Derby's defense forced four turnovers and quarterback Blade Clark accounted for five touchdowns as the Panthers routed Campus 41-6 on Friday, Sept. 18.

The win moves Derby to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in AVCTL-I play, setting up a showdown with unbeaten Maize that could decide the conference title.

Derby's offense sputtered early, according to the Derby Informer. The opening drive stalled on a turnover on downs at the Campus 8-yard line, and penalties plagued the Panthers through much of the first quarter. Clark got the scoring started with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Michael Castillo, then punched in a four-yard rushing score to make it 14-0 after one quarter.

The second quarter belonged to Derby's defense.

Brody Hopper intercepted a pass to open the period, giving the Panthers the ball deep in Colt territory. Clark cashed in with a nine-yard touchdown run for a 21-0 lead. On the next Campus possession, Derby forced and recovered a fumble at the Colt 23-yard line. Clark found Da'Von Morrison for a touchdown pass to push the lead to 28-0.

Then Brilynn Cole jumped a route and returned an interception for a touchdown, stretching the margin to 34-0 in a span of just over two game minutes.

"I just saw the ball in the air, and I knew that I needed to make the play," Cole said after the game. "It felt good to keep that momentum for the defense."

Senior running back Arieus Finley, a University of South Dakota commit known as "Baby Air," capped the half with a 69-yard touchdown catch with 40 seconds left before the break. It was Finley's 2026 season debut after he missed the first two games with an injury.

Derby led 41-0 at halftime. Campus avoided the shutout on a 52-yard touchdown run by De'Lante Adkism early in the fourth quarter. Cortez Cole added a second-half interception deep in Derby territory to round out the defensive effort.

Clark finished 5-of-8 passing for 195 yards and three touchdowns. His scoring strikes covered 46 yards to Castillo, 69 yards to Finley and a third to Morrison. He added two rushing touchdowns.

Head coach Brandon Clark said the defense's turnovers flipped the game after the slow start. He credited Hopper's interception and Cole's pick-six for shifting momentum during the 27-point second quarter.

The Panthers have outscored opponents 141-40 through three games, following a 45-21 win over Eisenhower on Sept. 4 and a 55-13 rout of Hutchinson on Sept. 11.

Now comes the real test. Maize also sits at 3-0 and 2-0 in AVCTL-I after beating Maize South 42-14 on Friday, according to Panthers Tale. The Eagles went 10-1 last season under head coach Gary Guzman, going 6-0 in conference play and handing Derby its biggest loss since 2021, a 42-21 defeat.

Coach Clark said his players are looking forward to the matchup. He told the Derby Informer his squad is "a completely different team" than the one that lost to Maize last year, with players who finished the 2025 season in different roles than where they played in the Maize game.

Derby and Maize meet next in a game that could determine the AVCTL-I champion.