Dalhart holds off Panhandle in upset thriller
In a complete stunner Friday night, the Dalhart Golden Wolves bent but never broke holding off a furious fourth quarter rally by Panhandle to get a last minute touchdown and walk away with a thrilling 42-35 upset victory against the Panthers that brought a lot of statewide attention.
“It was a huge win for us,” Dalhart head coach Joey Read said. “We didn’t play good in the second half at Perryton last week and we knew that. I thought we got off to such a great first quarter against Panhandle. The second quarter wasn’t great but we regrouped in the third and when it mattered in the fourth quarter. I’m so proud of this team and how they finished this game.”
Dalhart (2-1) couldn’t have asked for a better start against a Panther (2-1) team rolling with momentum following a 61-19 blowout victory against Stratford last week. The Golden Wolves were firing on all cylinders in the opening 12 minutes jumping on Panhandle 21-0. Quarterback Hunter Trusler started the scoring with a 43-yard touchdown run, a start of a huge night for the senior. Trusler then delivered a pair of strikes to Brett Alvar of 29 and 64 yards.
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The Panthers were able to close the gap 21-14 by halftime, but in the third quarter Dalhart regained control scoring 14 unanswered points thanks to a Trusler 36-yard pitch and catch to Talon Garcia and then a Trusler 6-yard scamper as the Golden Wolves were up 35-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
Panhandle didn’t go away. The Panthers chipped away with a Krogh 11-yard TD, then got an onside kick that resulted in a Landyn Andrews 27-yard run for a touchdown and all of a sudden it was 35-28. Following another Dalhart special teams miscue on a pooch kick, Panhandle was back in business with quarterback Broxton Robinson pushing his way in from 2-yards out bringing the Panthers all the way back tying it up 35-35.
Unlike the week before, Dalhart wasn’t going to give this game away. With a minute remaining, head coach Joey Read called a quarterback lead play from his own 20-yard line, and Trusler called ball game. Trusler took the ball around the left side, picked up a huge block and got loose sprinting 80-yards for the eventual game-winner as the Golden Wolves went on for the incredible 42-35 victory.
“The fourth quarter was crazy for us,” Read said. “We weren’t good at all on special teams but in the end we responded. I really thought we were going to overtime but Trusler broke loose and we never quit as a team. Hunter was incredible the entire game. He has done very well coming into his own. He knows that last week wasn’t his best effort but he commanded the offense against Panhandle and made great decisions.”
Trusler ended his night torching the Panther defense for 512 yards of offense. In the passing game, the lefty gunslinger was 10-of-20 for 209 yards with three touchdowns, but on the ground toting the ball 23 times for an eye-popping 303 yards with another three scores. Alvar complimented Trusler snagging five catches for 132 yards with a pair of touchdowns and Garcia had 70 yards receiving with a TD.
Robison led Panhandle going 19-of-24 for 245 passing yards while carrying the ball 21 times for 116 yards with a score. Caden Armes had six catches for 74 yards for the Panthers.