NEWPORT — They hadn’t thrown the ball all day — but the one occasion on which the Medomak Valley football team did pass, it was a game-sealer.

On second-and-10 from its own 20 early in the fourth quarter, Medomak Valley quarterback Wyatt Simmons saw Gabe Lash streaking down the right sideline. He found his senior receiver with ease as Lash left the Nokomis defense in the dust for an 80-yard score.

It was one of three big scoring plays Medomak Valley used in the second half to turn what had been a tight game at the break into a relatively comfortable win. The Panthers’ 32-6 victory  Saturday was a big first step for a young team replacing loads of production from 2023.

“We graduated our entire starting line, a 1,600-yard tailback and a 900-yard all-purpose quarterback,” said Medomak Valley head coach Ryan Snell. “We have four guys back on offense, our captains did a good job of being vocal and being leaders today, and the young guys are figuring it out.”

Shamus Pease (13 carries, 128 yards, two touchdowns) and Jaydiin Ruiz (11 carries, 75 yards, touchdown) led the way on the ground for Medomak Valley. Pease had touchdown runs of 54 and 42 yards in the third quarter to give the Panthers breathing room after they led just 8-6 at halftime.

Nokomis got the ball first and moved it to the Medomak Valley 42 before punting to pin the Panthers deep in their own territory. Ruiz, though, would rip off a 30-yard run on the visitors’ first play from scrimmage, and 10 plays later, he plunged into the end zone from 6 yards out to give the Panthers (1-1) an 8-0 lead.

Nokomis’ Jeff Carr runs with the ball against Medomak Valley during a football game Saturday in Newport. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

“I thought if we could have come out with a better effort on that first drive, the game could’ve been a little different,” said Nokomis head coach Jake Rogers. “That’s just football — that’s why you play the game — and we did eventually settle down and get it under control.”

Nokomis (1-1) did so by holding Medomak Valley scoreless the rest of the half and ultimately mounting a scoring drive of its own. That drive, a 15-play, 61-yard drive that lasted most of the second quarter, culminated in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Seth Bowden to Noah Holden with 56 seconds left in the half.

Medomak Valley, though, would establish momentum quickly in the third quarter. It took less than two minutes for the Panthers to score on Pease’s 54-yard run and, after forcing a Nokomis turnover on downs, Pease went for 41 yards to make it 24-6 Medomak Valley with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter.

“(Our run game) worked really good,” Pease said. “I think it was very good having me and Jaydiin both get in there and running down the sidelines. Our O-line was excellent today; I don’t think our quarterback was touched once during the entire game. It was very good.”

Nokomis then embarked on a 13-play drive deep into Medomak Valley territory, but the Warriors would be stopped on fourth-and-1 on the Panthers’ 3-yard line. The home team would pay deeply for that failure to convert as, two plays later, Simmons hit Lash down the sidelines for the biggest play of the afternoon.

Medomak Valley outgained Nokomis 337-253 in total yards. Yet despite scoring 16 fewer points than it did in last Thursday’s 22-14 season-opening win against John Bapst, Rogers felt he saw improvement from a Warriors offense that established more of an identity against the Panthers.

“We had some big plays in that game but really didn’t execute greatly,” Rogers said. “Today, this was more of who we are: 5 yards, 3 yards, 8 yards, that’s who we’re shooting to be. We had multiple drives of 50 yards or more, and now, our next phase is being able to finish.”