Gary O'Hair was stunned.
Standing at midfield after Andale's latest win, the long time Andale coach couldn't believe the 72-22 final score against Nickerson, Friday night.
"We blocked a punt, returned a kickoff in there and it seemed like everyone jumped in on it, once the momentum got going," said O'Hair. "As we started rolling, they started being more aggressive and started playing faster and faster and really had a lot of fun."
"I feel like we can do that every game," Jared Smarsh said after the game. "If we play our football, we can do that to anybody."
Andale (7-1) could do no wrong all game, but especially in the first half, rolling to a 42-14 halftime lead on the Panthers, who actually outgained th visitors 231-165 but trailed by four touchdowns. Nickerson was heavily penalized in the first two quarters, negating at least three positive drives.
"When you are playing a good team, when you get momentum going, you have to take advantage of it," O'Hair said. "You can't let up - and that's probably the thing these guys did the best job of tonight."
Andale has a chance to go undfeated in their district against Cheney, next Thursday. The Cardinals lost to Buhler 21-0 Friday.
Likely the biggest game in Nickerson (6-2) in at least 10 years, the Panthers answered the called on their opening drive when Ryan O'Toole connected with Jalen Karber for a 76-yard touchdown. ONce the two-point conversion went in, they had an early 8-0 lead.
Andale had an answer, as they would all night. Jared Smarsh hooked up with Tyler Bugner inside the five yard line on a great throw and catch, setting up their first touchdown when Smarsh rolled in himself. They missed the two-point conversion, trailing 8-6. It was the last time they trailed.
Tyler May capped off a solid Indian drive with a 16-yard touchdown run to the near corner and then converted on the two-point conversion. Andale led 14-8 at the end of the first quarter and it stayed that way.
Andale used every method they could to reel off 28 points in the second quarter, including two scores from Hunter Knoblaugh on a pick six of O'Toole and returning a kickoff to make it 42-14 at halftime.
"We had a lot of confidence coming in and we knew we just had to come out and play football," said Tyler Bugner after the game. "We knew these guys had a chance to beat us and I think we came out and played one of our best games of the year."
It got uglier or greater in the second half, according to what color you were wearing Friday night. Andale kept Nickerson off the scoreboard in the third quarter, while the Indians scored 30 more points to lead 72-14 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Coaches like their teams to peak at the end of the season and O'Hair feels like Andale has turned a corner.
"I think we are playing well and we gotta keep guys healthy," O'Hair said. "And for the most part we have stayed healthy and this is the time of year you worry about that because things happen fast now."
