DARLINGTON — Darlington cemented its early season status as Division 5’s top birds following a 35-0 demolition against Lena-Winslow (0-2) on Aug. 28.
The split was nearly larger as Zeke Zuberbuhler returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, only for it to be called back due to holding.
The Panthers used the momentum in their favor, but only enough to force a 4-and-out. The Redbirds wasted no time getting the ball back, as Maximo Xolo contributed tackles on two-of-three downs to force the LW punt squad on the field.
Darlington had great field position as it brought the ball to the Panthers’ 45, and with 7:27 left in the first, the scoring blitz was on. Calum Crist and Dante Glendenning split rushing duties, first tallying eight yards apiece. The former then tagged a 5-yard effort, with the latter closing the remaining 24 yards in one go. Yasser Andino-Andino’s PAT sailed through the uprights, putting a cap on the Redbirds’ 84-second drive.
Cue the Darlington defensive domination, with Xolo at the forefront earning full or partial tackles, along with Dante Glendenning and Ryder Fitzsimons. The Redbirds regained the ball on their own 29 a little under three minutes beyond their prior touchdown, and had their second of the night came just over three minutes beyond their aforementioned score.
Calum Crist got the first attempt on the ground after the punt, but had his 5-yard gain negated due to a holding. Thankfully, Darlington also has a competent passing attack. To that end, Zuberbuhler connected with Fitzsimons who cleared all 71 yards to the end zone, with a successful Andino-Andino PAT putting the Redbirds ahead 14-0 with 2:57 left to the second frame.
The Panthers gained five yards across their first two offensive snaps, but a false start on third down turned a manageable attempt into 12 yards. Fortunately, a host of defenders jumped in on a sack at LW’s own 20, and Darlington had excellent field position yet again, starting from the Panthers’ 40 with 30 seconds left in the quarter.
The host squad didn’t sit idly by, giving Crist a handoff for an 8-yard gain, closing the quarter. Dante Glendenning tacked on three yards on the ground for first at the LW29. Gains on a Zuberbuhler keeper and a Fitzsimons reception on a swing route got the Redbirds to the 10-yard line, with Dante Glendenning notching consecutive gains of 2-and-6 yards. Zuberbuhler completed the 40-yard, 2:07 drive rushing through the heart of the line. Andino-Andino remained spotless on PAT’s.
The squads spent much of the remainder of the second quarter trading the ball. The Panthers gave up a fumble on the second play of their own drive, while Darlington followed with a turnover on downs at the LW2. The traveling team then nearly punched a score on the ensuing drive, aided largely by Darlington penalties, but Peyton Dempsey broke up a 19-yard, fourth down shot at the end zone through the air.
The Redbirds wouldn’t be denied a fourth score, however. Dante Glendenning opened the last minute drive with a 26-yard burst to Darlington’s 45, and Crist tagged 11 yards on the ground to flip field position with 39 seconds on the clock. The Redbirds needed just three plays — first, a Levi Lancaster reception brought down at the Panthers’ 24, second, an incomplete pass to Fitzsimons in the corner of the end zone, and third, a Dante Glendenning reception where the senior cracked pads on a contested catch at the 5-yard line before wheeling around and chugging beyond the goal line. Andino-Andino’s PAT sailed through the uprights with nine seconds on the clock.
“We discussed penalties at the half, and how that was attributed to the only amount of success Lena-Winslow really had,” Redbirds head coach Travis Winkers said. “Whether it is penalties on offense, defense, or special teams, we can’t commit penalties that allow the other team to capitalize.”
The Redbirds earned a running clock following their first offensive possession out of the break, as Dempsey reeled in a reception on blown coverage on a 15-yard pass with a little over three minutes left in the third quarter. The remainder of the game flew by without much fanfare.
“As a whole, I felt our team played extremely well,” Winkers said. “Our defense really shut down an extremely talented rushing attack. Coach (Jared) McGranahan had the kids well-prepared, and our kids played with a lot of intensity. Lena-Winslow is maybe the biggest small school team we have ever seen. Offensively, we still had some mental mistakes, and felt we left at least two touchdowns on the field. We really feel these things are fixable.”
The passing game was spearheaded by Zuberbuhler’s 7-for-10 completions for 194 yards and a trio of touchdowns. He spread the ball evenly to Fitzsimons (86 yds, 1 TD), Dante Glendenning (21 yds, 1 TD), and Dempsey (59 yds, 1TD) with two receptions apiece, along with one to Lancaster for 28 yards. The rushing game saw Dante Glendenning leading the charge with seven carries for 75 yards and a score just ahead of Crist’s 60 yards on the same carry count.
Defensively, Xolo was the only double figures tackler with 10 total tackles (5 for a loss) ahead of Tag Goebel and Crist at nine, each. A single forced fumble was earned by both Dante Glendenning and Evan Komprood, with Crist and Dominic Jackson both tallying a recovery.
“We had a lot of kids who played extremely well,” Winkers said. “We didn’t let their size affect us, and played as hard as we could. It is only week two. We have a lot of room to get better; however, if we play like that, it is going to be tough for teams to beat us.”
With most of its non-conference play in the books, #1 Darlington carries a 2-0 record into its SWAL-opening showdown with Mineral Point (2-0) on Sept. 4. The Pointers traveled to Platteville (1-1) on Aug. 28, escaping with a 28-27 win.
