In the spirit of homecoming week, Hastings College head football coach Matt Franzen incorporated a field trip into this week’s schedule to give his team a stress-free outing upon which to draw from when it takes the field against Doane at 1 p.m. Saturday at Lloyd Wilson Field.
Having fallen to 2-6 overall and 2-5 in conference play following last week’s 26-7 road loss to Midland, the Broncos will be looking to a salvage a season that hasn’t exactly gone as planned. The hope is that Wednesday’s team-bonding field trip to Hastings Museum will help set a positive tone for its final three games of the season.
“It’s just a way to kind of get away, relax, and have a little fun,” Franzen said. “We needed to do a little team something that really wasn’t about football.”
Despite its five-game losing streak, Doane still projects as a young-but-developing football team that continues to show improvement from game to game. Led by freshman quarterback Sam Hartman, the Tigers’ offense amassed 344 total yards but couldn’t overcome three turnovers in its 45-10 homecoming game loss to Concordia last week.
Hartman enjoyed perhaps the best game of his young career, completing 30-of-44 passes for 325 yards and one touchdown. His primary target, redshirt senior Zack Perez, had four catches for 97 yards including a 51-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter. Doane actually bested Concordia’s offensive time of possession but was ineffectual on defense, surrendering 670 total yards including 285 on the ground.
And while Franzen said he doesn’t expect HC to shut out its opponent, its offense will be looking to exploit what weaknesses Doane’s defense may show.
“They are doing some good things,” Franzen said of his former school. “They are in a position with a new coaching staff that most of the guys are hold-overs from last year. They don’t have many wins to show for it (1-6 in conference, 1-7 overall) but they have improved as a team from the first few weeks.
“Their quarterback (Hartman) has been effective within their system for sure (59% completion rate, 1,298 yards, five touchdowns). Defensively, they’re giving up some points, but I told our guys they play exceptionally hard and are going to keep coming at you no matter what happens.”
With injured offensive linemen Sal Nacarelli and Jayden Lagunas, and freshman running back Deven Brady all expected back on the field Saturday, Franzen is hopeful the offense behind sophomore quarterback Carson Kudlacek will be able to move the ball downfield early and often. Nacarelli returned to the lineup last week and played the majority of the game, while Lagunas and Brady return after each missing the last couple games.
“Offensively, we have to execute,” Franzen said. “Last week, we just couldn’t find our rhythm. Our game was out of sync. We weren’t seeing things in the run game (and) dropping balls.
“We do feel like with getting our offensive line more healthy that it will help our run game. We want to run the football and commit to that a bit more, but obviously that helps our passing game, also.”
For his part, Kudlacek will look to exploit the beefed-up offensive line to his advantage. The sophomore signal-caller was a pedestrian 11-for-18 for 114 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Midland loss. Back-up quarterback freshman Cassius “Cash” Campbell is penciled in to see some first-half action against Doane after being cleared to play from his game-ending injury last week.
“We need some competition, (so) we expect both guys to play in the first half,” Franzen said. “After that, it will probably depend on how they both do.”
Franzen will be counting on Kudlacek to be more decisive when throwing the ball this week. His indecision in recent games has largely stunted his passing prowess, he said.
“We’ve talked to him about throwing the ball (more) to the first read, that he doesn’t have to be wide open to get him the ball,” Franzen said. “That’s something we’ve been trying to encourage. He doesn’t have to be perfect. He just needs to get the ball out and things are going to be OK.”
Freshmen players who have made an impact in recent weeks include punter Travon Shaw, outside defensive lineman Dawson Kissinger, nose guard David Lopez and defensive back Dion Tovar. The foursome was largely responsible for keeping the Broncos in the game last week, Franzen said.
“They are really starting to figure some things out,” he said of the freshmen quartet. “They are getting better each game.”
One key to watch on Saturday will how the Broncos respond when or if adversity strikes, an issue they have struggled with much of the season. Keeping the heat turned up on defense and special teams will also be a pivotal factor in determining the outcome. With Homecoming motivation on its side, Franzen said he expects an inspired effort from his team come kickoff.
“It’s going to be nice weather and we’ll have a nice crowd, with people back for a hall of fame (induction) event,” he said. “You always want to play well, but when you have that Homecoming crowd coming, you really want to show up and represent your school and make them proud.”
The Lindenwood football team (3-5, 2-2 BS/OVC) takes on Western Illinois (3-4, 2-1 BS/OVC) for homecoming. Kickoff from St. Charles, Mo. is set for 2:00 p.m.
Lindenwood is coming off a close 42-35 loss last week at Gardner-Webb. The offense presented a balanced attack, throwing for 244 yards and rushing for 213 more. Nate Glantz threw three touchdown passes as Reece Thomas, Jeff Caldwell and Drew Krobath each found the endzone. Caldwell finished the day with six catches for 174 yards and a score. The 6-5 wideout continues his stellar junior campaign and leads the Big South-OVC Association with 779 yards and nine touchdowns. This was the second game of his career with at least 174 receiving yards, the other coming last season against Western Illinois where he had five catches for 185 yards and four scores.
