<I>The Eagle/Kim Kell</I><BR>Prairie City's Dylan Hendriksen fakes the handoff to Brandon Crisler as Colton Schulze prepares to receive the ball. All three are seniors and played in the final football game of their high school careers.

PRAIRIE CITY – The Panthers only needed one half of football to win last week.

Prairie City defeated Burnt River 66-14 Friday, Oct. 31 in a game that was all but decided at halftime. The Panthers led 44-0 at halftime.

The win marks the end of the season for Prairie City. They finished Special District 6 play with a 3-5 record and were 3-7 overall. However, the Panthers were within one touchdown of district wins against Adrian and Harper earlier in the year. Prairie City went out on a good note with two wins to wrap up the year. The Panthers beat Monument/Long Creek/Dayville 66-30 on Oct. 24.

“It’s nice to finish with wins,” Prairie City coach Scott Hoberg said. “It’s good for the seniors on the team.”

The Panthers controlled the field and were able to run the ball well Friday. The three seniors on the team each ran for more than 100 yards. Prairie City’s Colton Schulze ran for 170 yards in the game and scored three touchdowns. Running back Brandon Crisler and quarterback Dylan Hendriksen each rushed for 120 yards. Crisler had three touchdowns while Hendriksen had two of his own.

Prairie City ended the day with a total of 435 yards rushing.

Marshall Mecham added a touchdown of his own on a 70-yard kickoff return. Mecham caught a wind battered ball on the 30-yard line and ran it all the way back.

“There was no wind and then it came up suddenly,” Hoberg said. “Burnt River was kicking off and it looked like a deep kick, but then the wind caught it and it just floated. Marshall just took it and got blocks from Dylan and some other kids. All credit to Marshall for the catch. The ball was almost like a knuckle ball.”

The Bulls put together a seven minute drive in the third quarter and were able to score their only touchdown. However, the Panthers’ defense responded and held them scoreless for the remainder of the game.

The Panthers finished the game with their seniors and a compliment of freshmen on the field. Hoberg said the entire Prairie City team was responsible for the strong defensive effort in the game.