(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
PEYTON — Josh Gonzales set the tone and the Peyton Panthers look to have picked up right where they left off.
And after Friday’s 42-0 win over Trinidad, the No. 5-ranked team in the Class 1A CHSAANow.com football poll isn’t just thinking another undefeated regular season. This team believes it’s capable of so much more.
“We don’t belong in the top five,” Gonzales said. “We belong in the top three or the top two.”
Gonzales, a junior running back, carried the ball just three times for 34 yards in the first half. But one of those carries went for a touchdown.
The Panthers (1-0 overall) went up 13-0 when Gonzales returned a punt 54 yards for his second touchdown of the day.
The problem for Trinidad was that no rhythm could be established. The Miners started the game with a surprise onside kick, which they recovered. They had the makings of a scoring drive, but the Peyton defense clamped down when it needed to and forced a turnover on downs.
Once the Panthers built a three-touchdown lead, it was clear that the Miners (0-1) were outmatched.
That was the theme of the night for visitors. Quarterback Josiah Portenier was often the victim of a Peyton sack. They weren’t necessarily coverage sacks as much as he just didn’t have time to let a play develop before he was swarmed by the Panthers front seven.
The Zero Week flu did bite the Panthers a little bit. Sloppy football just allowed the Miners to keep the game close through the entire first half.
“We had way too many turnovers,” Peyton coach Richard Deems said. “I think we fumbled the ball three or four times, stuff like that. Stupid penalties. Just normal stuff that kids do like forgetting to run out on the field.
The Panthers pushed the score to 21-0 on a 22-yard touchdown run from quarterback Trevor Walker right before halftime.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Gonzales added a receiving touchdown in the third quarter while Gunner Saarela and Tyler Noffsinger each ran one in to secure a comfortable victory for Peyton. It wasn’t too long ago that these wins were few and far in between.
Only four years ago that Deems took over a program he described on the brink of death. The participation numbers were low and the desire to play simply wasn’t being felt in the halls of Peyton High School.
Since taking over the program, Deems has instilled a winning mentality and for 2017, the expectations are high.
“It mostly comes from our coach,” Walker said. “It’s all the motivation. It has really changed Peyton football.”
But a coach can only preach so much. The message has to be received by the players and in order for consistent success to happen, the players have to buy into the program year in and year out.
Deems doesn’t think his players are shy about doing what they need to in order to achieve results.
“They’ve been working hard for a long time and it’s starting to come together now,” he said. “People better recognize that Peyton is here and we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with for a long time.”