard passing touchdown.

The senior showed off his athleticism with a flashy toe-tap catch in the back of the endzone for his first touchdown of the season.

Rochester Century tried to find life on offense, but disaster struck when the team’s third possession sputtered into a fourth-down scenario.

The Panthers’ punt was blocked by a gang of Huskies, setting Owatonna up with a first-and-goal at the one-yard line with five seconds remaining in the quarter.

Huskies’ running back Tristan Graham wasted no time getting in the endzone, scoring on the first play with one second left in the quarter.

Another Rochester Century drive failed abruptly to begin the second quarter, and Owatonna took full advantage scoring on a 48-yard passing touchdown to wide receiver Luke Webber to begin the drive.

Webber showcased his track speed by torching a Panthers’ defensive back down the sideline and scoring with relative ease to put Owatonna up 28-0.

Owatonna’s defense continued to shine when middle linebacker Blake Fitcher intercepted a batted pass on the next Panthers’ possession.

The turnover set the Huskies up inside the Panthers’ 20-yard line with just over five minutes left in the half.

A few plays later it was Webber who found paydirt again – this time on a 13-yard passing touchdown that saw him shed a tackle and cut across the middle of the field.

Webber’s score put Owatonna up 35-0.

The home crowd was all but silenced before Rochester Century found its first bit of hope in a kickoff return that set the Panthers up in plus territory to begin their drive.

Instead of another drive fizzling out, the home side marched down the field and scored on a seven-yard passing touchdown to end the Huskies’ shutout hopes with 1:47 left in the half.

The touchdown was the last before halftime, leaving the score at 35-7 with 24 minutes to play.

Owatonna’s last touchdown came shortly after halftime when Theis found GInskey on a 29-yard touchdown to put the Huskies up 42-7.

Neither side was able to score again as backups began to take the field for both teams.

Owatonna’s win improved the Huskies to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play, keeping them in first place in the Northstar – South-Maroon division.

Up next for Owatonna is a clash with Mankato West for the Huskies’ homecoming game on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.

The Scarlets enter the matchup 3-2 overall and are coming off a 37-28 loss to Chanhassen – a team Owatonna beat 21-7 three weeks prior.

Player Stats

Passing

#7 Hunter Theis – 11-16 269 yards 5 TD; #6 Michael Heitkamp – 2-7 19 yards; #16 Aedan Tackmann – 1-2 4 yards

Rushing

#20 Tristan Graham – 13 att. 63 yards 1 TD; #32. Carter Flatland – 7 att. 31 yards; #6 Heitkamp – 3 att. 10 yards; #7 Theis – 3 att. -1 yard

Receiving

#3 Nolan Ginskey – 4 rec. 137 yards 2 TD: #11 Luke Webber – 4 rec. 78 yards 2 TD; #2 Seth Johnson – 3 rec. 40 yards 1 TD; #81 Zach Haarstad -  rec. 25 yards; #32 Flatland – 1 rec. 8 yards; #1 Bentley Arvig – 1 rec. 4 yards