Wildcats explode in first half to sink Pirates

The Blair-Taylor offense found holes in Cochrane-Fountain City’s defense on its second possession and didn’t look back, handing C-FC its first Dairyland Conference loss of the season.

B-T lost yardage on its first possession, but used quarterback Tavian Shramek’s legs to move down the field on its second possession. The Wildcats took the lead before the end of the first quarter then scored three times in the second to take a 26-8 lead as they went on to win 32-16.

With a 5-1 record on the season and 4-0 mark in DC play, the Pirates had widely been considered the favorites to take second to state-ranked Alma/Pepin in the DC. Now, that race is wide open as the Pirates have yet to play the Eagles, while the Wildcats, Melrose-Mindoro and Eleva-Strum all sit at 3-2 in DC play.

The win was also big for B-T’s playoff hopes. It will now need to win just one of its final two games to qualify. This week, B-T heads to E-S (4-3 overall), which is coming off of a 16-8 win over Augusta. 

Next week, the Wildcats play winless Independence/Gilmanton.  

B-T 32 C-FC 16

It didn’t look good for the Wildcats early on, but they got going on both sides of the ball after the first drives.

B-T’s first drive lost yardage as Jackson Shramek was stopped for a five-yard loss on the first play before a sack and a completion to an offensive lineman after Tavian Shramek was hit as he released the ball. 

The Pirates then marched right down the field, hitting a big pass to Landen Halverson before Tanner Schieffer scored a three-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion gave C-FC an 8-0 lead.

But it was almost all B-T from there. 

B-T’s next drive began at its own 38. Tavian Shramek ran for 11 yards on the first play, then 20 on the second. B-T called his number again on the next play, this time he took the ball up the middle before breaking outside for a 31-yard touchdown run. 

The two-point try was stopped, but B-T wouldn’t have to wait long to take the lead.

After a fourth down stop gave B-T the ball back, Shramek ran for 15 yards on the first play. Jackson Shramek added a 10-yard run, moving the ball past midfield. After the Wildcats picked up another first down, Ethan Kniseley ran for 11 yards.

The drive looked like it might be stopped after a holding penalty put B-T back to a second-and-goal from the 17. Tavian Shramek passed to Davonne Turner to get most of the yardage back before Jackson Shramek got outside for a five-yard touchdown run. Jackson Shramek then ran in the two-point conversion, putting B-T ahead 14-8 with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.

The teams exchanged punts then the Wildcats failed to convert after an interception by Kniseley. However, B-T’s defense came through again when CJ Dummer intercepted C-FC’s Austin Arnburg and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. The two-point pass was incomplete, but B-T led 20-8 with 4:40 left in the first half.

The Wildcats forced another C-FC punt to get the ball back with about two and a half minutes left in the half. 

The team picked up one first down before Tavian Shramek ran for a 20-yard gain with about 1:20 left in the half. On the next play, Shramek hit Dummer in the middle of the field for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The two-point try was no good, but B-T held a 26-8 lead late in the first half.

But that isn’t how the first half would end. The Pirates returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown then converted the two-point try to pull back within 10 at halftime.

Those are the last points C-FC would get, however, as B-T’s defense was able to control the rest of the game. While Arnburg, who had missed most of the previous two games with injury, returned, the Wildcats were able to keep C-FC’s passing game in check, while also controlling the line of scrimmage. Arnburg completed eight-of-22 passes for 115 yards and two interceptions. The Pirates also managed just 47 yards on the ground, averaging 3.1 yards per carry. 

The Wildcats put the game away with about 10 minutes left when Tavian Shramek got loose again, this time for a 21-yard touchdown that made the score 32-16.

B-T had another drive deep in C-FC territory, but was able to kneel on the ball to end the game.

While B-T’s passing game struggled, they were able to run for 274 yards. Tavian Shramek carried 25 times for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson Shramek added 16 rushes for 87 yards. 

B-T

Rushing (att./yds.) — T. Shramek 25/185 J. Shramek 16/87 Kniseley 5/2

Receiving (rec./yds.) — Kniseley 4/33 Turner 2/16 Dummer 2/18 Kokke 1/0

Passing (comp./att./yds.) — T. Shramek 9/18/67 Kniseley 0/1/0

Tackles (solo/total) — Waldera 0/1 Lien 3/5 Dummer 2/5 T. Shramek 3/4 Trapp 1/1 Kelly 0/2 Turner 4/8 Wagner 1/7 J. Shramek 1/4 Kniseley 3/4 Jahr 1/3 Kling 0/1 Paulson 0/7 Truschka 1/4 Nehring 0/1 Andrews 0/2