(PHOTO BY RACHEL NAGEL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
RETAINING THE IRON KETTLE … Vincent Martinez busts through the hole on a carry for Delta as they beat Swanton 28-0 to keep the Iron Kettle. VIEW 76 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
DELTA (September 27, 2024) – The Panthers will keep the Iron Kettle for a fifth consecutive year after knocking out the Swanton Bulldogs 28-0 during homecoming play in Delta Friday night.
Delta’s win marks the Bulldogs’ 25th consecutive loss. Since the last time Swanton defeated Delta (48-14 in 2019), the Panthers have outscored them 241-7.
The Panthers took initiative early, largely through the efforts of senior running back Landon Lintermoot, who carried the ball nearly three quarters of the way down the field across a punt return and six runs, including a final one-yard run for a touchdown. The extra point by senior Brodey Roth put Delta up 7-0.
Swanton struggled to get any momentum, catching a false start penalty on their first play before going four and out, punting it away and leaving Delta on their own 49-yard line.
It took Lintermoot one play to capitalize on the field position, running the full remaining 51 yards for a second touchdown. Roth was again successful, and the Panthers went up 14-0.
The Bulldogs made a stronger go of it with their second drive, led by senior quarterback Drake Harris, who ran the ball himself for an eight-yard gain on the heels of a four-yard run by senior Josh Tyburski for a first down. Harris ran another 9 yards on the next play but a flag for holding brought it back to the 16-yard line.
Junior Hudson Pancoast ran it for three and Harris held it twice more for another seven, but it wasn’t enough to prevent another fourth-down punt.
Lintermoot ran that punt back from around the Delta 39-yard line to within 10 yards of the end zone, but a holding penalty against the Panthers brought it all the way back to their own 38.
After a loss of one, a pitch to freshman Marcus Nagel yielded 11 yards and a first down. Sophomore Vincent Martinez ran it up another six to end the quarter.
Lintermoot made his final contributions before leaving the game over a pair of plays, with a six-yard pass and five-yard run.
His mantel was taken up by Nagel, who carried on a pair of runs for 35 yards before – after a five-yard run by senior Carl Warner – running the last four yards for a touchdown. Roth’s kick brought the score to 21-0.
Bulldog sophomore Jayden Wilson started the Swanton drive by returning the kick to the 22-yard line. Over the next seven plays Pancoast carried once for a yard and sophomore Shawn McGary carried once for two, while Harris held the ball four times for 25 before carrying it again on fourth and two, falling just short of the first down and turning the ball over on downs.
The Swanton defense came alive on the next Panther drive, with senior Kaiden Bryan sacking Harris for a loss of nine on the first play.
A double reverse by Delta brought them back to the original line of scrimmage for third and 10, but they were unable to convert and were forced to punt it away.
Harris continued to do yeoman’s work for the Bulldog offense on the following drive after an initial incomplete pass, first by throwing a 10-yard pass to Bryan, then by carrying it another 10 yards over a pair of plays before getting tackled for no gain.
Another five-yard Harris run was followed by another failed pass attempt. A Harris five-yard run wasn’t enough to stave off a fourth-and-10, and the Bulldogs were again forced to punt. Delta took a knee on the following play to end the half.
The Bulldogs got the ball back to start the second half, with Sophomore Seth Carman dropping the ball on the return but regaining possession.
A one-yard run by Tyburski was followed by a 28-yard run then another three-yard run by McGary, but a lateral pass turned into a loss of one and Nagel sacked Harris for another lost yard, resulting in a punt.
A four-yard run by Martinez was aided by an illegal substitution by Swanton on the next play to bring up second and one, with Nagel carrying it a further six for a first down.
Over a grinding series of three downs, the Panthers pushed the ball to the Bulldog 13-yard line with help from Martinez, Nagel, and Warner which saw another albeit unsuccessful double reverse.
A pitch to Martinez for the final 13 yards and another good kick by Roth put the Panthers up 28-0.
During the next drive, the Delta defense put on the pressure, forcing Harris to hold the ball during a pair of plays, one to the benefit of the Bulldogs and one helping Delta.
The first resulted in a personal foul against the Panthers for a horse collar, resulting in a first down. The second, for holding, put Swanton at first and 20. A false start on the next play put them at first and 25.
A four-yard run by McGary and a long, incomplete pass attempt brought an end to the third quarter.
When play restarted, the Panthers kept up the pressure, forcing Harris to hold for a three-yard gain, which wasn’t enough to stave off a punt on fourth and 18.
Alternating Delta runs by Nagel and junior Hayden Boulton pushed them through two downs and to the Swanton 27-yard line, where another unsuccessful double reverse resulted in the loss of a yard, and an incomplete pass through the fingers of Boulton in the end zone turned the ball over on downs.
The Bulldogs went to the air on their following drive after a one-yard run by Harris. A lateral to sophomore Marquise Zalecki for a gain of one was assisted by a personal foul against the Panthers, putting them at the 45-yard line.
Another pair of passes – to Zalecki and Carman – were both incomplete, and a short pass followed by a short run were not enough to salvage the drive, turning the ball back over on downs.
Delta crossed midfield on their first play of the next drive with a 12-yard pitch to Boulton. Swanton senior Cam Kirtz was injured on the play, leaving the field with a heavy limp that forced him to stop several times.
A pair of runs by Martinez yielded no gains, and double reverse to him gained only one, but he took a pitch on fourth and seven for a gain of 14 and a first down.
Another pitch to him on the following play yielded another 11 yards and another first down. A run by Nagel and a pitch to Boulton pushed the Panthers all the way to the one-yard line, but a follow-up attempt by Nagel to run it in resulted in a fumble at the one that was recovered by Swanton with just nine seconds left on the clock.
Starting on their own 20, the Bulldogs were only able to muster a nine-yard run by Pancoast before time elapsed, leaving the final score at 28-0, Delta.
UP NEXT: October 4 – Delta (5-1, 2-1 NWOAL) at Wauseon (2-4, 2-1 NWOAL) 7pm; Archbold (3-3, 1-2 NWOAL) at Swanton (0-6, 0-3 NWOAL) 7pm
SWANTON 0 0 0 0 – 0
DELTA 14 7 7 0 – 28
D – Lintermoot 1-yd run (Roth kick)
D – Lintermoot 51-yd run (Roth kick)
D – Nagel 4-yd run (Roth kick)
D – Martinez 13-yd run (Roth kick)
