NEW RICHLAND &045; According to coach Dan Stork, the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Panthers had chances to put the game away earlier.

They finally did. After seven overtimes.

The Panthers picked up their first football win of the season and their first with stork at the helm with a wild 47-39 victory over Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop at New Richland Friday night.

&uot;Our guys just played their hearts out right to the last play,&uot; said Stork. &uot;I couldn’t be more proud of them. It’s my first win as head coach, and one I’ll definitely remember forever.&uot;

The Panthers led 12-0 at halftime, but GFW put up 19 points in the third. It was 19-19 at the end of regulation.

In overtime, in which each team gets four plays from the opponents’ 10-yard line, the Panthers and GFW scored in two of their first four tries, with the score still tied at the end of each.

In the deciding overtime, Jason Lennox scored for the Panthers and also ran for the two-point conversion. GFW fumbled on its second play and Brett Wangsness recovered for the Panthers.

NRHEG outgained the visitors 407-231. Joe Balfe led a balanced rushing attack with 105 yards. Lennox ran for 73, Jordan Peterson 72.

Bjorn Peterson completed 10 of 25 passes for 133 yards with no interceptions. Nick Christensen caught five passes for 63 yards, Matt Wenzel two for 49, Lennox three for 21.

The defensive leaders were Kaleb Jacobson with 13 tackles, Anders Mattson 12, Chris Hager 12, Wangsness 12, Matt Holland eight and Ben Groth seven.

The Panthers play Saturday at 1 p.m. at Minnesota Valley Lutheran.

GFW

0

0

19

0

20&045;39

NR

6

6

0

7

22&045;47

GFW

NR

First downs

9

15

Rushing yards

190

274

Passing yards

41

133

Total yards

231

407

Pen.-yards

5-35

9-65

Turnovers

2

4

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING&045;NR, Balfe 105, Lennox 73, J.Peterson 72, Kormann 17, Berg 7.

PASSING&045;NR, B.Peterson 10-25-0, 133; Bushlack 0-0-1, 0.

RECEIVING&045;NR, Christensen 5-63; Wenzen 2-49; Lennox 3-21.