Tigers defeat Wildcats in blustery contest
Tigers defeat Wildcats in blustery contest
It wasn’t pretty, but the Osmond Tigers earned a 50-20 win over the Winside Wildcats on Friday, October 13 at Winside.
The Tigers got off to a fast start as they recovered a fumble on the first play of the game, caused by sophomore Patrick Vinson. This gave the Tigers a first down on the Winside 15 yard line.
“We take pride in our special teams, and they make a huge difference for our team,” Tigers Coach Scott Morrison said. “It takes a special attitude to play on special teams, and it was fun to see our players have that throughout the game.”
The Tigers turned the turnover into points just two plays later as Connor Gutz (Jr.) scored on a 15-yard run.
The play was set up on a nice fake by Vinson and Josh Gansebom (Sr.). The line did a great job of taking angles and getting in position to make solid blocks.
The line in the game included Logan Stelling (Sr.), Landon Stelling (Sr.), Caden Wingert (Fr.), Zach Huwaldt (Jr.), and Zach Reikofski (Fr.).
Gansebom scored on the 2-point conversion attempt to make the game 8-0.
“Our team came out playing well. Getting out to a good start was really important,” Morrison said.
Again, the kick team unit was physical and stuffed the Winside return, which gained a yard. The Tigers forced the Wildcats to punt just three plays later.
During the punt, several Tigers pushed the Winside line back towards the punter. Zach Huwaldt pushed his man so far back, the punter kicked the ball into his back.
This gave the Tigers the ball at the Winside eleven yard line. Four plays later Gutz scored on an 8-yard touchdown reception.
Vinson attempted the 2-point conversion but was tracked down. The Tigers held a 14-0 lead after two possessions.
After forcing the Wildcats to punt again, the Tigers quickly had a gain of eight yards (Gansebom) and ten yards (Gutz).
However the drive quickly stalled as the Tigers could not pick up a first down within the next four plays.
Similarly, as Winside took possession, the Tigers forced them to turn the ball over on downs, taking possession at the Winside 35.
Both teams to turns turning the ball over. First, the Tigers fumbled the ball back to the Wildcats, and on the next play, the Wildcats lost it back to the Tigers.
When Osmond recovered the ball, they took possession at the Winside 25 and did not wast much time. Just two plays later, Patrick Vinson rushed 24-yards for a touchdown.
The two-point conversion attempt was no good, but the Tigers were up 20-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Wildcats showed some life at the beginning of the second quarter as they moved the ball into Osmond territory. Quarterback Art Escalante had consecutive runs of nineteen and five to put the team at the Osmond twenty-one yard line.
Standing strong, though, the Tigers forced Winside to turn the ball over on downs. The Tigers moved the ball to midfield after picking up a first down.
They turned the ball over on downs eventually, leading to the Wildcats first score.
Winside’s Matthew Frederick hit Gabe Escalante on a short pass over the middle that turned into a 36-yard touchdown.
“The touchdown was my fault, because I asked the defense to adjust on the fly and I put some of our guys out of position,” Morrison said. “We thought we had the middle zone covered, but there was confusion and nobody was there.”
On the ensuing kickoff, the kick return unit put together a great return as Josh Gansebom carried the ball for 53 yards to the Winside 13.
Despite two plays for a loss, the Tigers found a way to get the ball into the end zone and stretch their lead to 26-6.
Vinson scored on an 8-yard run play to give the Tigers a 26-6 lead late in the second quarter.
The Tigers would earn another opportunity as Landon Stelling intercepted the ball from Frederick at the Winside 36.
Zach Huwaldt ran for 22 yards and a first down on the next play, giving the Tigers a first down at the Winside 16.
The drive faltered on a 4-and-3 play at the Winside nine yard line. The Tigers held the 26-6 advantage heading into the half.
The Tigers began the second half strong as they marched 53 yards in eight plays. During the drive Gansebom had consecutive runs of 9, six, 9, and 16.
Bryan Solorzano also had a nice run for 15 yards, setting up a 1-yard run by Gansebom for a touchdown. He also found the end zone on the 2-point conversion, giving the Tigers a 34-6 lead.
“We did exactly what we were hoping at the beginning of the third quarter,” Morrison said. “We got the ball and put together a nice scoring drive, capping it with the 2-point conversion.”
After forcing the Wildcats to punt, the Tigers ran into some offensive struggles as they lost yardage and were ultimately forced to turn the ball over in Winside territory.
The Tiger defense held strong, though, as they forced the Wildcats to turn the ball over on downs.
As the Tigers took possession on the Winside 33, Gansebom broke a touchdown run on the very next play. He also put in the two-point conversion, giving the Tigers a 42-6 lead and a running clock.
“We were executing well in the third quarter and began to put the game out of reach,” Morrison said. “We did give up some big plays late in the quarter. Give credit to Winside as they continued to fight.”
Wildcat teammates Frederick and Escalante connected again for a long scoring playing. This time Escalante caught a slant and kept running untouched for a Winside touchdown.
Despite not converting the 2-point attempt, the Wildcats pinned the Tigers back to their own 15 yard line, where they through an interception to Art Escalante who scored on the return.
The Wildcats scored on their two-point conversion, and the third quarter ended 42-20 in favor of the Tigers.
The Tigers made an excellent response to the Wildcats momentum as they drove 68 yards in five plays for their final touchdown of the game.
During the drive, it seemed like each of the Tigers backs contributed to team’s success and clearly the line was opening holes.
Vinson had a 24-yard gain; Gansebom ran for 23 yards on two carries, and Bryan Solorzano ran for 24-yards on the drive, including a 14-yard touchdown run and the extra-point run.
“We went through a difficult stretch at the end of the third quarter where the game’s momentum completely shifted in a matter of plays,” Morrison said. “However, our men stayed strong and answered back with a great-looking drive.”
After forcing the Wildcats to punt on their next possession, the Tigers started with some tough field position (they’re own seven yardline).
They moved the ball out to the 27, but could go no farther and turned the ball over on downs.
After a few plays, the Wildcats were threatening at the Tigers ten yard line. The Tigers recovered a fumble and took back possession.
Ultimately the Tigers were able to run the clock out.
Brenden Gillespie (Jr.) played most of the game on defense at safety. Fellow junior Blake Bahr jumped in on a few plays defensively and on special teams throughout the game.
Kayson Maertins (Fr.) earned a defensive snap in the first half. Bradee Gubbels (Fr.) made an interception at the very end of the game. Reese Hanna (Fr.) came in defensively and finished the game out on the defensive line.
The Tigers (2-4) will host their final regular-season home game on Friday, October 18 against the Elgin Public/Pope John Wolfpack (1-6).
Winside (0-7) will play their final game of the year at Plainview (6-0).
TEAM 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q T
Osmond 20 6 16 8 50
Winside 0 6 14 0 20