The ground game continues to be effective for the Lions as the Black and Gold tallied over 200 rushing yards for the second-consecutive game. A big reason for that was Steve Hall as the redshirt freshman compiled 78 yards on the ground while finding the endzone for the first time in his career. As a result, Hall was tabbed the Big South-OVC Association co-Freshman of the Week. So far this season, Lindenwood averaged 169.9 rushing yards per game, second-most in the conference.
Vincent King was also recognized for his performance on the defensive side of the ball. The Denver, Colo. native had 15 tackles, including three stops for loss as well as a quarterback hurry. The senior linebacker has made 77 tackles so far this season, which leads the conference and ranks third in FCS. For his efforts against Gardner-Webb, King was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Week.
Lindenwood has won the only meeting between the two schools in program history, a 43-40 shootout last season. Caldwell had four touchdowns in that game. WIU enters the matchup with a 3-4 record and winners of two out of its last three.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
4: The Lions have gone 4-4 in their last eight homecoming games
13: Nate Glantz has become a dual threat at quarterback, topping 13 or more rushing attempts in each of the last three games. He had a season-high 17 two weeks ago in a win against Charleston Southern
9: Lindenwood had a season-high nine tackles for loss against Gardner-Webb. Vincent King led the team with three on his way to earning Big South-OVC Defensive Player of the Week
457: The number yards Lindenwood gained on offense last week, its second-highest total of the season
LINDENWOOD TID BITS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE
The Lindenwood football team (3-5, 2-2 BS/OVC) welcomes Western Illinois for homecoming on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. Lindenwood won the first-ever meeting with Western Illinois last season, 43-40, in a non-conference match-up.
Lindenwood finished the Gardner-Webb game with 244 passing yards and 213 net rushing yards, its second game this season with 200-passing, 200-rushing yards in a game — the only Big South-OVC member this year to achieve the feat … Jeff Caldwell caught six passes for a season-high 174 yards at GWU. QB Nate Glantz threw three touchdown passes in leading the Lions to their most points in a Big South-OVC Association contest (35) … Lindenwood has scored 20+ points in every Association game this season, and is averaging 28.0 points against league foes … Vincent King posted his league-leading fifth 10-tackle game with 15 stops (3.0 TFL), and paces the conference with 77 total tackles.
AT FIRST GLANTZ
Nate Glantz became just the second quarterback in Big South-OVC Association history to throw for 100 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game when he achieved the feat this past week in the Lions’ 29-14 victory over Charleston Southern. He passed for 152 yards and gained a team-high 103 yards on the ground to account for 255 of Lindenwood’s 392 offensive yards vs. the Bucs.
LOGAN’S KICK
Logan Seibert broke his own Big South-OVC Association single-game record for kick scoring with 17 points in the Lions’ 29-14 win over Charleston Southern this past week. He converted an Association single-game record five field goals along with two PATs to surpass his previous mark of 16 points vs. St. Thomas in Week 4. Seibert and Southeast Missouri K DC Pippin share the league-lead with 13 field goals made, which eclipse the Association’s single-season record of 12 set last year by Tennessee State’s James Lowrey
HOUSE CALLS
Jeff Caldwell tied the Big South-OVC Association records for consecutive games with a touchdown reception (4) as well as his own single-season touchdown receptions (8). His eight receiving scores this year came in a four-game span during Weeks 3-6, which included a Big South-OVC single-game record-tying four touchdown receptions in Week 5. For the season, Caldwell is reaching the end zone on 28.57 percent of his 28 receptions. Meanwhile, Caldwell is responsible for five of the Association’s longest pass plays in history:
Week 8 marks the last time in the regular season that there will be five local high school football games on the schedule.
Friday night features Fauquier at James Wood in a Homecoming game, Handley at Warren County, Millbrook at Jefferson (West Virginia) and Clarke County at Page County. (See related story for a preview on the Kettle Run at Sherando game.)
Fauquier (1-5) at James Wood (4-3)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: James Wood’s Kelican Stadium
Series history: Fauquier leads 27-22
Last week: Fauquier lost to Handley 46-3; James Wood lost to Sherando 35-0.
Players to watch: Fauquier: QB/DB Amari Martin; RB/DB Aaron Lewis; TE/DL Bo Green; WR/DB Justin Clarke; OL/DL Aidan Hartman. James Wood: LB/HB Vincent Salvati; QB Owen Neal; OL/DL Jordyn Sweetser; RB/DB Kobe Mason; WR/DB Kaden McCullough.
Coaches: Fauquier — Donnie Downs (first year). James Wood — Todd Wilson (second year).
Last year: James Wood outgained Fauquier 352-65 and picked up 274 yards on the ground in a 20-10 win. The Colonels led 14-10 at the half. Elijah Richards (30 carries, 146 yards), Dominik Ramirez (11 carries, 92 yards, two TDs) and Mason (six carries, 36 yards, one TD) were responsible for the entire rushing output.
Preview: Both squads are looking to bounce back from rough defeats.
James Wood has had a difficult time with injuries this year, and last week’s game against Sherando took a toll. Left tackle Kquinse Robinson didn’t play in the second half last week. In an email on Tuesday, Wilson said Robinson won’t play on Friday. Wilson said decisions on whether defensive lineman/running Dominik Ramirez and wide receivers/defensive backs Xander Manzo and Xavier Price will play won’t be made until Friday.
