GREAT BEND, Kan. – McPherson High School Football fell to Great Bend 42-7 on the road to start the 2025 season.
Momentum saw the Panthers’ way with a pick-six on the opening drive for the Bullpup offense. The Bullpup offense then struggled to gain yardage, punting the ball away three times. Great Bend would end up scoring following all three punts beginning with a three-yard rushing touchdown by Notre Dame commit Ian Premer, a rushing touchdown by quarterback Daxton Minton, and an 18-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Kelly.
The McPherson offense got the ball rolling in the second quarter, but already trailed 28-0. The Pups were able to get on the scoreboard on a 43-yard pass from Carter Bengtson to Ashton Malm, capping off a 72-yard drive. However, these seemed to be the only points McPherson scored. The halftime score saw Great Bend leading 28-7.
The Panthers started the second half strong on a 43-yard touchdown pass to Premer, making the score 35-7. After both teams were held stagnant, McPherson had a long drove going over nine minutes to end the third and begin the fourth quarters, but a 90-yard fumble return for a touchdown stopped the drive and put seven more points up for Great Bend.
Despite the result, head coach Jace Pavlovich was impressed by the team, who had to endure facing a 5A state contender. “The game sped up on our guys a little bit especially after we faced some adversity,” Pavlovich said. “Once we just relax, we are a good football team. We just need to trust ourselves a little bit more.”
The 11th year head coach of the Bullpups also gave praise to the offense. “Our offensive line, which was the question mark going in, were pretty dang good up front,” Pavlovich said. “[Great Bend Head Coach Erin] Beck even said the same thing. We controlled the line of scrimmage offensively for the most part.”
The Bullpups enter the season 0-1, marking the third straight season where McPherson fell in week one to Great Bend. They now look ahead to their first league matchup on the road against Circle Friday, Sept. 12.
