Hornets topple No. 1 Wildcats
Colby wins the battle between ranked teams
The stage was set for something truly special on Friday night when a pair of unbeaten teams, two programs with proud, winning traditions, squared off against one another in Colby.
Fans turned out by the hundreds to watch the spectacle before them, and the air hung heavy with anticipation over what promised to be a great game.
It did not disappoint. Indeed, it more than lived up to the hype.
“It was a perfect night for football. What an amazing crowd, atmosphere, and a game being played by two outstanding football teams,” Colby head coach Jim Hagen declared after the game.
It was the kind of game every athlete dreams of playing - a game against two ranked teams in front of a rapt home crowd. The pep band was blaring, the lights were glaring, and fans were treated to momentum swinging plays.
Even before the season had begun, the Colby Hornets had circled this game on their calendar, and after COVID-19 had cancelled last year’s meeting, both squads were eager to put it all on the line.
“We were talking about this game before the season even started,” senior QB Brent Jeske said. “We know what Edgar football is all about, and we knew that they’re number one in Division 7, so it was the game of the year for us.”
The Hornets played as if their season hinged on the victory, fighting and clawing for every inch against a young, but talented Wildcats squad that was hungry for a season defining win.
The Hornets had no intention of being another cobblestone on Edgar’s path to glory, and the second ranked team in Division 6, let the Wildcats know they are a force to be reckoned with.
Colby took the kickoff, and on the opening drive of the game, marched downfield almost at will, gobbling up chunks of yardage thanks to a human battering ram that goes by the name of Mason Voss.
“Offensively we played extremely well on the line of scrimmage, and our backs of Brent Jeske, Mason Voss and Caden Healy ran so hard,” Hagen said. “We were able to control the line of scrimmage most of the game. Fortunately we were able to run the ball effectively as our pass offense really struggled.”
Voss carried the ball multiple times on the Hornets’ opening drive, ripping off big runs that set up a counter run for Caden Healy, who sprinted untouched into the endzone from 14-yards out.
A PAT by Tucker Brost gave Colby a 7-0 lead with 7:47 to play in the first quarter. Colby’s offense was matched by its defense, and the Hornets forced a quick three and out from Edgar on the Wildcat’s first drive of the game.
Colby’s second drive began at their 25yard line, and Voss continued to be Colby’s bell-cow back, moving the sticks on a 22-yard pick-up on third and two.
Brent Jeske picked up Colby’s next first down on a eight yard QB keeper, and the Hornets continued to feed Edgar a steady diet of runs, carrying the ball 18 times to just one attempted pass.
Voss brought the ball up the middle to Edgar’s 24-yard line, but a tackle from Karter Butt stopped Voss on his next carry, and Edgar eventually forced a Colby turnover on downs.
That stand by Edgar set the stage for the rest of the first half as neither side was willing to give up a yard or score, and after picking up 70-yards in its opening drive, the Wildcats’s defense stiffened and held firm. Edgar gave up less than 100 yards for the remainder of the first half, and picked off Jeske once.
But the Hornets gave as good as they got, and time and time again Brent and Andrew Jeske, along with linebackers Tristan Stange and Pierce Geiger came storming in for tackles for loss, or put pressure on Edgar QB Mattison Butt that led to incomplete passes.
That QB pressure was crucial for the victory. Several times Edgar’s wide receiver Everett Brehm got free of Colby’s secondary, only to see the ball sail beyond his reach because of a Colby pass rush.
“Defensively, I thought our defensive line played well, and we only gave up one big run play all night,” Hagen replied. “I was especially impressed on defense with Andrew Jeske and Corey Steen.”
After two quarters of play Colby held a slim 7-0 lead going into the break, and that stalemate continued well into the second half, with neither team able to find any holes in the other’s defenses.
Colby racked up yards, and even attempted a Brost field goal from 30-yards out, but the kick was wide left, and even with the Hornets beating the Wildcats in the ground game, it was still a 7-0 game heading into the fourth quarter.
But at the tail end of the third quarter the Wildcats earned a lucky break when running back Karter Butt shook off one tackle, stayed on his feet and raced past startled Colby defenders for a 65-yard pick-up on third and long that started deep in Edgar’s territory.
Butt was finally brought down at the Hornets’ 23-yard line. Colby committed several penalties, and in the blink of an eye Edgar was threatening to score.
Edgar’s drive extended into the fourth quarter, but Colby’s defense brought up fourth and 13. After nearly a dozen straight incompletions, Mattison Butt finally found Brehm in the corner of the endzone for six. A two point conversion followed, and after three quarters with the lead, the Hornets were suddenly down 8-6 with 11:47 left to play in the game.
The score and two point conversion stunned the hordes of Colby fans into silence. But playmakers make plays, and Brent Jeske was about to make two of the biggest plays in his career.
Colby’s next drive began from their own 38-yard line, and Jeske dialed up his own number, breaking half a dozen tackles, and showing the balance, control and speed that has colleges across the Midwest vying for his talents.
Jeske barrelled his way forward down to the Edgar 38-yard line for a gain of 25 yards, and that play reignited the crowd, sparking Colby’s comeback.
“I knew that if I didn’t do something, the game was probably over,” Jeske said afterwards. “Being the quarterback, you’re expected to lead and you gotta take the team in your hands. That’s what I did.”
Jeske burned the Wildcats for the second time when he once again shook free of Edgar, sprinting into the endzone from 27-yards out. Jeske raised his hands into the air, urging the fans to get loud, and they complied, shaking stadium with cheers as the Hornets wrested the momentum from Edgar.
“It did get a little nerve racking after Edgar took an 8-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, but this is where as a coach I couldn’t have been more proud of the team,” Hagen admitted. “Somewhere and somehow, our players found it within themselves to dig down and figure out a way to win.”
The Hornets found a groove on offense, and scored twice more before the night was over. Healy added six points on a 45yard carry after he broke free of one linebacker, and sprinted away from a group of Wildcats to make it 21-8.
Jeske put the game away for good with another big play, stiff-arming and powering his way through a horde of Edgar linebackers for a 28-yard TD. A two point conversion from Healy made it 29-8.
Edgar scored on the final play of the game, as Karter Butt shook free from Colby, running in from 32-yards to score with no time on the clock to make the scoreboard read 29-14.
After the game Hagen could only shake his head in admiration and say, “Really good football players, and good teams in big games, find ways to win. Our players certainly did that tonight.”
Colby dominated the game almost from start to finish, amassing 360 yards of total offense. Jeske led all players with 163 yards on 20 carries for two TDs. Voss added another 116 yards on 19 carries. Healy turned in two scores on ten carries for 81-yards, and the Colby defense held Edgar to just 187 yards, most of which came on two plays.
The win moves Colby to 4-0, and puts them in the driver seat for the Marawood Conference crown. Up next for Colby is a game against undefeated and fifth ranked Abbotsford. But first the Hornets are going to take some time to savor one of their finest wins in the last decade.
“It’s a team sport, and we all did what was best for the team, and that’s exactly what the scoreboard says,” Jeske said. “We knew it was going to be a battle. The win, you can’t even explain it, this game, this night, it’s unbelievable.”
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS -Caden Healy wraps up Edgar’s Karter Butt and wrestles him to the ground for a short gain as Pierce Geiger comes in to help. Colby shut down the high octane offense of the Wildcats on Friday.
HARD YARDS -Mason Voss hammered his way through Edgar for 116 yards, picking up key first downs all night long. STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN
