Panthers fight off Warriors to win opener
<p>Alberton sophomore quarterback Jack Lehl uses his speed and strength to extend a broken play and attempt a pass during Friday's game against the Heart Butte Warriors.</p>
The Alberton Panthers played their first game of the 2012 Western-C 6 man football season Friday and came out strong against the Heart Butte Warriors.
Led by the passing of sophomore quarterback Jack Lehl, the Panthers quickly went up 20-0 in the first quarter.
Lehl connected with junior Troy Munsch and sophomore Alec Manahan for two early touchdowns and senior running back Todd Mrystol added a 48 yard score on the ground.
During the second quarter, the defenses of both sides slowed down the pace of the game – applying pressure and forcing the offense to make rushed plays with lackluster results.
The Panthers went into half up 20-0 against the Warriors.
At the start of the second half, Heart Butte showed they were still in the game by putting up a quick score and a rare field goal to put the score at 20-8.
Munsch and the Panthers responded with a touchdown earned primarily on the ground and capped off by a three yard touchdown run by the junior.
In the fourth quarter, Heart Butte came back with a vengeance and threatened to not only steal the momentum but the victory as well. The Warriors put up 22 points in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough.
Lehl once again answered the call and came up big in the fourth quarter with a 40 yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
The points enabled the Panthers to cruise to a 34-30 victory against the Warriors.
Alberton squares off against West Yellowstone High School on the road on September 8.