Bluejay Football
Launch the media gallery 1 playerBluejay Football Triumphs 37-28 at Omaha Roncalli Catholic
On Friday, Sept. 15, Pierce football set out for northwest Omaha to play Roncalli Catholic High School, where they claimed a 37-28 victory over Roncalli Crimson Pride.
Coach Darin Suckstorf remarked on the work that went into the team’s victory when he says, “I thought we had a good week of practice. The coaches did a great job of holding them accountable to the game plan. Players did a great job executing it Friday night.”
In the first quarter, the Bluejays did not score, and Roncalli pulled ahead with a touchdown and the PAT, 7-0.
In the second, however, Pierce racked up two touchdowns and a field goal, all by Keenan Valverde, for a total of 17 points. Exchange student, Nils Røstad from Norway, kicked the PATS. Valverde also grabbed a fumble recovery. Roncalli scored an additional touchdown.
Both Pierce and Roncalli scored an additional touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Pierce’s touchdown was scored by Kaden Froehlich.
In the fourth, Pierce scored an additional 13 points, both touchdowns by Valverde, and the Crimson Pride was held to just one final touchdown by the Bluejay defense.
Top players include Champion White, with 17 passing yards, Valverde who had 269 rushing yards, and Lucas Scrivner with 17 receiving yards.
Other defensive leaders include Korvin and Kaden Fritz, both with four tackles, as well as Valverde and Caleb Newman, both with three.
In the fourth quarter, Valverde’s touchdown run was a grand total of 42 yards. He provided his thoughts on the game, saying, “I think it made us improve a lot, playing a good team. This was a game we needed. They were ranked third, and we were sixth,” he said. “There were a lot of younger guys who stepped up and helped us win. I think our coaches helped us a lot with our play calls throughout the entire game. Overall, though, we improved a lot as a team and showed how we really play.”
The Bluejays will play their next game at home against the Wayne Blue Devils on Friday, Sept. 22, which is also Homecoming for the Bluejays.
Bluejays Battle the Trojans
By Chase Rasmussen
On Monday, Sept. 11, the Pierce High JV football team traveled to Hartington to take on the Cedar Catholic Trojans, but fell 13-6 to the Trojans.
In the first quarter both defenses held their own and kept the score at 0.
Moving on to the second quarter, Hartington struck first scoring a touchdown and making the score 7-0. Not long after, quarterback Brock Collison hit the pass to Payton Cederburg for a touchdown, bringing the score to 7-6, with the Trojans leading going into halftime.
In the second half, the Trojans punched it in for another six but missed the extra point. The Bluejays managed to get the ball all the way to the red zone, however the time would soon run out ending the game with a score of 13-6.
“It was a tough battle, and we just barely came up short,” junior Peyton Kruntorad states. “We need to focus more in practice on executing plays.”
“I thought we played hard and competed. We didn't get the result we wanted, but we had a number of individuals step up and do some really good things,” JV coach Grant Doerr says. “I was overall happy with their effort but need to clean it up on offense and defense.”
The Bluejays will travel to Norfolk to take on the Norfolk Catholic Knights on October 2, at 5 p.m.
