Photo by Jake Przytarski Minneota’s Kade Lozinski throws a pass to a receiver during their game against TMB on Thursday. The Vikings defeated the Panthers 50-7.

TRACY – A stingy defensive effort coupled with an explosive first start for Kade Lozinski spelled doom for the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton football team in Thursday’s season opener as the Minneota Vikings put up 28 points in the first quarter and never looked back in a 50-7 victory over the Panthers.

In spite of the lopsided end result, TMB put its best foot forward defensively on Minneota’s opening drive with a tone-setting tackle for loss on the first play from scrimmage on a drive that ended in a punt. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Vikings would not punt again until midway through the second quarter.

After forcing a three and out on the Panthers’ first drive, the Vikings began to find their rhythm offensively beginning with a 51-yard screen pass from sophomore quarterback Lozinski to senior running back Cole Sanow for a touchdown. The touchdown pass for Lozinski was his first of four in the contest.

Only a minute after Sanow’s touchdown, the Vikings found themselves with a golden opportunity to add to their lead with a fumble recovery at the TMB 14-yard line. Minneota would capitalize with a three-yard QB sneak by Lozinski.

TMB’s inability to take care of the football would haunt them again moments later as a Sanow interception flipped the field and put the Vikings right back in the red zone where senior running back Blake Reiss found his way into the end zone from 16 yards out to give Minneota a 21-0 lead.

Before the end of the first quarter, Lozinski put an exclamation point on a dominant 12 minutes of football by connecting with senior wide receiver Alex Seltzer from 58 yards out for the score. The long touchdown pass from Lozinski to Seltzer was the first of two in the opening half.

The second touchdown connection between Lozinski and Seltzer came a minute into the second quarter when the Vikings were backed up at their own 19-yard line and stared down a third and long situation. Dropping back to pass, Lozinski hit Seltzer in stride for an 81-yard touchdown pass to make it 36-0 after a successful two-point conversion by Reiss.

Determined to get on the board before halftime after the Sanow added another touchdown for Minneota late in the half, TMB sophomore running back Ayden Horner broke free for a 36-yard gain with a minute left to play. The Panthers kept the chains moving when Otto found Luc Gervais on a pass play that brought them down to the two-yard line. The two would connect again in the corner of the end zone to make it 43-7 heading into halftime.

Out of the half, Lozinski threw his final touchdown pass of the game, this time to senior tight end Logan Sussner, to bring the game to its final score of 50-7.

The Vikings will return to the field next Friday when they host Lakeview at 7 p.m.

The Panthers will look to earn their first victory of the season when they travel to New Ulm to take on New Ulm Cathedral next Friday at 7 p.m.

Individual leaders:

PASSING (Completions/Att.-Yards-TD-Int): Minneota (Lozinski 9/16-265-4-0); TMB (Otto 6/13-40-1-1).

RUSHING (Att.-Yards-TD): Minneota (Reiss 6-69-1; Sanow 15-54-1; Josephson 4-27; Lozinski 2-0-1); TMB (Otto 12-40; Horner 6-27; K. Zick 5-21).

RECEIVING (Rec.-Yards-TD): Minneota (Saltzer 5-177-2; Sanow 1-51-1; Sussner 2-24-1; A. Myhre 1-13); TMB (Gervais 3-33-1; J. Tauer 1-3; Zick 1-2).