Triopia 38 @ Routt Catholic 0
Going into the 2014 season, Triopia head coach Rich Thompson decided to make a major personnel change to his patented Wing-T offense: moving last year’s quarterback Tristan Wise to running back in hopes of utilizing his speed and athleticism. And if anyone was wondering if that was the right move, they certainly got their answer Friday night, as Wise led the Trojans with 234 yards on just 10 carries and a 38-0 win over rival Routt. The story for Wise and the Trojans was their ability to tap into their big-play potential. Halfway through the contest, Wise had already racked up 180 yards on just 5 carries (36.0 yards per carry), including touchdown runs of 78 and 76 yards. The Trojans finished the game with 438 total yards of offense and a shutout for its defense, who held the Rockets to 161 total yards. Aside from Wise’s 3 scores, the Trojans saw significant output from running back Blake Parker, who finished with 122 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown. Sophomore Isaac Werries added the fifth score, and Dean Arendt carried 8 times for 52 yards. Although Routt fell to 0-3 on the season, Senior running back Keegan Hoots continues to put together a solid season, as he tallied 74 yards on 12 carries. The Rockets will look to bust out of their offensive slump as they play host to 2A Hamilton/Warsaw on September 19th. Triopia hosts the Hornets of Brown County in a Week 4 match up of perennial WIVC North contenders.
Pittsfield 12 @ New Berlin 47 • Same story, different week. I’ve come to expect certain things each week as I search Twitter for a New Berlin final. A.) offensive output – through the first 3 games of the season, the Pretzels are averaging 42.7 points per game. B.) Jake Hunt and Chase Creviston probably scored touchdowns – the duo has already hooked up for 8 touchdowns a third of the way through the regular season. And Friday’s Week 3 win over Pittsfield was no different, as Creviston hauled in 3 touchdown catches and one pick-six while Hunt increased his TD-total to 16(!). But while Hunt and Creviston may be headed towards the 2A All State team, the Pretzels success comes by way of total team effort. Listening to interviews, talking to coach Barry Creviston, and witnessing their actual play, you get the sense that there are truly no individuals on this Pretzel squad. On any given night, New Berlin could get big games out of the likes of Cam Cummings, Connor Burger, Korbin Beer, Michael Spradlin, or Caleb Horchem, just to name a few. In fact Cummings and Beer accounted for three scores against Pittsfield, with Cummings finding the endzone once on the ground and once through the air, and Beer returning a Saukee fumble for another. With their latest victory, the Pretzels improve to 3-0 and find themselves one step closer to a playoff birth. The true tests will come against Sangamo powerhouses Williamsville (Week 5), Auburn (Week 8), and Athens (Week 7), but the Pretzels are ready for the challenge. They’ll look to remain unbeaten as they host the Riverton Hawks next week.
Calhoun 0 @ North Greene 19 • After a tough loss to Camp Point Central to open the season, a game in which North Greene’s defense gave up 26 second half point, the Spartans have rebounded in the past 2 weeks to get back above .500. In their two wins over Routt Catholic and Calhoun, the Spartans have outscored their opponents 69-7. Led by Senior lineback Zach Reische, North Greene’s defense held Calhoun’s offense to just 136 yards of total offense on Friday. As for the Spartan offense, a five minute stretch in the middle of the second quarter saw all three of North Greene’s scores. Running back Kolten Heberling had another big night, rushing for 95 yards and one score. Just over 3 minutes later, quarterback Nathan Randall hooked up with Connor Vincent for a 47 yard touchdown, putting the Spartans up 12-0. And again, less than 3 minutes after the Vincent score, tailback Logan Ross broke out a 57 yard scamper of his own, giving North Greene a 19-point advantage, which was more than enough for the victory. For both teams, this week 3 match up marked the beginning of conference play in the WIVC South. And as I predicted prior to the season, you can expect Greenfield, North Greene and West Central to battle it out all season for second place in the South behind what appears to be another high-powered Carrolton squad. And it just so happens that the Spartans host the Tigers from Greenfield next week, in a game that will surely have significant implications for the final conference standings.
Jacksonville 10 @ Sacred Heart-Griffin 49 • Followers of the Central State Eight conference, especially those outside of the SHG community, know all too well what a trip to 1200 W. Washington Street usually entails. Coming off a season in which they not only won the 5A State Championship against Montini Catholic but also set a state record for points scored, the Cyclones of SHG have picked up where they left off. And their latest victim was the Jacksonville Crimsons on Friday. After winning the coin toss, the Cyc captains elected to receive, and the crowd soon found out why. The first play from scrimmage saw Senior quarterback Gabe Green break several Crimson tackles on his way to a 64 yard run before being taken down at Jacksonville’s 1-yard line. One play later, running back Anthony DiNello punched it in to give the Cyclones a 7 point lead. Jacksonville’s first half was marked by numerous 3-and-outs offensively, and missed tackles leading to big plays on defense. With two scores each for SHG’s Sam Sergent and Anthony DiNello, the Cyclones already had a 28 point advantage before Jacksonville found the endzone. Senior Zac Lonergan made a tremendous effort to cross the goal line on a bubble screen from five yards out, following a Dion Jackson catch that went 44 yards into Cyclone territory. Ultimately the Cycs were too much for the Crimsons, as they racked up a 42-7 first quarter lead on the way to a 49-10 victory. A bright spot for the Crimsons was the play of running back Matt Rooney, who bulled his way to 100-plus yards on the ground.
9/13 Carrolton 61 @ West Central 6 • As you may have heard, Week 3 marked the opening of conference play for members of the WIVC South. And if Saturday night’s contest between the Carrolton Hawks and the West Central Cougars was any indication of what’s to come, you can expect to find Carrolton at the top of the standings come late October. With both teams getting off to solid 2-0 starts, many assumed that this game would be a close-scoring affair; one that would be decided in the fourth quarter. Carrolton had other ideas. The Hawks spread-offense attack is an anomaly in the WIVC and 1A football for the most part. Their ability to beat teams through the air with speed and athleticism is what sets them apart. Something that the Cougars quickly found out, as Carrolton jumped out to a 40-0 lead before halftime. Hawk-quarterback Jacob Smith continued his big season by throwing for 3 touchdowns and 249 yards on 11 of 16 passing. His favorite target on Saturday was Luke Palan, who caught five passes for 122 yards as well as 2 rushes for 46 yards and 2 scores. Cole Brannan added 79 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns on just 3 receptions. West Central’s lone score came on a 67-yard run by Justin Shireman early in the 3rd quarter. The Hawks will host Pleasant Hill (1-2) in Week 4. West Central will head to Calhoun next week, as they hope to get back on track and stay towards to top of the WIVC South.