Mason returned to action last week. He had only seven yards on six attempts against a strong Sherando defense, but he still leads the team with 383 yards and three TDs on 67 carries (5.7 average). Neal has rushed 54 times for 290 yards (5.4 average) and two TDs and completed 70 of 125 passes for 928 yards, two TDs and seven interceptions.
The Colonels will take on a Fauquier team that is surrendering 27.3 points per game. Handley wracked up 479 yards (297 rushing, 182 passing) in defeating the Falcons last week.
Fauquier is averaging only 7.4 points per game in its five-game losing streak and had 198 yards against the Judges last week.
The Falcons will go up against a James Wood defense that is surrendering 328.1 yards per game and 28.7 points per game. The Colonels are led by Salvati (75 tackles) and Sweetser (35 tackles, five sacks).
Millbrook (3-3) at Jefferson (3-3)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Jefferson’s Cougar Stadium, Shenandoah Junction (West Virginia)
Series history: Series tied 6-6
Last week: Millbrook beat Liberty 34-22; Jefferson beat South Hagerstown (Maryland) 48-14
Players to watch: Millbrook: RB/DB Cameron Clark; TE/LB Trey White; OL/DL Ezra Doyle-Naegeli; OL/DL Ty Jahnigen; LB Chris Bradford. Jefferson: QB Dylan Harich, RB Tay’Shaun Roper; TE Leeland Benner; WR/DB Demarius Wallace.
Last year: Jefferson scored the game’s first two touchdowns within six minutes, then scored 21 straight points after Millbrook tied the game at 14 and finished with a 35-28 win to put a damper on the Pioneers’ Homecoming contest. Kyler Jackson had 27 carries for 137 yards and four touchdowns. Harich was 16 of 23 for 153 yards and the one TD and ran for a team-high 84 yards and two TDs on 12 carries.
Preview: The Pioneers snapped a three-game losing streak last week, but the injury situation was significant. Running backs Jackson, Jahiden Nunez and Julius Brown all had to leave the game, and running back Ryan Annan was already out with an injury.
Millbrook could use as many healthy bodies as possible this week against Jefferson, whose three losses are all against undefeated teams. The Cougars have fallen to the top two teams in West Virginia’s 4A ratings (Spring Mills and Martinsburg) and lost to Sherando 42-14 in Week 2. Beginning with a late touchdown in the second quarter, the Warriors scored 28 unanswered points.
The Cougars are coming off a win against South Hagerstown in which they scored 46 unanswered points to end the game. Harich passed for two TDs, Roper ran for two TDs and Jefferson returned two kickoffs for TDs. Wallace, who had a receiving TD, returned a kickoff for a score for the Cougars’ first points. Jefferson has scored more than 40 points in each of its three wins.
Millbrook’s defense is allowing 264.2 yards and 21 points per game. The Pioneers will look to limit the Cougars behind Bradford (58 tackles) and White (40).
After giving up 31 points or more in each of its first four games, Jefferson has held its last two opponents to a total of 27 points. Millbrook is averaging 325 yards per game after rushing for 353 last week. Jackson leads Millbrook in rushing with 539 yards and five TDs and had 18 carries for 137 yards and two TDs last week. Clark is not far behind with 69 carries for 458 yards and four TDs. Chase Jones had six carries for 21 yards and two TDs, and Rylee Baker had 41 yards on five carries against Liberty last week.
Handley (5-1) at Warren County (1-5)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Warren County High School, Front Royal
Series history: Handley leads 63-12-1
Last week: Handley beat Fauquier 46-3; Warren County lost 42-7 to Brentsville.
Coaches: Handley — Jake Smith (second year). Warren County — John Breeden (second year).
Last year: Akanbi returned the opening kickoff 69 yards to set up Handley’s first touchdown and would go on to rush for three scores as the Judges’ ground game devoured the Wildcats in a 48-7 Homecoming win at James R. Wilkins Jr. Stadium. Akanbi (eight carries, 191 yards), Manno Lusca (eight carries, 72 yards, two TDs) and Johnson (six carries, 55 yards, two TDs) led a Handley offense that scored on seven of its 23 offensive plays in the opening two quarters. The Judges’ longest scoring drive lasted six plays. Handley had 318 yards and seven TDs rushing in the first half.
Preview: A Handley team that dominated on the ground against Warren County last year is still punishing foes with its running attack. The Judges are averaging 304 yards per game on the ground and almost five rushing TDs per game. Akanbi has 822 yards and 11 TDs on 63 carries, and Darling has 677 yards and 13 TDs on 51 running attempts.
Darling is coming off his best passing game of the season against Fauquier (9 of 13 for 182 yards and three TDs). Overall, he’s 28 of 50 for 478 yards, six TDs and one interception.
The Wildcats have given up at least 31 points in four of their last five games and have surrendered a total of 93 points in losing each of their last two contests.
Warren County only had 135 yards in losing to Brentsville last week. Skube led the Wildcats with 66 yards on 13 carries. He had 44 yards on a TD run.
