Ray-Pec ends emotional week with road victory
- jimmygillispie82
- 13 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Jimmy Gillispie
BLUE SPRINGS — Greg Jones, the second-year Ray-Pec coach, was overcome with emotions following Friday night’s overtime victory.
To say it was a tough week for Jones and the Panthers is likely an understatement. A day after the Panthers’ season opening win, William Jewell College running back MicahJo Barnett – a former player of Jones and Liberty North graduate – passed away following a medical emergency during the Cardinals’ game.
Additionally, three Ray-Pec players lost family members during the week leading up to Friday’s game at Blue Springs. Add in a rollercoaster overtime win, giving the Panthers’ their first 2-0 start in four years, and it was an emotional postgame for Jones.
“Tonight was tough, because my heart is with MicahJo. I coached that young man when he was young,” Jones said. “Then, this week alone, we’ve had a linebacker who’s grandpa passed away, we had a defensive lineman whose brother passed away and then right before the game we found out another defensive lineman’s cousin passed away.
“It’s been a week of tragedy, but these kids keep fighting. I have been on them about you’ve got to change and you’ve got to change, and they just bought in and laid it on the line.”
One of the biggest plays of the game came three minutes into the second half. On the sixth play of the Wildcats’ opening drive of the half, quarterback Wyatt Erickson scrambled and attempted to throw a shovel pass, but was hit from behind, popping the ball into the air.
Ray-Pec junior defensive lineman Irvin Threadgill caught the ball and sprinted down the Blue Springs sideline. He an about 80 yards with a convoy of teamates into the end zone before the Panthers celebration spilled over from the field to the sideline.
Jones said Threadgill was the player who lost his cousin before Friday’s game.
“Any time you score on defense, it’s always awesome,” Jones said. “It was amazing for him.”
Threadgill’s touchdown came less than two minutes after the Panthers scored on the opening possession of the half, taking a 19-14 lead. Technically, they scored twice but the first TD was called back for a holding penalty.
After the 75-yard TD run by senior running back Jojo Robinson – a Tulsa commit – was called back, the Panthers scored on the next play. This time, senior quarterback Daccota Stamback found junior tight end Colton Sowers in the middle of the field. Sowers sprinted to a score a 71-yard touchdown.
“I think it's the maturity of our seniors,” Jones said of gaining momentum early in the second half. “We have a really good senior class. They believe in each other and they love other.”
Blue Springs battled back with a touchdown, closing the gap to five points. Senior Brock Banker ran 39 yards for the score.
Earlier in the game, Banker scored a TD on a one-yard run, capping the Wildcats’ opening drive of the game. Sophomore Trey Turner also broke a 72-yard TD run early in the second quarter of the contest.
Needing eight points on their last drive of the fourth quarter, the Wildcats drove 80 yards in 12 plays. The final play – a fourth-down attempt – was a five-yard TD pass from Erickson to senior Justyn Lindsay. Erickson threw a pass to senior Traice Colliar, who tip-toed in the back of the end zone, for the two-point conversion, tying the game at 29.
In overtime, Ray-Pec forced a Blue Springs field goal. The 38-yard kick by senior Thomas Ahring gave the Wildcats a 32-29 lead.
On the Panthers’ first play of overtime, Stamback caught the snap, hesitated and sprinted through the heart of the Blue Springs defense. After scoring the walk-off, game-winning touchdown, Stamback threw off his helmet and celebrated with teammates.
“We went back to the film, and every time we go stacks, they have nobody in the middle of the field,” Jones said on the play call. “So, I said let’s go stacks and run it in the middle. I knew they would have all of their eyes on JoJo, so I’m like let’s let JoJo be the decoy and let someone else run it.”
The Panthers struggled through a 0-10 season last year in their first year under coach Jones, who took over for a squad that finished 1-10 in 2024.
“Now it’s a fine line between cocky and confident,” Jones said. “It’s like smell good – you put too much on you stink.”
The Panthers will play Shawnee Mission Northwest (Kansas) at home this week. Blue Springs will face cross-town rival Blue Springs South on the road.
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