Prairie City/Burnt River’s Tucker Wright looks to elude a defender during his team’s 55-8 win over Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, in Prairie City.

The Prairie City/Burnt River football team finally got over the Wheeler County hump, thumping the defending state champions 55-8 on Friday, Oct. 6, to secure a signature win for coach Nick Thompson’s program.

Spray/Mitchell/Wheeler struck first, punching the ball in from a yard out with 7:54 left in the first quarter. The Rattlers took an 8-0 lead following a converted two-point kick.

It was no cause for alarm on the Panther sideline.

“I come from the mind frame of if you’re panicking, then that means you’re unprepared,” Thompson said. “There was no sense of panic or anything like that as far as we go.”

With the score still at 8-0 and fresh off a fourth down stand, the Panthers got to work. A pair of Maison Teel rushes had the Panthers quickly across midfield.

Tucker Wright would eventually get the Panthers on the board, getting into the end zone from one yard out to bring his squad to within a point at 8-7 with just under 5:00 left in the half.

Prairie City/Burnt River would once again hold the Rattlers on fourth down and take over on offense with 3:23 left in the half with an opportunity to take their first lead of the game. The Rattlers didn’t do themselves any favors, committing a costly facemask penalty on third and 10 to keep the Panther offense on the field.

The Panthers would make good on that opportunity as quarterback Wes Voigt found Trey Brown in the end zone in the waning moments of the first half to put the Panthers ahead 14-8 with just :42 left in the half following a converted extra point try.

An extra scoring opportunity presented itself for the Panthers on the heels of a fielding mistake by the Rattlers on the ensuing kickoff, giving the Panthers the ball, all of the game’s momentum and a chance to take a two-possession lead headed into the half.

The Panthers again found paydirt through the air. This time Maison Teel tried his hand at receiver, catching a 15-yard touchdown strike from Voigt with :14 left in the second to increase the Panther lead to 20-8 at halftime after a missed extra point try.

The Panthers were relentless to start the second half, receiving the kickoff and taking less than a minute to put another touchdown on the board and take a commanding 27-8 lead with 9:01 left in the third quarter. Less than three minutes later, the Panthers would score again from one yard out to increase their lead to 34-8 with 6:09 left in the third.

Then came the sequence that broke the Rattlers’ will.

Another Rattler fielding mistake on the kickoff led to the Panthers retaining possession at the Wheeler 40 yard line. With no receivers open during a called pass play, Voigt improvised and simply ran the ball in hopes of positive yardage.

The result was a backbreaking 40-yard touchdown scamper that electrified the Panther faithful while simultaneously taking away whatever hopes the Rattlers had of a comeback bid.

“Wes got a chance to showcase his speed a little bit, which no one has really seen given the offense we typically run,” Thompson said. “That was just a little bit of a glimpse of the athleticism Was has.”

The Panthers would add another touchdown pass in the third quarter and a touchdown run in the beginning of the fourth to build a 55-8 lead with 8:59 left in the fourth. That score would hold and the Panthers would emerge from their showdown with the Rattlers with a convincing win.

Teel finished the game with 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries to go along with his touchdown catch. Wright finished with 64 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries.

Voigt finished 4-9 for 52 yards with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.

The Panthers are ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 1A and have shifted from being the hunters to being the hunted.

“We understand that we have a target on our back a little bit and are probably going to get everybody’s best game,” Thompson said.

Thompson is cautiously relishing the moment, aware that he’s got a very talented squad while also recognizing that football can be a cruel game at times.

“Football is a pretty funny game,” he said. “Last year, we had a strong team too and we went to Triangle Lake and ate a bit of humble pie.

“I tell the guys on our team it’s a privilege to play in November — that’s when the best players play,” he added. “It’s a privilege to be a part of playoff football, and I think we’ve learned over the past two years you can’t take that for granted.”

The Panthers are now set for a massive, season-ending showdown with one-loss South Wasco County, which also defeated the Rattlers earlier this season.

That game will be in Maupin on Friday, Oct. 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.