Prep Football: New York Mills rallies, but falls short against Parkers Prairie 18-13

New York Mills scored 13 points in the fourth quarter but fell short to the Parkers Prairie Panthers 18-13 in Prairie Conference action Friday night.

“I was happy with way we came back in the fourth quarter,” New York Mills’ head coach Matt Radniecki said. “We didn't give up and lay down, but we kept fighting and working hard.”

The game featured some big plays and missed opportunities from both teams, but the Panthers made theirs count to notch their first win of the season.

“The game is many times won on big plays and [Parkers Prairie] had three completions that were big plays,” Radniecki explained. “On defense, Parkers had the interception return in the third quarter for a touchdown, [which was] another big play.”

Parkers Prairie broke open the scoreless game with two touchdowns in the second quarter when Trey Thompson connected with Seth Bercier for a nine-yard touchdown pass. Ryan Peppersack added an eight-yard run to give the Panthers the 12-0 halftime lead.

Thompson made it 18-0 Panthers with a 52-yard interception return to spoil the Eagles’ opening drive of the second half. Another New York Mills third-quarter drive ended in a fumble inside the Panthers five-yard line.

The Eagles finally got on the scoreboard with less than five minutes left to play when sophomore quarterback Charlie Peeters had a 15-yard scamper into the end zone but the extra-point kick was blocked. The Eagles’ key play of the drive came on a 57-yard pass from Peeters to Spencer Imsande that got them into the Panthers’ red zone.

“When you look at us we had some big plays made in the fourth quarter, but we also missed some opportunities [by] fumbling on the three-yard line and also nearly intercepting a pass for a touchdown return.” Radniecki stated.

New York Mills cashed in on a successful onside kick as Peeters found Imsande for a 14-yard touchdown pass, with Brandon Kupfer adding the kick to trim the lead to 18-13.

The Panthers pounced on another New York Mills onside kick to preserve the victory.

“I was proud of how we hung in there but we have to learn to play four full quarters,” Radniecki added.

The Eagles finished with 179 total yards in offense. Peeters went 10-for-21 for 113 yards passing with two interceptions. Imsande had three receptions for 81 yards to lead the Eagles’ receiving corps.

Defensively, New York Mills was led by Ty Bell with 10 tackles, with Tyler Patron collecting nine.

“I was proud with how we came back and played with some heart and fire in the second half.” Radniecki said. “We need to take that into Browerville this Friday night.”

New York Mills (1-5) hosts the fifth-ranked Tigers at 7 p.m. Friday

New York Mills at Parkers Prairie on October 8
Panthers 18, Eagles 13
NYM 0 0 0 13—13
Parkers Prairie 0 12 6 0—18
Second Quarter
PP—Seth Bercier 9 pass from Trey Thompson (kick failed)
PP—Ryan Peppersack 8 run (kick failed)
Third Quarter
PP—Thompson 52 int return (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
NYM—Charlie Peeters 15 run (kick blocked)
NYM—Spencer Imsande 14 pass from Peeters (Brandon Kupfer kick)
Team Stats
Rushes-Yards: NYM 30-66; PP 40-140
Pass comp-Att-Int-Yards: NYM 10-21-2-113; PP 7-12-0-121
Total Offense: NYM 179; PP 261
First Downs: NYM 7; PP 12
Penalties-Yards: NYM 3-30; PP 7-65
Individual Stats
Rushing:
Passing:
Receiving:NYM—Imsande 3-81
Defensive Stats: NYM—Ty Bell 10 tackles, Tyler Patron 9 tackles