Handley is allowing 241 yards per game and 12.1 points per game. Johnson leads the team with 55 tackles (15 for a loss) and two sacks and Trenton Gomez has 32.5 tackles.
Clarke County (6-0, 1-0) at Page County (2-4, 0-1)
Coaches: Clarke County — Casey Childs (fifth year). Page County — James May (third year).
Last year: Clarke County scored seven touchdowns in the first half and had eight different players find the end zone in coasting to a 54-0 Homecoming victory in Bull Run District action. The Eagles’ six offensive touchdowns were all five plays or fewer in the first half, and they ran for 386 total yards, with Palmer recording 106 yards and a TD on three carries. Clarke County allowed just three first downs and 89 total yards. Page County didn’t pick up its initial first down of the game until the first drive of the second half.
Preview: Clarke County comes into this game with just three days of rest, but the Eagles are flying high after beating rival Central on Monday.
The Eagles rushed for 295 yards against the Falcons and are averaging 325.7 yards per game (283.3 rushing). Palmer leads the team with 827 yards and 11 TDs on 99 carries (8.4 average) after recording 133 rushing yards and two TDs on 28 carries last week. Taylor has picked up 480 yards and three TDs on 40 attempts (12.0 average) and Sipe has 320 yards and six TDs on 52 carries (6.2 average).
Page County has surrendered between 38 and 55 points in its four losses and gave up 249 yards on 25 plays against Strasburg.
The Panthers had 152 yards last week and have been held to 12 points or less in their four defeats. Campbell ran for 76 yards against the Rams, and Taylor had a 1-yard rushing TD.
Clarke County is allowing 12.7 points and 184 yards per game. Chinn has an area-best 78 tackles and Tuivailala has 54 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three QB hurries and has batted down four passes. Ryan Hanley has 45 tackles and two sacks.
WHITEHALL — Playing suffocating defense, and winning the battle in the trenches, the Whitehall football team thoroughly dominated Manistee in racking up a big 49-6 victory in last Friday night’s Homecoming game in the West Michigan Conference Lakes Division.
An already giddy home crowd was in a particularly celebratory mood when Brady Tate wore the Homecoming King’s crown, and Sydney Shepherd wore the Queen’s crown at halftime.
By that time, Whitehall — the defending WMC Lakes champion — was in total control of the football game, its offensive and defensive lines pushing the Mariners — who had shut out Muskegon Orchard View, 41-0 two weeks ago — all around the field in building a 35-0 lead, and assuring a running clock to start the second half.
The Vikings set the defensive tone when, on Manistee’s first offensive series, they burst in a sacked quarterback Dayvion Neal-Berry for a substantial yardage loss.
Manistee’s offense simply weren’t able to move the ball for a good part of the game, while the Mariners defense struggled to stop the Vikings offense.
“I was really happy with our defense. I thought they did an awesome job,” said Vikings coach Tony Sigmon. “There were times when I felt like we were in really good rhythm tonight.
“I felt we had a pretty solid pocket for passing and everything. I love the way our skill kids don’t give up on a play.
“We had some stuff that we hit on early, and then for our kids to be able to keep coming back and making plays when the play breaks down is always an exciting thing for us.”
The offensive line has had to deal with some adversity, with two starters out and new personnel added to the mix.
“We got two new guys, but we’re a family here,” said lineman Jamison Jeffrey. “I think we do great together.”
Connor Nash added that everyone was able to bond, making for a smooth transition.
“When everyone gets rolling, like we all get rolling,” Nash said. “Everyone comes together, and we start feeding off each other’s energy.”
For Jack Ambrose, it’s staying in the moment.
“It’s just the little details that will get us,” Ambrose said. “If we do the little things, the big things will fall into place.”
Camden Thompson lit the fuse for the Vikings with an electrifying 55-yard punt return for a touchdown with 7:37 remaining in the first quarter, and a 7-0 lead.
Thompson ran for two more scores, of 54 and 15 yards, and also hit Hunter Osborne with a 20-yard strike. Osborne scored on a 19-yard run just five seconds before half.
Whitehall kept right on rolling in the second half, Ryan Goodrich busting in from a yard out, and Gavin Craner skirting around end on a two-yard run.
Manistee scored its touchdown with 9:30 left in regulation on a Neal-Berry 15-yard pass to Kaden Kott.
The Vikings improved to 3-2 overall and 3-0 in the WMC Lakes.
After a comeback from a 24-0 trail on homecoming night, Central Michigan football would take the field in an attempt to close the gap against Ohio University.
In desperate need of a score, senior running back Marion Lukes rushed the middle for a 28-yard touchdown.
Despite the last-minute attempt, it was not enough to take the lead. The Chippewas would fall to the Bobcats on Saturday, 27-25. This marks CMU’s first loss at home and first conference loss.
The Chippewas now stand 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play. As the Mid-American Conference begins, CMU sits at seventh.
“We were close to giving ourselves an opportunity to win the ball game,” head coach Jim McElwain said. “We just couldn’t get over the hump. (It’s) nothing we didn’t prepare for…they did a good job getting into open sets…and took advantage of it. At the end of the day, we’ll go get it looked at and we’ve got a lot of ball games left.”
