Bluejay Football
Bluejays Defeat Blue Devils
by Tazlynn Sporleder
Wayne put up a good fight, but the the Pierce varsity football team brought their win record to five wins, no losses on Friday, September 21. Piece bested the Wayne Blue Devils 42-14 at Wayne in an exciting game..
At the end of the first quarter the score was 7-0. Pierce’s defense held the Blue Devils to zero while Dalton Freeman had a 30 yard interception and touchdown. Devan Roth’s point after was good.
Wayne took advantage of the big play in the second period for a couple of scores. Pierce had stretched the Jays’ lead to 21-7 on a Dalton Freeman dive in from the one and Roth’s PAT. And Brett Tinker added another touchdown on a one-yard plunge, with a Roth extra point kick. But Wayne’s Gilliland threw a 66-yard pass to Kaleb Anderson, and Vergara added a two-point run. Then a long run play put the Blue Devils on the two, and Vergara made the last couple to give Wayne another six point, but the PAT failed. Pierce led 21-14 to end the half.
Pierce scored seven points in the third quarter and held the Blue Devils to zero. B. Tinker had a 32 yard run for a touchdown and D. Roth’s kick after was good for the extra point, and the quarter ended with Pierce in the lead 35-14. Dalton Freeman had a running touchdown. Devan Roth’s point after was good. Dylan Delka and Roth’s kicking closed out scoring with a 13 yard run and point-after.
Dalton Freeman led the team with three touchdowns, one on the interception. He was four for nine in passing for 70 yards. Devan Roth led the team with pass receptions with 65 yards on three passes. Carson Oestreich had one catch for three yards.
Jakob Meier had a good night on defense. He led the team with solo tackles with three and had three assisted. Kaleb Anderson, Ryder Fuchs, and Seth Valverde each had five assisted tackles.
Coach Mark Brahmer said, “I was quite proud of the way the boys fought through some adversity in the second half to seal the victory over a good Wayne team. After we gave up a couple big plays in the second quarter, we challenged the boys at halftime to respond positively and take control of the game. After forcing some turnovers and gaining control of the line of scrimmage, we were able to do just that.”
The next football game is Friday, September 28 at Columbus Lakeview.
JV Football Dominates Crofton
by McKenna Shonka
The JV football team traveled to Crofton and came back with a 47-8 victory on Monday, September 24.
In the first quarter Jeremiah Kruntorad had a touchdown on a ten-yard run, and Pierce led 6-0. In the second quarter David Dale had a 20-yard TD run, and Tyler Race made the two-point conversion. Garret Meier grabbed a 15-yard touchdown pass thrown by Chaden Roth. Jayden Sporleder scored on a 25-yard touchdown catch from Chaden Roth, and Roth kicked the PAT. The half ended 27-0.
In the second half Race romped in for a 65-yard touchdown, and Roth kicked the extra point. Race scored again on a 50-yard touchdown run. Logan Moeller ran in a 57-yard touchdown. To finish, Roth kicked the extra point to win the game with a final 47-8. Crofton had gotten on the board toward the end of the third with a touchdown and two-point conversion.
Some positives that Coach Grant Doerr noted: “Everybody was able to get playing time, and it is always nice to get game time experience.” He added, “Overall, everybody played really well.”
JH Football Battles Norfolk Catholic
by Tanner Kuper
Pierce’s junior high football teams played Norfolk Catholic in a pair of games on Tuesday, September 18 at Pierce. The seventh graders lost 6-42, and the eighth graders won 22-16.
The only person to score for the seventh grade team was Gavin Sullivan with a 56 yard TD run.
During the eighth grade game Benjamin Brahmer scored a TD as well as a two-point conversion. Brahmer scored again, and Abram Scholting scored a two point conversion. Brahmer added another TD run.
The junior high team played Tuesday against Boone Central, here, and their next game will be on Tuesday, October 2, at Wayne.
