ALTAMONT — Three defensive scores in the second quarter allowed Pittsburg to blow things wide open as it rolled to a 40-0 shutout victory over Labette County last Friday at Lucas Field.
This was a non-league matchup between Southeast Kansas League rivals as Pittsburg once again plays as an independent in Class 5A.
The win moved the Purple Dragons to 1-0 overall heading into their Sept. 13 home opener against Chanute. The Blue Comets also take a 1-0 mark into that contest after capturing a 24-0 road win at Towanda-Circle.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies dropped to 0-1 on the season. They will hit the road on Sept. 13 for their Southeast Kansas League opener at Independence. The Bulldogs are 0-1 after suffering a heartbreaking 18-16 loss at El Dorado.
Pittsburg jumped ahead early with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns on Friday. The Purple Dragons started things off with a six-yard run into the end zone by Shay Mahnken and followed that up with a 33-yard scamper by Donavin Nelson for a 14-0 advantage.
The defense took things over before halftime. In fact, the Purple Dragons didn’t even score an offensive touchdown during a 20-point second period. That included interception returns for scores of 60 yards by LJ Butcher and 30 yards by Sam Roark, as well as a 20-yard fumble return by Nelson.