Panthers figure to be force again next year

Ben Kubicz will be back for his third season as quarterback for the Panthers next year. / Pride of the Panthers

By JEREMY SCHNEIDER

IMA SPORTS

Pads and uniforms were turned in. The locker room is swept clean. Another Maumee football season is settled into the history books.

This season, though, was unlike any of the past decade. The Panthers won more games than they had in 14 years, hosted a playoff game for the first time in 15 years, and became a force to be taken seriously in 2024.

All of those facts, and more, will stand the test of time and point to this team as one of the best in Panthers history.

While Maumee will lose a massive amount of talent and production to graduation, the cupboard is far from empty for coach Evan Karchner. All signs point to this program turnaround being a continued success.

“Now our goal is to win a playoff game,” Karchner said. “You keep on building. We just want to keep on getting better.

“This weekend we’re going to feel sad and next week clean up the locker room, but I know our coaching staff is going to be ready to roll and we’re on to the next one. I’m excited about the future.”

For starters, quarterback Ben Kubicz will be back for this third season as a starter. Taking over after an injury in Week 3 of his sophomore season, Kubicz has thrown for 3,330 yards and 40 touchdowns. He completed 103-of-167 passes for 2,051 yards and 24 TDs this season while only throwing five interceptions.

The Panthers will need to find a No. 1 receiver to replace Carson Graetz, but they’ve got two solid candidates in Will Kubicz and Eli Dodson.

Kubicz was second on the team this season with 467 receiving yards on 15 catches with five TDs. Dodson had 20 catches for 423 yards and six scores.

Eli Dodson was one of the Panthers top 3 receivers in 2024 as a sophomore. / Pride of the Panthers

The biggest question mark will be at running back, where Maumee loses Cody Wulf and Keishon Midcalf, their top two rushers from the last two seasons. Cohen Jones is the top returning rushers with 74 yards and a score.

The offensive line will need to replace three starters, but returning are right guard Jackson Schneider (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) and left tackle Ryan Patterson (6-5, 240), both juniors. Classmate Garrett Anderson figures to fill the center spot vacated by three-year starter Espn Hurt.

Those linemen should also figure in to play big roles along the defensive line, too. The biggest hole on the defense will be at middle linebacker, where Wulf patrolled for two seasons. Jones looks to be the heir apparent at that spot, with Brock Heard coming back for a second season as a starter as well.

The motivation won’t be hard to find for the Panthers. While they accomplished a great deal this season, Karchner said there is still more to do.

“There are a lot of teams in the state that end on a loss, and you can talk about how we weren’t good enough,” Karchner said. “There are still goals out there. We wanted to win a league championship, and we didn’t do that. There’s still stuff we can improve on, the way we practice, the way we prepare, the way we attack the weight room.

“I don’t have the answers all the time, but I promise I’ll never stop searching for them.”

Photo courtesy of Pride of the Panthers

Reach IMA at insidemaumeeathletics@gmail.com