The first quarter kicked off with a fast start as Ohio’s offense struck quickly, racking up a 53-yard gain on its opening play.
Despite not finding the end zone, the Bobcats kicked a field goal, putting the Bobcats ahead 3-0 just minutes into the game. CMU struggled to find its rhythm, managing to complete only a handful of plays before punting the ball back to Ohio.
“The way they play, our guys were jacked up and ready to go,” McElwain said. “They got some momentum plays and we weren’t able to pick it back up but that’s on us.”
Tensions rose as both teams were hounded with penalties, but the turning point came when defensive back Elijah Rikard pounced on a fumble forced by linebacker Lawai’a Brown, giving the Chippewas hope.
However, CMU couldn’t capitalize and ended the first quarter without a score.
“A couple of those were totally on me because I coached them how to do it,” McElwain said. “I guess it’s bad coaching on my part.”
As the second quarter unfolded, Ohio seized control. After a series of strong drives, CMU scored its first touchdown with an 8-yard rush, extending its lead to 10-0.
The Chippewas’ offense sputtered again, unable to gain momentum, while Ohio’s relentless pressure culminated in another touchdown, pushing the score to 17-0 with under five minutes left in the half.
CMU’s momentum seemed to shift when linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski blocked an Ohio field goal attempt, only for a penalty to gift the Bobcats a fresh set of downs. They took full advantage, scoring once more just before halftime to make it 24-0, leaving the Chippewas in a deep hole.
“I’m not upset with how we came out in the second half,” defensive back Dante Kent said. “We showed that we have some fight. We just can’t fall behind early in the game.”
After a tough first half, CMU suffered after losing starting quarterback Joe Labas to an injury. With quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. out, Tyler Jefferson stepped in.
“I just went to him and told him…are you going to show me if you can do it,” Lukes said. “And he definitely showed that he can play. I’m extremely proud of that kid. I’ve watched him come in since he was a young guy…I got his back and he knows the team will be right behind him.”
The Chippewas defense tightened, forcing Ohio to punt, and the offense finally clicked with Jefferson connecting to Lukes for their first touchdown of the game. A successful two-point conversion brought the score to 24-8, sending a roar through Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
As the fourth quarter began, CMU’s determination to take the lead showed. A field goal from kicker Tristan Mattson narrowed the deficit to 24-11.
CMU continued to push, despite an overturned 48-yard completion that could have shifted momentum.
The Chippewas’ defense stood tall, with linebacker Dakota Cochran sacking the quarterback and recovering the ball. Moments later, Lukes found the end zone again, making it 24-17.
CMU’s comeback seemed in sight as it scored again with another field goal, closing the gap to just six points.
However, Ohio responded with a field goal of their own, pushing the lead to 27-18. That’s when Lukes scored his third with less than two minutes left, leaving the score at 27-25.
“These guys were a little embarrassed,” McElwain said. “I think that was the biggest piece, these guys instead of hanging their heads, they picked themselves up and picked each other up.”
The Chippewas will take the road to Ypsilanti to take on the Eagles of Eastern Michigan on Oct. 19 at 2 p.m.
SULLY — Lynnville-Sully head football coach Mike Parkinson doesn’t want to rely on big plays.
But the Hawks couldn’t have started their Class A District 6 contest against Wayne any better on Friday night.
Making his first career start at quarterback, Connor Deal’s strike to Terran Gosselink on the first play from scrimmage went for a 65-yard touchdown and Lynnville-Sully led wire-to-wire during a 37-30 victory on Homecoming.
“We have talked about running that pass play all week against this team. It was cool to see it work,” Gosselink said. “That was the best thing that could have happened to Connor. Throwing a touchdown pass on your first play as a starter is pretty awesome.”
Lynnville-Sully junior Connor Deal (14) throws a pass to junior Michael Spooner (4) during the Hawks’ Homecoming win over Wayne on Friday. Deal’s first career start at quarterback began with a 65-yard TD pass on the first play from scrimmage. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)
Gosselink got moved to wide receiver during the week. His first touchdown of 2024 gave the Hawks’ an early lead and a big second quarter lifted L-S to its fourth straight win over the Falcons.
The Hawks led 8-6 after one and outscored Wayne 23-6 in the second. L-S came into the contest with a 28-0 disadvantage in that period.
“We let them back in the game a few times. That seems to be the way we’ve done it this year,” Parkinson said. “We have to find a way slow that up. I was really proud of them in the second quarter though. That’s been a quarter we’ve struggled in all year, but we played really well tonight. Now, we have to put that together for four quarters.”
The Hawks led Danville 22-7 after three in the season opener before winning by eight.
After leading Wayne 31-12 at halftime, the Falcons made things interesting with 18 unanswered points and got their deficit to one score multiple times.
“That’s happened more than once this year,” Dawson James said. “We know how to at least get through those situations and it can only help us for later in the year.
“We had to stop the run game and for the most part we did a good job with that.”
Wayne (3-2, 1-2 in the district) out-gained the Hawks 387-276 and had a 21-10 advantage in first downs.
But big plays helped L-S grab the early lead. After the 65-yard touchdown that opened the game, the Hawks also got a 76-yard catch and run from Michael Spooner that set up their second touchdown and Jack Bowlin’s 45-yard pick 6 pushed the margin to 24-6 late in the second.
