Photo by Jake McNeill Tracy-Milroy-Balaton quarterback Trevor Smith (center) drops back to pass during the Panthers’ win over Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in the first round of the Section 3A tournament in Tracy on Tuesday night.

TRACY — On a chilly and rainy night for football, the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers played host to the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Knights in an initial playoff game. The No. 2-seeded Panthers are ranked No. 10 in Class A at 7-1. Their lone loss came against Sleepy Eye United. Meanwhile, the Knights have struggled this season, coming into this game as the No. 7 seed at 2-6. In the end, TMB was able to put together a nice mix of running, passing and good defense to give the Panthers a 44-6 victory and advance to the next round of the playoffs.

TMB has ten Seniors on their squad, and they have high hopes to advance deep into the playoffs. RTR has eight seniors, and they have been a little sluggish on the offensive side of the ball, but they were hoping that the wet weather would slow down the passing game of TMB and spring an upset. The Panthers are averaging over 40 points a game this season, and they are allowing only 12 points a game on the defensive side. So it was a tall task for the Knights, especially since they just lost to TMB last week by a 40-14 score.

TMB took over at their 20-yard line and, on their first play from scrimmage, Noah Knakmuhs took a pass from Trevor Smith and ran for a 36-yard gain. RTR’s Brook Hess recovered a Panther fumble on the next play but the Knights were unable to move the ball and lined up for a punt.

On the fake, Blake Christianson’s pass was incomplete and TMB took over in good field position at the 45-yard line. TMB wasted no time moving the ball down the field and Alex Schuh carried the ball into the end zone from the eight-yard line to open up the scoring. The extra point try saw a low snap, but Trevor Smith scooped it up and ran it in for an 8-0 lead.

TMB set up to kick off and tried an onside kick, which they were able to recover at the 45-yard line. On the next play, Smith found Knakmuhs and he took the pass all the way to the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown. The PAT was no good, but TMB now held a 14-0 lead.

Kai Drake opened up the second quarter with an eight-yard reception, putting the ball on the ten-yard line. Blake Christianson then scrambled and ended up in the end zone to put RTR on the board. The PAT was no good, but RTR was back in the game, trailing 14-6.

TMB got the ball back and turned the ball over on downs, but Smith intercepted Christianson’s pass to give the ball back to the Panthers at the 41-yard line. Taylor Swenhaugen took a handoff and sprinted 59 yards to the end zone. Smith converted the two-point conversion and TMB now had a 22-6 lead.

Luke Schreurs returned the kickoff to the 43-yard line, but after a couple of short gains, RTR was forced to punt. TMB took over on the 34-yard line, and on their second play, Smith fooled the defense, kept the ball, and went into the end zone from 30 yards out. After a successful two-point conversion, the score was now 30-6, and that was how the first half ended.

The second half did not start well for RTR as they fumbled on their first play and TMB recovered on the 17-yard line. Jeret Ankrum had been kept in check for the first half but he ran the ball down to the one-yard line, where Alex Schuh took it in to make the score 38-6 after the successful two-point conversion.

RTR took the kickoff back to the 34-yard line, and they were forced to punt. TMB took over at their own seven-yard line. Smith then hit Alex Schuh, who made a spectacular one-handed catch and ran the ball 83 yards all the way down to the 10 yard line. From there, Jeret Ankrum broke through for a ten-yard touchdown reception. The PAT was no good, but now TMB was in control, with the score 44-6 at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter gave both coaches a chance to put in the reserves. For TMB, Zachary Swanson took advantage of his playing time, as did Christian Lembke and Emery Xiong. For RTR, Tyson Burns, Garret Elton and Brayden Chandler had some good runs to show some future promise for RTR in the coming seasons.

“TMB did a nice job, especially considering the weather conditions,” RTR head coach Darren Baartman said. “We were able to slow Ankrum down, but Schuh and Swenhaugen did their share to put points on the board. Plus, Smith ran the ball well, and we were not expecting that. Their backs and receivers are really good, and tonight, they put the ball in Smith’s hands and he responded. They did a nice job of spreading the ball around, and the conditions caused alot of dropped balls on our part. We lost a lot of Seniors this year, but there was some growth in our younger players throughout the year. I expect that several of those Freshman and Sophomores will contribute to next year’s team with the experience they got this year.”

TMB Head Coach Jason Kainz was pleased with his team’s efforts, saying, “We were able to score early and get some momentum, and that was huge. It was something we talked about, that we had to come out and score early, especially with the weather being a factor. You just never know, with weather being a great equalizer, so it was nice to get a lead. It is the first time in my 27 years at TMB that we have faced a team in week eight, then turn right around and face them in the first round of the playoffs. They get a chance to make some adjustments, and have some tricks up their sleeves, so you just never know what to expect. So it was nice to score early, especially after RTR came back to make it a 14-6 game. We were able to build back the momentum and take control of the ballgame.”

TMB now moves on to play Saturday in the next round of the 3A playoffs. They will host No. 3 Springfield at 7 p.m. RTR ends its season with a 2-7 record, and bids goodbye to the eight Seniors who contributed to the Knights’ success over the last three years.