Bulldogs bite Indees in opener

It was an all-around struggle for the Independence/Gilmanton football team as Boyceville took a big lead into halftime and the Indees didn’t score until late in the fourth quarter.

The Indees couldn’t get control at the line of scrimmage as Boyceville ran for 170 more yards, despite having five fewer attempts. I/G had a nine-minute advantage in time of possession and ran 10 more plays, but finished with 282 fewer yards. 

For the Bulldogs, the win was a continuation of last year’s 7-1 campaign. For the Indees, it was a learning experience as they’re back in action for their home opener against Highland on Friday. It figures to be another stiff test for the Indees as Highland is coming off of a 34-12 win over River Ridge, following an undefeated 2020 season.

The Indees will open Dairyland Conference play next week at home against Augusta.

Boyceville 47 I/G 6

It took just four offensive plays for Boyceville to take the lead.

The Indees received the opening kickoff and got just past midfield before punting the ball away. Boyceville started at midfield after returning a 27-yard punt 28 yards. 

Braden Roemhild ran for 24 yards on their first play and Nicholas Olson finished the drive with a nine-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was stopped.

The Indees stopped Boyceville’s next drive and had some momentum going into the second quarter as they faced a second-and-seven from the Boyceville 45. A penalty pushed them back five yards before a four-yard loss on a screen pass and the Indees were forced to punt.

It was all Boyceville for the rest of the half.

Olson had a 39-yard run down to the I/G 18 on their next drive. A holding penalty pushed the Bulldogs back, but the drive still ended up in the end zone as Ira Bialzik hit Jacob Granley for a 20-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was stopped, but Boyceville was ahead 12-0 with seven minutes left in the half.

After an I/G three-and-out, Boyceville took just one play as Bialzik passed to Roemhild for an 84-yard touchdown. Tyler Dormanen ran in the two-point conversion, making the score 20-0 with 6:13 left in the half.

The Indees had a promising drive from their own 30 to the Boyceville 36, where they had a first down. A penalty was followed by a sack and the Indees were forced to punt.

Boyceville found the end zone one more time in the half as Bialzik hit Caden Wold for a 26-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left. Dormanen ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 28-0 at halftime.

It didn’t take long for the Bulldogs to strike again in the second half as Wold returned the opening kickoff 40 yards and Sebastian Nielson finished the drive with a 26-yard touchdown run. The point after was no good. 

Nielson found the end zone again on Boyceville’s next drive, this time from 46 yards out. The point after made the score 41-0 with six minutes left in the third quarter. 

A punt from the end zone set Boyceville up deep in I/G territory to start the fourth quarter and they scored again as Jackson Phillips ran for a 14-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-eight play. The two-point run was stopped short, leaving Boyceville’s lead at 47-0, one minute into the fourth.

The Indees got on the board on their next drive as Wyatt Kuerschner passed to Connor Smieja for 36 yards to set up a first down at the Boyceville 14. On third-and-eight Kuerschner kept it himself, running for a 12-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was stopped, but the Indees were on the board.

Kuerschner relieved Hunter Guenther in the second half as the two combined to complete five-of-12 passes for 50 yards. Smieja led the team on the ground, running for 87 yards on 20 carries. 

Bialzik completed four passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns on seven attempts. Nielson ran for 110 yards on seven attempts. 

                               I/G           BHS

Rushing                  34/126     29/296

Passing                    12/50        7/162

Total                         46/176       36/358

First downs                 10               17

Turnovers                      0                0

Penalties                       5/25          4/30

 

I/G

Passing (comp./att./yds.) — Kuerschner 1/6/36 Guenther 4/6/14

Rushing (att./yds.) — Smieja 20/87 Kuerschner 10/44 N. Pyka 1/4 Guenther 3/-9

Receiving (rec./yds.) — Smija 1/36 Gierok 3/18 Kuerschner 1/-4

Tackles (solo/asts.) — Smieja 7/3 Kuerschner 3/2 Rieck 3/0 Gierok 3/0 Guenther 2/1 Pyka 1/1 Montalvo 0/3 Bragger 1/1 Marsolek 1/0 Sylla 1/0 Przybilla 0/2 Severson 0/1

 

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