Creston boys dominate Red Oak
May 8—It may have been senior night, but freshman Joaquin Flores put on a show for the Panthers, scoring six goals in their 10-1 win over Red Oak Monday.
"He's got a nose for the net that's for sure," Coach Chad Malmanger said. "It's fun to watch him for sure. It's good to see some of his off-ball moments as well."
The conference victory puts the Panthers at 4-8 overall and 3-4 in the Hawkeye 10. Creston is sitting at fifth in the conference while the 0-12 Tigers remain in last. Undefeated Lewis Central leads the H10.
"We've had an up and down roller coaster. We get a little momentum and then die back out," Malmanger said. "It was a pretty nice night for our seniors to go out on top on their home turf."
While it took the Panthers nearly 15 minutes to score their first goal, the flood gates were open from there on.
Flores had three goals in the first 30 minutes before the Tigers were given the chance at a free kick after a penalty on the Panthers.
Senior Bryce Hull launches the ball downfield.
"We got our feet tied up in the box," Malmanger explained. "It's a tough pill to swallow, but it is what it is. It sucks that it happened, but stuff happens when my defenders are playing hard."
Red Oak senior Ty Jenkins got the shot past goalie CT Stalker for their only score of the game.
In the second half, the Panthers shut out the Tigers 7-0, not allowing a single shot on goal.
Freshman Jace Purdum took a shot early in the second half that hit the top beam of the goal and went in behind the goalie.
Flores had three more in the second half, but the seniors had their chance to score as well.
Senior Brennan Hayes made two goals while Dillon Starlin had one with only five minutes left to play.
Though the team was up by nine points, they kept the pressure all the way through, hoping to mercy-rule the Tigers.
Thursday the Panthers travel to Glenwood for a makeup game. A win would make them 4-4 in the Hawkeye 10, but the competition will be steep.
"They are going to be a tough team. They're well coached," Malmanger said. "They're pretty deep, they've been deep. They did lose their leading scorer from last year."
The Rams (11-2, 5-1) are second in the H10.
Monday, Creston opens substate with a rematch against Red Oak.
"It's always great to play on our home turf," Malmanger said. "If we are ready enough to win that one, we will go to Glenwood the next week."
Tickets for the substate game need to be purchased through Hometown Ticketing.
