Following a 2005 game that saw the Spring Lake Park Panthers rout the Irondale Knights, these two varsity football programs returned to their tradition of close contests Friday night.

Friday’s season opener, which the Panthers won 10-7 at Irondale, was not decided in overtime as two of the teams’ other battles had been earlier this decade, but the Knights kept it close until the end.

They looked poised to go for the win in the final seconds of regulation.

With under 1:20 to play, the Knights started their final drive 89 yards away from the Panthers’ goal line.

Irondale junior quarterback Nick Colwell completed five of six passes in that final minute-plus; receiver Jacob Murphy, a senior, caught three of those passes for a combined 42 yards.

“(Nick) picked them apart with three rushing linemen,” said Irondale head coach Ben Geisler of his offense’s final drive.

Though the Knights reached inside the Panthers’ 20, the Spring Lake Park defense ended the game with a tackle for a loss with less than 10 seconds to play.

“If we had had one more minute, we could have made a game out of it,” said Geisler.

But after the Panthers had put up 63 points on the Knights last year, that the Irondale defense allowed just one first-quarter touchdown was a great accomplishment.

Both sides should have expected a closer contest this year, Geisler said. “They obviously weren’t the team they were last year, and we weren’t either.”

Each team’s lone touchdown came after a turnover.

After senior kicker Bobby Lahr had put the Panthers up 3-0 to close Spring Lake Park’s opening drive, junior defensive back Chris Norgaard intercepted a pass from Colwell after two big gains (on a run by sophomore Chichi Ojika and reception by junior Travis Baker) had brought the Knights inside the Panthers’ 30.

After Norgaard ran the ball back nearly 40 yards to the Irondale 42 following his pick, Spring Lake Park senior quarterback Erik Stenstrom started a drive that ended with a 32-yard run and score for senior running back Mike Woods.

The Knights totalled just three first downs before halftime. They ended their six first-half drives with five punts and the Norgaard interception.

But the Knights gained three more first downs just in their first drive of the second half. Their final first down of the drive brought them inside the Panthers’ 20, but the defense shored up and allowed the Knights just 2 more net yards on the ground over three plays. The drive, taking more than 6:00 from the clock, ended with a field-goal attempt falling short.

To halt the Panthers’ next drive, Irondale senior defensive end Kris Rudnik recovered a fumble to give the Knights possession at the Spring Lake Park 38.

Colwell and senior running back Chris Hooks wasted no time that drive, connecting for a score through the air in just one play after the fumble recovery by Rudnik.

Spring Lake Park senior defensive end Spencer Solberg later recovered an Irondale fumble to put the Panthers at the Knights’ 25, but that drive — hampered by the Panthers getting called for an extra player on the field — ended with a field-goal attempt missing wide right.

Lahr, playing on the Panthers’ defensive line, then stopped the Knights’ next drive by batting down a Colwell pass when Irondale went for a first down on fourth-and-4 from its own 41 with under 3:30 to go.

“That’s what Panther football has always been about, is tough defense,” said Panthers head coach Jeff Schlieff. “When you do that, you’ll be in every game.

“It would have been nice if the offense could have scored more points, for some breathing room.”

Schlieff added: “You have to give our guys credit. They kept plugging away and did what they had to do to win.”

Geisler said he felt his players matched the Panthers, effort for effort, all the way. “We came back, I was really proud. Our guys played as hard as they could.

“To play (the Panthers) tough is always a positive thing.”

The Knights will hope to see their second-half offense from last week’s game show up for the first half Friday, Sept. 8, at Totino-Grace.

The Panthers will have their home opener for the season vs. St. Louis Park.

Game time for each contest is 7 p.m.

After Norgaard ran the ball back nearly 40 yards to the Irondale 42 following his pick, Spring Lake Park senior quarterback Erik Stenstrom started a drive that ended with a 32-yard run and score for senior running back Mike Woods.

The Knights totalled just three first downs before halftime. They ended their six first-half drives with five punts and the Norgaard interception.

But the Knights gained three more first downs just in their first drive of the second half. Their final first down of the drive brought them inside the Panthers’ 20, but the defense shored up and allowed the Knights just 2 more net yards on the ground over three plays. The drive, taking more than 6:00 from the clock, ended with a field-goal attempt falling short.

To halt the Panthers’ next drive, Irondale senior defensive end Kris Rudnik recovered a fumble to give the Knights possession at the Spring Lake Park 38.

Colwell and senior running back Chris Hooks wasted no time that drive, connecting for a score through the air in just one play after the fumble recovery by Rudnik.

Spring Lake Park senior defensive end Spencer Solberg later recovered an Irondale fumble to put the Panthers at the Knights’ 25, but that drive — hampered by the Panthers getting called for an extra player on the field — ended with a field-goal attempt missing wide right.

Lahr, playing on the Panthers’ defensive line, then stopped the Knights’ next drive by batting down a Colwell pass when Irondale went for a first down on fourth-and-4 from its own 41 with under 3:30 to go.

“That’s what Panther football has always been about, is tough defense,” said Panthers head coach Jeff Schlieff. “When you do that, you’ll be in every game.

“It would have been nice if the offense could have scored more points, for some breathing room.”

Schlieff added: “You have to give our guys credit. They kept plugging away and did what they had to do to win.”

Geisler said he felt his players matched the Panthers, effort for effort, all the way. “We came back, I was really proud. Our guys played as hard as they could.

“To play (the Panthers) tough is always a positive thing.”

The Knights will hope to see their second-half offense from last week’s game show up for the first half Friday, Sept. 8, at Totino-Grace.

The Panthers will have their home opener for the season vs. St. Louis Park.

Game time for each contest is 7 p.m.