NEW RICHLAND &045; After surviving a 39-27 thriller with Madelia/Truman, first-year NRHEG head football coach Dan Stork said he came to a conclusion: &uot;We need to devote some time to special teams.&uot;

He probably also learned something else: Give the ball to Joe Balfe, often.

Balfe, a 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior, ran for 327 yards on 41 carries and the Panthers overcame three big special teams plays by Madelia/Truman at New Richland Friday night.

&uot;We were a very much improved team tonight,&uot; said Stork. &uot;The guys played extremely well.&uot;

A pair of touchdown runs by Balfe and two touchdown passes by Bjorn Peterson carried the Panthers to a 26-13 halftime lead, with M/T getting its first touchdown on an 82-yard kickoff return, and the visitors scored on a blocked punt in the third quarter to pull within 26-20.

A 3-yard scoring run by Bryan Kormann made it 32-20 in the fourth, but M/T returned the ensuing kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown.

Balfe added a 4-yard scoring run with about 4 minutes left.

Balfe’s 327 yards are believed to be a NRHEG single-game school record.

The Panthers amassed 520 yards of offense, 427 rushing, with 24 first downs. Peterson was 8-for-15 passing for 93 yards and ran 15 times for 68 yards. Nick Christensen caught four passes for 52 yards.

Chris Hager had five tackles to lead the defense. Matt Holland had two tackles and a sack. Kaleb Jacobson also played a strong defensive game.

The Panthers, 2-2, host LCWM for homecoming this Friday.