JV Tigers outast Wildcats
JV Football Tigers outlast Cats
HARTINGTON—The Osmond Tigers junior varsity football team defeated the Hartington-Newcastle Wildcats 28-6 on Monday, September 26 in Hartington.
Despite falling behind 6-0 in the first quarter, the Tigers had a 16-point second half to take control of the contest.
The game began with the Tigers losing a fumble near mid-field on their first possession. Then the Wildcats proceeded to score their only touchdown of the night on a 23-yard pass play.
The two-point conversion failed.
It didn’t take long for the offense to recover as they drove the ball just over 40 yards for a score. The drive to six plays and was aided by a 15-yard Wildcat penalty.
Sophomore Nick Reikofski (RB) scored on a 4-yard run. Reikoski and Brenden Hille (Jr., QB/DB) shared carries on the drive.
After the missed PAT, the game was tied at 6-6.
The Wildcats took possession and took the ball inside Tigers’ territory. After stopping them on the first and second downs for a combined loss of four yards, the Tigers defense made a big play.
Colton Beacom (Jr., DB) picked off a pass intended for a receiver fading down the sideline. He returned it 23 yards and gave the Tigers the ball back.
The Tigers then put in their second touchdown. Reikofski had a 24-yard run and Asher Wattier (Jr., RB/LB) had a 17-yard run.
Reikofski added the touchdown on a 1-yard run. The PAT failed and the Tigers held a 12-6 lead which would stand until the third quarter.
After stopping the Wildcats on the first two possessions of the half, the Tigers found the end zone again. They had a five play, 51-yard drive which built their lead to 18-6.
In the drive, Hille found Justus Maertins (Fr., WR/DB) for a 12-yard gain. Reikofski had an 8-yard run, and Hille scored on a 28-yard run after taking advantage of a Wildcat alignment issue.
The Tiger defense put the Wildcat offense in a tough situation as Keaton Timmerman (Fr., QB/LB/DB) tackled the H-N back in the backfield.
This would lead to a blocked punt by Beacom. Alex Alderson (Jr., OL/DL) recovered the blocked kick.
Looking to make it a three-score advantage, the Tigers Alexis Solorzano (Fr., OL/DL) hit a big field goal. This put the Tigers up 21-6.
The Tigers held the Wildcats down on their next drive and then used five plays to add an insurance touchdown.
Josh Gansebom (Fr., RB/LB) scored from one yard away, and Solorzano nailed the PAT to put the Tigers ahead 28-6.
The Tigers had contributions from all players in all three phases of the game. Alex Alderson (Jr., OL/DL) and Drew Kreinert (Jr., TE/DE) had a nice games defensively at the end positions.
Zach Sims (Jr., OL/DL) played a solid game on both sides of the ball. Alex Palu (Jr., WR/DB) made a nice play on a ball in the fourth quarter.
Solorzano, Landon Stelling (Fr., OL/DL) and Logen Stelling (Fr., OL/DL) all played well. Zach Alderson came in as a receiver and a defensive back.
Anthony Heiman (So., RB/DB) couldn’t play because of a shoulder injury.