Gosselink added to the host’s lead 16 seconds later when he blocked a punt and returned it 16 yards for the touchdown.
“It feels good to get a win back at home and hopefully this gives us some momentum,” Bowlin said.
Lynnville-Sully senior Terran Gosselink, right, tackles Wayne’s Karter Murphy in the backfield on Friday night. Gosselink caught a touchdown pass, scored after a blocked punt and led the Hawks with 11 tackles in the 37-30 win in Sully. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)
The L-S defense forced a three and out after the early touchdown. But a pick 6 the other way from Wayne’s Karter Murphy gave the Falcons some momentum.
“We missed a block. And kind of missed the throw,” Parkinson said. “Bad things happen when you miss a block in the open field. The kid made a good play.”
Three straight three and outs kept the score at 8-6. Wayne’s first strong drive of the game was aided by a few L-S penalties. The possession eventually ended with a turnover on downs.
Deal connected with Matthew Mintle for 17 yards on the Hawks’ next possession, but the drive stalled due to a holding penalty and a Wayne sack.
The Falcons picked up first downs on four straight plays on their next drive. Fisher Buckingham gained 10 yards in two plays and Murphy (13 yards and 10 yards) and Buckingham (12) moved the chains on three consecutive plays.
But again, the Hawks forced a turnover on downs after an incomplete pass and two runs that went for 1 yard.
L-S started its next possession from its own 13-yard line. Deal connected with Spooner on a screen pass that went for 76 yards on the first play from scrimmage.
“If you are going to throw the football, you can’t just chuck low percentage plays all the time,” Parkinson said. “You have to find ways to make things happen. We were in a lot of third and longs, and I would rather not live in that world. There’s only so many plays you can call in those situations. We knew the screen game would be effective. That was in the scouting report, and we missed it earlier.”
After a false start penalty and two incompletions, Deal ran for 6 yards to set up a long fourth down. An offsides by Wayne moved the down closer and Deal hooked up with Bowlin for a 6-yard TD on the next play.
The Hawks missed a field goal prior to the offsides but elected to go for the TD after the penalty.
Lynnville-Sully junior Jack Bowlin’s first interception on Friday resulted in a 45-yard pick 6 in the first half of the Hawks’ Homecoming win over Wayne. Bowlin also caught a first-half touchdown in the triumph. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)
Bowlin’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown came on Wayne’s next possession. The Falcons converted a third down on the third play of the drive, but a holding penalty later moved them behind the sticks.
“My guy went shallow which meant the outside linebacker was covering him,” Bowlin said about the pick 6. “I went to the open space where they usually have the two other guys fill. (Murphy) just threw it up and I went and got it.”
Gosselink’s blocked punt came after three straight incomplete passes from Murphy. He was unblocked on Wayne’s first punt of the night.
“The first punt, the guy didn’t even touch me. I was close on that one,” Gosselink said. “The one I did block, I just jumped and guessed right.”
The Falcons began their comeback with a long drive late in the half. The visitors marched 62 yards in 13 plays.
Murphy ran for one first down and completed passes to Buckingham and Lane Ogden for two more. The drive ended with Murphy throwing a 6-yard TD strike to Brennen Sims that just got past the goal line with .1 seconds on the clock.
The Falcons got the ball first in the second half and went nine plays on their first possession.
Bowlin halted the momentum briefly with the eighth interception of his career.
The two teams traded three and outs and L-S punted on three straight possessions.
Wayne got a 46-yard run from Buckingham and an 11-yard scamper by Murphy but eventually turned it over on downs before the Hawks’ third straight punt.
Starting with the ball on the L-S 47-yard line, the Falcons scored in three plays. Murphy connected with Mason Black for a 38-yard TD that ended the possession.
Lynnville-Sully sophomore Gavin Fisk (17) looks for running room against Wayne on Friday. The Hawks used a fast start to down the Falcons 37-30 on Homecoming. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)
After the Hawks lost a fumble on their first play from scrimmage on their next possession, Wayne scored in one play on a 34-yard TD run by Murphy. That made it 31-24 with 9:40 to play in the game.
Lynnville-Sully (3-2, 2-1) got first-down runs from Gavin Fisk and Gosselink on its next possession but punted after seven plays.
Landyn Fisk pinned the Falcons deep in their own territory. They elected to go for it on fourth down but turned the ball over on downs after L-S tackled Murphy for a 4-yard loss.
James scored one play later from 2-yards out to push the advantage to 37-24. It was James’ first rushing touchdown of the season.
“When you are a team that spreads it out and throws a lot, you need something in your back pocket to go to that can get yardage at the line of scrimmage,” Parkinson said. “We got into the red zone last week a lot but came up empty. That doesn’t mean we need to change everything, but having a short-yardage package that we can go to when needed was important. Tonight we made some plays and had a few big plays off it, too.”
Wayne punted after five plays on its next possession, but another L-S fumble gave the ball back to the Falcons near midfield.
A 31-yard pass from Murphy to Black started the drive and Murphy’s 24-yard TD strike to Black capped the possession and cut the Hawks’ advantage to seven.
