By Chad Conine

Tribune-Herald staff writer

On homecoming night at Midway, Panthers running back John Hubert was king.

Hubert put Midway in command of its 16-4A opener against Killeen with a 65-yard touchdown run on his first touch of the second half. He finished with 277 rushing yards on 23 carries, and lifted Midway to a 45-21 victory over the Kangaroos.

“This was by far his best game,” Midway coach Kent Bachtel said. “He ran hard and he ran fast.”

Hubert, who transferred from Waco High to Midway before the start of the 2006 football season but was forced to play JV football by UIL eligibility ruling last season, made a huge impact in his first varsity district game in red and blue.

He finished with four touchdowns, including runs of 65 and 66 yards, helping Midway stay ahead in what turned out to be an offensive showdown at Panther Stadium.

The Panthers (4-2, 1-0 in 16-4A) squandered an opportunity to put the game away in the first 16 minutes.

Midway quarterback Todd Glaesmann, who returned from a broken wrist on his throwing hand suffered in a season-opening loss to Stephenville, scored on a 12-yard run seven minutes into the game.

But Midway failed to score on three other trips into Kangaroos’ territory in the first and second quarters.

Killeen (4-2, 0-1) stood firm to keep Midway from scoring from the 1-yard line early in the second quarter. After the Panthers had four scoring opportunities result in just seven points, Killen tied the game, 7-7, on a one-yard touchdown run by Marcus Tillman with five minutes remaining before halftime.

However, as was his form in the Panthers’ distict opener, Hubert quickly answered. One play after the Kangaroos’ first touchdown, Hubert dashed into a lane that opened up on the right hash mark and sprinted 66 yards for a touchdown, outrunning the Killeen defense.

Although holding and other penalties set Midway back 76 yards in the contest, Hubert credited Panthers center Zach Northern and quick guard Michael Hamilton for bolting out in front of him and clearing the way.

Hubert added that the entire offensive line calmed down and began getting in front of defenders early in the third quarter.

“In the first quarter we let them stay around,” Hubert said. “In the second half we focused, ran the ball and ran out the clock.”

It helped that the Panthers stole the momentum just before halftime.

Killeen put together a 13-play scoring drive to tie the game, 14-14, with 27 seconds left in the first quarter.

A personal foul against Midway meant that Killeen kicked off from the Panthers’ 45. The Kangaroos attempted an onside kick, but it backfired when Midway returned the ball to the Killeen 44.

From there, Glaesmann hit Matt Davis on a post pattern and Davis reached the Killeen 1 before being dragged down. Hubert scored on the next play to put Midway back in front, 21-14.

“That was the turning point,” Bachtel said. “They had tied it up and we came right back and took the momentum.”

Hubert’s 65-yard touchdown run on the second play of the second half gave Midway a 14-point advantage that Bachtel said was critical in the Panthers defense’s effort to control Killeen quarterback Alijawon White and the Kangaroos offense.

White finished with 120 yards on 20 carries, despite being dropped for losses twice for 13 yards.

He ran for 45 yards on a nine-play, 67-yard drive to help Killeen cut Midway’s lead to 28-21. Tillman capped that march with a five-yard touchdown run.

However, as Killeen began to run out of time, the Kangaroos went away from running the ball with White and Tillman and the Panthers were able to stymie the Killeen passing game in the fourth quarter.

Midway enjoyed a raucous celebration of its homecoming victory at midfield as soon as the game was over.

But the Panthers will soon turn their attention to a meeting with sixth-ranked Waco High on Friday at Waco ISD Stadium

Midway defeated Killeen, 31-7, last season in Killeen. The next week, the Panthers were hammered by Waco High, 65-14, at Panther Stadium.

Looking ahead to another meeting with the Lions, Bachtel called it “a huge challenge, but a huge opportunity at the same time.”

Hubert had no early trash talk for his former Waco High teammates. Instead, he pledged preparation by his new team.

“We need to work hard in practice and have a good week,” Hubert said. “Hopefully, if we do that, Midway and Waco High will be a good matchup.”

Mart 55, Elkhart 7: In Mart, Lee McClendon passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns and ran twice for scores as the No. 1 Panthers rolled past Elkhart.

McClendon scored on a pair of three-yard runs in the first quarter and hit D’Andre Brooks with a 38-yard scoring pass and Armond Jones with a 54-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. McClendon hit seven of 10 passes.

The Panthers (6-0) held Elkhart to 114 yards total offense.

Axtell 54, Iola 6: In Axtell, the Longhorns erupted for 41 first-quarter points in burying the Bulldogs in District 25-1A action.

Michael Stranacher ran for two touchdowns and also tossed a 50-yard TD bomb to Thomas Shields just 60 seconds into the game. Axtell (2-4, 1-1) piled up 283 rushing yards in the impressive win.

Axtell’s defense even matched Iola (0-6, 0-2) in points, as Jimmy Lilly scored on a 60-yard fumble return. The Bulldogs didn’t help themselves much, committing five turnovers in all.

Marlin 70, Riesel 19: In Marlin, Bulldogs running back Antonio Moore rushed for 142 yards on seven carries as Marlin rolled over the Indians.

Marlin quarterback Charles Hitchens connected on five of seven passes for 121 yards and three more scores for the Bulldogs (4-2, 3-0 in District 22-2A).

Braden Embry completed three passes for 106 yards and a touchdown for Riesel (1-5, 1-2).

Troy 23, Lago Vista 14: In Troy, Jordan Hayes rushed for 103 yards and Jake McMurtry passed for 106 more as the Trojans slipped by the Vikings.

Lago Vista (4-2) scored the first two TDs of the game, but Troy stormed back with three scores in the third and fourth quarters.

Hayes had an 81-yard run less than a minute into the final stanza, and Brandon Clark hit a 34-yard field goal.

Itasca 24, Maypearl 7: In Maypearl, De’veon Mayberry scored two touchdowns to help the Wampus Cats remain undefeated.

Mayberry opened the scoring with a one-yard run in the first quarter and closed the scoring with a 37-yard jaunt in the fourth. In between, Mikey Marshall hit Dee Marshall on a 70-yard touchdown pass for Itasca (6-0, 1-0 District 11-2A).

Valley Mills 56, Covington 0: In Valley Mills, Dalton Piske ran for 183 yards and three touchdowns and also returned a kick 53 yards for a score as the Eagles overwhelmed the winless Owls.

Piske ripped off touchdown runs of five, 49 and 77 yards on the evening. He also tossed a touchdown pass.

Nick Zaragoza had seven tackles and recovered a fumble to lead the defensive charge for Valley Mills (6-1, 3-0 District 13-1A).