Indees can’t fly with Eagles

One of the best offensive performances and Independence/Gilmanton team has had in the last three years wasn’t enough as the Indees fell to Alma/Pepin on Friday.

The Indees scored 14 points in the first half, but still trailed by 13 at halftime as the Eagles’ offense was rolling. I/G couldn’t catch up as A/P showed why it is one of the top teams in the conference. 

The loss put I/G at 0-7 on the season and 0-5 in Dairyland Conference play. They’ll host Melrose-Mindoro this Friday before closing out the season in Whitehall next week.

A/P 42 I/G 20

The Indees matched the Eagles early, but couldn’t stick with them all game.

The Eagles took a 6-0 lead on a touchdown run by Riley Stiehl from 17 yards out. 

The Indees came back to tie the gam eon a big play as Ben Pyka was on the receiving end of a pass from Hunter Guenther and sprinted 87 yards for a touchdown. The point after was no good, leaving the game tied 6-6 with 3:47 left in the first quarter.

But the Indee defense couldn’t stop the Eagles.

Evan Creighton hit Evan Olson for a 25-yard touchdown before the end of the quarter and the point after was good, making the score 13-6. 

An interception set up another A/P drive, which was finished by Demetrius Bergmann’s seven-yard touchdown run, putting the Eagles ahead 19-6.

The Eagles scored again after an I/G punt. Afton Terry had runs of 15 and 25 yards before Stiehl finished the drive with a four-yard run. Stiehl then ran in the two-point conversion, making the score 27-6 with 4:15 left in the first half. 

The Indees made good use of the last possession of the half as Guenther hit Tyler Kingsbury for a 34-yard touchdown. Mason Gierok ran in the two-point conversion to make the score 27-14 at halftime .

Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the Eagles began a long drive that ended with a touchdown early in the fourth. 

An interception deep in their own territory began an 87-yard touchdown drive. The Eagles methodically marched down the field before beginning the fourth quarter at the I/G 35.

After Bergmann ran for eight yards, Sterry ran for nine and Drew Seifert passed to Olson for an 1-yard touchdown. Sterry ran in the two-point conversion, making the score 35-14.

The teams exchanged scores as Guenther got his third touchdown pass of the game, hitting Wyatt Kuerschner for a 35-yard strike, but it was too little too late.

The Indees had 163 passing yards and three touchdowns, but two interceptions were a part of they three as a team, whereas A/P didn’t turn the ball over.

The Eagles had 487 total yards, including 376 on the ground.

                        I/G           P/A

Rushing        29/120       48/376

Passing          13/163      11/111

Total               52/283      59/487

First downs       11              29

Turnovers          3               0

Penalties         3/20           6/50

I/G

Rushing (att./yds.) — Pyka 15/85 Gierok 14/30 Kingsbury 6/11 Guenther 4/-6

Receiving (rec./yds.) — Pyka 1/87 Kingsbury 2/40 Kuerschner 2/36

Passing (comp./att./yds.) — Guenther 5/13/163

Tackles (solo/assts) — Rieck 8/3 Pyka 5/4 Kingsbury 5/3 Gierok 6/1 Bragger 4/1 Kuerschner 2/3 Guenther 3/0 Medina 2/1 Sylla 1/0 Severson 1/0 Przybilla 1/0