That’s as close as the Falcons would get though as Deal connected with Gosselink for 19 yards on third and 15 to ice the game.
Both teams scored five touchdowns in the game. The difference between winning and losing came down to L-S finishing 3-of-4 in two-point conversions and 1-of-1 in extra points.
James, who plays most of his offensive snaps on the line, capped the win with the 2-yard TD run late and converted three two-point conversion runs in the first half.
“You can’t be feast or famine on those big plays. We have to find a rhythm where you can hit underneath in the passing game and run effectively,” Parkinson said. “We are starting to turn a page. We were a lot better offensively tonight.”
Lynnville-Sully junior Wyatt Mathis (55) celebrates the Hawks’ win over Wayne as the final seconds tick off the clock on Friday. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)
Gosselink caught two passes for 84 yards and one TD, gained 17 yards on his only carry, finished with 11 tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss on defense and scored on his own blocked punt.
Bowlin grabbed one pass for 5 yards and a TD, made nine tackles and snagged his second and third picks of the season and returned one for a 45-yard touchdown.
Deal, who replaced the injured Lannon Montgomery last week in the Hawks’ loss to Madrid, threw for 184 yards, two TDs and one interception. The 65-yard TD pass to Gosselink was the first varsity TD toss of his career.
“It was a great confidence booster for both of them,” Parkinson said about the long TD that opened the game. “We have a number of good receivers. It was super fitting for Terran to be the one who caught it, too. He’s a senior who we just asked to change positions. Connor had three options, and he did exactly what any good quarterback would have done and then hit Terran in stride.
“Connor did a lot of great things tonight. He also still has a lot of growing to do.”
Fisk rushed for 69 yards on 15 carries, Spooner caught two passes for 79 yards and Mintle’s lone grab covered 17 yards.
Murphy ran for 153 yards and one score on 24 carries to lead Wayne. He also threw for 198 yards, three TDs and two picks.
Black caught four passes for 104 yards and two scores, Sims hauled in four passes for 50 yards and one TD and Buckingham ran for 97 yards on 16 carries.
“We did a good job defending the run. The quarterback made some plays, but it’s hard to stop when you are trying to cover guys, too,” Parkinson said about Murphy. “It was a challenge. Eleven is a good ball player. We kind of keep seeing these same kids at quarterback — the guys who can run around all over the place.”
James finished with 10 tackles and one sack, Fisk added seven tackles and two tackles for loss and Spooner and Wyatt Mathis registered five tackles.
Lynnville-Sully senior Carson Maston (52) makes a tackle on Wayne’s Fischer Buckingham during the Hawks’ home win over the Falcons on Friday night. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)
Jaiden Richards and Ben Squires tallied four tackles and Landyn Fisk, Mintle and Carson Maston all pitched in three tackles.
Notes: L-S starting quarterback Lannon Montgomery was in street clothes wearing a boot on his left foot. Parkinson expects him to be out a while. “I don’t know officially, but it’s probably a long road back for him,” Parkinson said. … The Hawks were 10.77-point favorites, according to BC Moore. … L-S is 5-1 against Wayne since 2018.
Summit High School senior Simeon Ryan looks down the field for an open receiver during the Tigers’ homecoming game against Steamboat Springs on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Summit defeated Steamboat Springs, 22-21. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
The homecoming crowd at Climax Molybdenum Field at Tiger Stadium on Friday night, Sept. 27, wanted a show as the Summit football team took on Steamboat Springs High School. After a slower moving first half, the game truly picked up speed for the Tigers in the second, giving way to a homecoming thriller and sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The 1-2 Tigers began the game by kicking to the undefeated Steamboat Springs Sailors. Steamboat Springs picked up several first downs on its opening drive, going for it on fourth-down and one to move the chains for the first time.The Sailors then aired the ball out down the field, pushing the ball into the red zone with a completion. From inside the five-yard line, junior Thomas Krupp then swung wide to the right and into the end zone for the rushing touchdown.
Starting its first drive from its own 20-yard line, Summit kept the ball on the ground on the first two plays before attempting to pass the ball on third down. Facing fourth down and nine, Summit punted the ball back to Steamboat Springs, resulting in a muffed return which was recovered by Summit.
On Steamboat Spring’s side of the 50-yard line, senior quarterback Simeon Ryan attempted another pass play. Ryan threw the ball to a partially-open receiver who was not able to bring the ball in, but a Steamboat Springs’ defender was flagged for pass interference.
Following the penalty, Ryan and senior Dylan Gonsholt marched the Tigers into the red zone with several powerful run plays. On first and goal from the two-yard line, senior Vander Waerlop rolled into the end zone to tie the game at 7-7 with around three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Steamboat Springs made quick work of the field, putting together a long pass play before Krupp broke free of the Summit defense and into the end zone for a second time. Summit tried to match Steamboat Springs with a touchdown of its own, but the drive stalled near midfield and resulted in a turnover on downs.
Krupp continued to be a problem for the Summit defense, glancing off tackles and picking up a huge carry to bring the ball within the Tigers’ 40-yard line.Summit then came up with a series of huge stops to force a fourth down and two. The Steamboat Springs offense stayed on the field again and handed the ball to Krupp who was wrapped up short of the first-down marker.
