Wildcats can’t keep up with Eagles in DC loss

The Blair-Taylor football team had no answer for Alma/Pepin’s Demetrius Bergmann in a 56-20 home loss Friday night.

Bergmann ran for 277 yards and four touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a touchdown, giving him 353 total yards and five touchdowns. He also ran in four two-point conversion, making him responsible for 38 points. Four of his touchdowns came in the first half as the Wildcats trailed 40-8 at the intermission. B-T added two scores in the second half, but couldn’t get any closer. 

The loss put B-T at 2-4 on the season and 2-2 in Dairyland Conference play. Their playoff fate could come down to the next two weeks. The Wildcats host Cochrane-Fountain City (5-1, 4-0) this week. The Pirates are coming off of a 41-6 win over Augusta.

Next week, the Wildcats will head to Eleva-Strum to take on a much-improved Cardinals squad that is also 2-2 in DC play. B-T will likely need to win at least one of those games and its last game against Independence/Gilmanton to make the playoffs. 

A/P 56 B-T 24

It was all Bergman in the first half. 

The A/P senior scored first on a 36-yard run and later from 11 yards out and ran in both two-point conversion to put his team ahead 16-0 after the first quarter. He added a 16-yard score in the second and, again, converted the two-point try to put his team ahead 24-0. 

B-T responded in the second quarter and Jackson Shramek found space for a 13-yard touchdown run. CJ Dummer ran in the two-point try to cut into the lead.

But Bergman and the Eagles didn’t take long to respond.

Bergman fielded the ensuing kickoff and returned it 76 yards for a touchdown, then ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 32-8.

Madox Stewart ran for a three-yard touchdown and Jackson Riesgraf the two-point conversion to put A/P ahead 40-8 right before halftime.

The Wildcats had a chance to add a score before the half as Jackson Shramek intercepted Stewart on a screen pass and returned it deep into A/P territory. However, a penalty was called on the return and the Wildcats were called for two holding penalties on the next drive. They had 30 yards to go for a first down with fewer than 30 seconds left in the half and chose to take a knee to go into halftime. 

The Eagles added two more touchdowns in the third quarter. The first was a 15-yard pass from Stewart to Evan Olson. Bergmann ran in the two-point conversion. 

B-T answered that score with a one-yard run by Tavian Shramek and the two-point conversion.

Bergmann found the end zone one more time before the end of the third quarter with a 64-yard score. The two-point conversion made the score 56-16.

B-T scored before the end of the game as Tavian Shramek ran for a 19-yard touchdown.

Tavian Shramek led B-T in rushing with 53 yards and two touchdowns and completed seven-of-14 passes for 99 yards. Jackson Shramek ran for 35 yards and had 62 receiving yards. 

B-T’s defense struggled to stop the run, allowing 9.4 yards per carry and 377 total yards. However, they did intercept Stewart twice and held him to 48 yards on nine attempts. 

B-T —

Rushing (att./yds) — T. Shramek 13/53 J. Shramek 10/35 Kniseley 1/32 Turner 1/6

Receiving (rec./yds.) — J. Shramek 1/62 Kniseley 3/19 Dummer 3/18

Passing (comp./att./yds.) — Shramek 7/14/99

Tackles (solo/total)  — Lien 4/5 Dummer 1/2 Shramek 1/2 Trapp 1/1 Kelly 1/1 Turner 4/7 Wagner 3/5 Boe 1/1 Johnson 1/1 J. Shramek 3/3 Kniseley 1/1 Kling 4/5 Paulson 2/4 Truschka 0/1 Nehring 3/7