Bluejay Football
Bluejays Take Down Warriors
By Abbie Cone
At their last game of the season on October 25, the Pierce High Bluejays made the trek to take on the Schuyler Warriors and finished with a commanding victory of 48-20.
“It was nice to send off the seniors with a win to end the season and jump-start the returners with some momentum for next year,” head coach Darin Suckstorf comments. “The team did a nice job of creating a season-high four turnovers and finishing drives to get a big lead at halftime and get everyone some varsity playing time to end the season. By the end of the season, I think our defense was playing at a very high level.”
In the first quarter, the Bluejays came out strong and put up three touchdowns and three good PAT kicks, keeping the Warriors scoreless. Konnar Jones recovered a fumble.
The second quarter was another solid offensive quarter with the Bluejays putting up another three touchdowns and three completed PAT kicks. The Warriors scored one touchdown this quarter, but the PAT kick was no good. This ended the half 42-6 in favor of the Bluejays.
Coming back from the half, the Warriors responded and added another touchdown but failed on the 2-point conversion. The Warriors were able to keep the Bluejays scoreless throughout the third quarter.
During the fourth quarter, both teams added one touchdown to their score with Schuyler completing their 2-point conversion and Pierce completing their PAT by Turner Wolfe, ending the game 48-20, in favor of the Bluejays.
For stats on the night, Turner Wolfe had two touchdowns and six good PAT kicks. Brenden Bolling added two touchdowns, and Ryder Theisen, Tyler Schultz, and Parker Gaes added one touchdown each.
Bryce Lindstrom led the team in solo tackles with five, Peyton Kruntorad added three, and Boston Krueger made two.
Brock Collison had 35 passing yards and 10 rushing yards. Wolfe had 155 rushing yards, Gaes totaled 40 yards, and Theisen added 24 yards. In total, the Bluejays had 242 rushing yards.
“We came out hot and came out with the same energy that we would've against any other team. We were well-prepared and executed on both sides of the ball. I think that we improved a lot over the course of the season,” senior Turner Wolfe comments. “The whole team adapted to some of the new changes very well and took everything on with an open mindset. We handled adversity well but fell short of our goals, but even when we were down we still came to practice every day ready to work. Overall, I'm proud of the team and how we performed.”
The Bluejays end the season with a 4-5 record.
Freshman and Sophomores Take the Win Against the Blue Devils
By Savannah Beutler
On Monday, October 21, the freshman and sophomore fought hard to take the win against the Wayne Blue Devils, and the final score was 34-30 with the Bluejays taking the win.
“The Pierce JV finished their season with a 2-3 record,” coach Grant Doerr comments. “Overall I was really happy with their commitment and energy this season. We lost a couple of close games where things didn't go our way but competed hard in every contest. Playing on a Monday afternoon is not an easy task but the guys showed up each Monday ready to play. Furthermore, I thought this group of guys were hard working individuals, who gave great effort during practices. I appreciate all their hard work and look forward to working with them in the future.”
Konnar Jones led the way with two rushing touchdowns. Ethan Claussen and Cole DeBoer each with a rushing touchdown of their own. Tyler Schultz and Dayton Watts had a tremendous pitch and catch for a long touchdown at a critical juncture in the game. Tate Wales converted on four of the five PAT attempts to help extend the lead.
“I feel like the team started out the game hot with scoring a couple of touchdowns, then we stepped off the gas a little bit, and allowed Wayne to come back. But after a good halftime speech we got back on track to go win the game,” sophomore Maddox Ronspies states.
Make sure to come back next season to catch the Bluejays JV football.