Wanting to even the score before halftime, Summit charged down the field with Ryan finding Gonsholt for a successfully completed pass.Around midfield Summit attempted to catch Steamboat Springs off guard with a wide-receiver motion play, but the ball was fumbled and eventually recovered by the Sailors.
With limited time left in the half, Steamboat Springs produced a rollicking drive which resulted in a passing touchdown from the arm of junior Tanner Cobb.Steamboat Springs led 21-7 at halftime.
Summit High School’s Dylan Gonsholt, left, celebrates with Jagger Roberts after Gonsholt intercepted the ball from Steamboat Springs on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit took the field for the start of the third quarter and attempted to cut into the two-touchdown deficit. Summit picked up a penalty to push the team back eight-yards behind the line of scrimmage before Ryan threw an interception on a long-pass attempt.
The turnover did not dampen the spirits of Summit’s defense as a few moments later, the Tiger offense was back on the field due to a Gonsholt interception.The next Summit drive was fruitless as the team picked up two penalties that pushed the team deep into its own territory.
The Tigers punted the ball to the Sailors who began a new drive from their own 30-yard line. Following the interception, Steamboat Springs redeemed itself on offense, stringing together a mix of running and passing plays to push the ball over the 50-yard line.
Not wanting to give up a touchdown the Summit defense clamped down, halting Steamboat Springs and forcing a fourth down and five. Deciding to go for it, Cobb scanned to his right for an open receiver and threw the ball into the open hands of the stalking Gonsholt.
Gonsholt broke down the field, well past a trailing Cobb for the pick-six interception. With a successful 2-point conversion pass from Ryan, life was injected into the Summit sideline as the team now trailed 21-15.
With the momentum starting to build, the Summit defense came up big again. This time, senior Alejandro Baray-Jain picked off a ball that bounced off a Steamboat Springs’ player.
The Summit offense returned to the field with the entire stadium behind the team. After struggling to pick up yards since the first quarter, Waerlop broke through a tackle and brought the ball into the red zone for the Tigers.
Summit continued to churn down the field with Ryan setting the team up with a first and goal from the six-yard line. The Tigers tried to punch the ball into the end zone, but was stopped short, three times. On fourth down from the five-yard line, Ryan passed the ball to senior Quinn Breigenzer in the corner of the end zone who caught the ball, but was ruled out of bounds by the officials.
Wanting to put Summit away, Krupp exploded from the backfield and picked up 26-yards on the ground. The Sailors picked up another first down to push the ball to their own 42-yard line while draining valuable time off the clock.
Krupp continued to eat up yardage, bringing the ball within Summit’s own 40-yard line before Gonsholt extended backwards to come down with his third interception and give Summit a fighting chance to win the game.
With a little over a minute remaining in regulation, Ryan found Gonsholt in open space to pick up a few yards after a series of Summit penalties. Ryan aired the ball out again on the next snap. The pass bounced off a Steamboat Springs’ defender before falling into the hands of Breigenzer who sprinted all the way to the end zone for the touchdown.
Summit took the 22-21 lead, leaving Steamboat Springs 35 seconds to win the game.
With Climax Molybdenum Field at Tiger Stadium rumbling with noise, Cobb was hit hard in the backfield causing the ball to be jarred loose. The ball was recovered by Steamboat Springs, forcing third down and 27.
Steamboat Springs picked up 26-yards with a trick pass play, giving way to a fourth down and one from Summit’s 46-yard line. With the game on the line, Gonsholt swatted the ball out of the air to seal the game for good. Summit defeated Steamboat Springs, 22-21.
“We just restarted in the second half,” Gonsholt said. “We knew we had to do something else. It was not working. We had a lot of hard talk in there, we came out and we were better. We stayed to our assignments and the scoreboard tells you the rest. At the end of the day, we wanted it more. We showed some heart and we sunk that boat.”
Handing Steamboat Springs its first loss of the season, Summit advances to 2-2 on the season. Summit will face Palisade High School in Breckenridge on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 6 p.m. Palisade is 3-2 overall on the after beating Grand Junction Central High School on Friday night.
The Summit High School football team tries to prevent Steamboat Springs from gaining a first down during the Tigers’ homecoming game on Friday. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit senior Vander Waerlop lunges to make the tackle during the Tigers’ homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
A group of Summit defenders work to pull down Steamboat Springs junior Luke Jordan during the Tigers’ homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
The Summit High School student section cheers on the Tigers’ football team during the homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit High School quarterback Simeon Ryan prepares to snap the ball while Connor Erwin waits in the backfield. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Steamboat Springs’ Tanner Cobb receives the snap during Summit’s homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
The Summit High School football team lines up for a play in the red zone during its homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Steamboat Springs kicks the ball off to the Summit High School football team on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit High School senior Simeon Ryan looks down the field for an open receiver during the Tigers’ homecoming game against Steamboat Springs on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Summit defeated Steamboat Springs, 22-21. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Summit High School’s Dylan Gonsholt, left, celebrates with Jagger Roberts after Gonsholt intercepted the ball from Steamboat Springs on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
