The second quarter was agony for Banner County—drawn out, excruciating, almost nightmarish.

Take away those 12 minutes and the Wildcats’ sense of optimism leading into Friday’s opener would seem entirely justified. But the period came and went, leaving in its wake a shell shocked Banner County defense, ripped by 30 points over the short span.

Visiting Hemingford needed little more scoring on its way to a 50-0 victory.

“I don’t know what to think,” says Wildcats head coach Kenny Stauffer, now in his second season with a team winless in more than two years. “We just didn’t show up in the second quarter.”

It started relatively well for the home squad. Stauffer’s offense moved the ball and the defensive unit swarmed to the ball, David Gifford notching 11 tackles, Jordan Knaub and Ben Hostetler nine apiece. After one, the score stood 12-0—not outstanding, but an apparent improvement over last season, when the Bobcats pounded an error-prone Banner County side 61-6.

Their performance of Brady Lind (48 yards rushing), Knaub, Gifford and their teammates was so convincing, Stauffer risked going for it on fourth down near midfield as the first quarter wound down. The attempt failed and Hemingford ended up with possession and good field position.

“I take the blame for that one,” Stauffer says.

Suddenly—if the space of 12 minutes can be called sudden—the Bobcats held an insurmountable 42-0 lead.

Banner County’s emotional collapse cost 30 points in one quarter.

“It’s a mental game we’re fighting right now,” Stauffer explains. “They get down, but they always come back and fight to the end.”

That willingness to rebound was evident in the second half, as the Wildcats closed the door on Hemingford, allowing just one more touchdown. But the damage had already been done. Five different Bobcats reached the end zone. Ethan Skinner racked up 103 yards on nine carries to lead all rushers.

In addition to Lind’s team leading effort, Hostetler carried for 24 yards and Dimitri Marsh seven for an attack that stalled after the first period of play.

Hemingford padded the books with 354 yards of total offense.

Stauffer remains convinced that a win—perhaps even a tight game—would shake his team free of its malaise. And but for one brief spell on Friday, Banner County played like a team that could turn things around.

“If we’d get rid of the second quarter, it was an OK game,” Stauffer points out.