After a stellar performance three weeks ago against Anamosa, West Liberty had a high district finish on its mind.
Now, West Liberty is simply hoping to play meaningful football next week.
On senior night, Monticello stunned West Liberty with a 28-21 victory to prevent West Liberty from clinching a playoff berth and kept their own season alive.
The Panthers struck first in the second quarter as quarterback Brady Gogel threw a touchdown pass in the corner of the endzone to wide receiver Conley Schauf.
That touchdown came with exactly 10 minutes on the second quarter clock and it didn’t take long for a second score.
After a West Liberty three-and-out, Monticello’s Carson Lambert broke a 40-yard screen pass for a touchdown.
Suddenly, it was 14-0. The Comet crowd was silent, but would soon get loud.
Following a kickoff return into enemy territory, junior Axell Polanco took a jet sweep down into the red zone.
On the next play, quarterback Ryker Dengler faked the jet sweep to Polanco, kept the ball himself and ran straight up the gut for a touchdown.
The Panthers still had juice left in them in the first half to cut down any momentum the Comets tried to build before halftime.
Here, Gogel got himself down to the one-inch line and executed a quarterback sneak for the score. After converting another extra point, the Panthers led 21-7 into half.
West Liberty would not be deterred as it scored quickly to start the third quarter. On a fourth and eight from Monticello’s 22 yard line, the Comets executed a trick play to perfection.
Dengler gave a reverse handoff to sophomore Enrique Michel who then threw it downfield on the run to senior Cameron Iske who ran uncovered into the endzone.
But as was the theme of the night, Monticello stayed one step ahead.
On the next drive, the Panthers scored their fourth and final touchdown of the night. This time, a 40-yard pass went to Jerin McElmeel for the score.
Now down 28-14, West Liberty needed two touchdowns in 14 minutes to tie the game.
The Comets got one back at the nine-minute mark in the fourth quarter as another trick play came into the fold. On fourth and five from the Panthers eight-yard line, Dengler passed the ball to senior Seth Axsom who was nearly blown up for a big loss.
As he was being tackled, Axsom lofted the ball into the endzone for junior Owen Daufeldt for a miraculous score.
The Comets did not have enough magic left to spend as Monticello prevented any further damage and earned its second straight district win.
For West Liberty, it means they still have work to do to clinch a playoff berth.
The Comets must defeat Camanche this Friday. If the Comets lose this game, they will place outside the top four in the district because they will not have the head-to-head tiebreakers against either the Storm or the Panthers.
If the Comets defeat Camanche, they will earn a playoff berth by being one of the top four teams in its district. However, as a result of losing to Monticello, they cannot be the champion or runner-up, which means they cannot host a playoff game.
Camanche is 1-6 this season with its lone win coming against Tipton during the second week of district play.
The Storm are led by quarterback Charlie Sager who has a 54.5 completion percentage, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Leading offensive playmakers include senior wide receiver and Class 2A State high jump runner-up Tyson Seeser, junior wide receiver Gavin Baker and senior running back Elijah Joseph.