Hornets suffer first loss of season to Eagles
Both Colby and Auburndale knew they would be playing in the WIAA playoffs before they faced off last Friday night. The Hornets also knew that they would have their third straight Marawood conference championship. What wasn’t yet decided, however, was what sort of seeding the teams would be receiving in those playoffs or if Colby would be sharing the conference title with Auburndale and Edgar. Those would only be determined after the two Marawood opponents duked it out in the final conference game of the season.
After 48 minutes of game time, some of those questions would be answered. Others would have to wait until the playoff seeding was revealed the next morning. In a back and forth match-up that lived up to the billing, the Hornets found themselves on the short-end of a 20-14 final. And while Auburndale certainly played well enough to win, Colby did not do themselves any favors in some aspects of the game.
“Turnovers, penalties and big plays were a huge factor in the game and when you play a good team such as Auburndale, you cannot have this many mistakes and expect to win,” head coach Jim Hagen said following the loss.
Five turnovers, including three interceptions and two lost fumbles, cut several potentially promising drives short or gave the opposing Eagles good starting field position. Penalties added up to 52 yards against the Hornets. Add those to several big plays from Auburndale and Colby had dug itself into a hole that it couldn’t quite climb out of on Friday evening.
A penalty killed the Hornets’ first drive of the game. After moving the ball down inside the Eagles’ 30-yard line, a ten-yard infraction would slow all forward momentum for Colby and Auburndale would force them to punt. Colby would bend slightly on the next time, but the defense eventually held Auburndale to a punt around midfield, allowing the Hornets to take over at their 40-yard line thanks to a solid return from Nathaniel Robida.
Colby’s second drive ended similarly to the first. After bringing the ball over to Auburndale’s side of the field, another penalty on first down set the Hornets’ offense behind the chains. A third down pass intended for Tevin Rue fell just beyond his grasp and Colby was once again forced to punt. Auburndale drove the ball to their 45-yard line and with that, one quarter of football was in the books.
The Hornet’s defense held Auburndale to midfield, forcing them to punt the ball after the Eagles failed to complete a pass on third down. A muffed catch on the ensuing punt would cause some drama, but Colby ended up taking over at their 15-yard line.
The home team proceeded to go on an 85-yard march down the field, getting several huge conversions on third and fourth downs from the likes of Caden Healy, Ivan Haemer and Tucker Meyer to keep the chains moving. Haemer, who was forced into duty after an injury to starting fullback Mateo Lopez, had two large runs on the drive. One occurred on a third down play in Colby territory, where it appeared that Auburndale had stopped Haemer behind the line of scrimmage. A second effort from the junior, however, turned the play into an 11-yard game after he broke free from two would-be tacklers. The second was a 15-yard run deep in Eagles’ territory, which set up the Hornets inside the five-yard line. Healy would take it from there, taking the ball on a sweep and running towards the right pylon, bulldozing his way through an Auburndale defender to score the first points of the game. An extra point from Tucker Brost put Colby up 7-0.
It was a short lived lead, as Auburndale matched Colby’s long drive with an 82-yard drive of their own. Unlike the Hornets, who had mostly stuck to the ground, the Eagles turned to the pass on their third drive of the evening. A huge, 42-yard pass from Trayton Webber to Alex Willfarht moved Auburndale past Colby’s 30-yard line. Another 14-yard connection between the two set up the Eagles at the goal line and a one-yard rush from Kaden Anderson finished the drive with a touchdown. An extra-point later and the game was tied at 7-7.
With two minutes left in the half, Colby went into their hurry-up offense and promptly moved the ball downfield. An interception in the end zone on a deep fly route would end the Hornet threat, however, and the teams remained tied going into halftime.
The Hornets forced Auburndale into a three-and-out on the first possession of the second half, but a roughing the kicker penalty on Auburndale’s punt allowed the Eagle drive to continue. The visitors took advantage, hitting another big pass play, this time for 29 yards on third-and-nine to flip the field. Colby came up with a stop on fourth down, but turned the ball back over to the Eagles on their first play of the following possession after Meyer and Healy fumbled an exchange.
The Hornet defense held Auburndale to another fourth and long situation, but the combination of Webber and Willfarht delivered their second big play of the game when the pair connected on a fade route along the east sideline for a 29-yard touchdown to take the lead.
The two teams traded punts as the game worked its way into the fourth quarter. The Hornets started to move the ball on their third possession of the half, using a strong run game to move the sticks. Another fumble in the middle of the drive threatened to give the ball back to Auburndale, but offensive lineman Logan Stuttgen made a heads up play and landed on the bouncing football, allowing Colby to keep possession.
The home team made the most of the opportunity, methodically driving into Auburndale’s side of the field and scoring on a five-yard run from Tevin Rue. Brost tied the game with an extra point, now putting it on Colby’s defense to provide a stop.
After holding back Auburndale’s run game all evening, the Hornets ceded two big runs on the following drive, which led to Webber finding Willfarht open in the end zone and launching the ball deep. Willfarht made a diving, onehanded stab at the ball and came down with it to put his team up by six with only five minutes left in the game. A mixed extra point, however, kept the door open for Colby to sneak out with a win.
The Hornets couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity, however, though they had multiple chances to do so. Each of Colby’s final three possessions ended in a turnover. After Auburndale scored, the Hornets fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, which the Eagles recovered. Then, the Hornets threw two interceptions on consecutive possessions, the last of which allowed the Eagles to run out the clock and claim their share of the Marawood conference title.
“It was a great matchup between two very good football teams with a lot on the line for both,” Hagen said. “Unfortunately, Auburndale played better than we did and hats off to them.”
Colby outgained Auburndale on the ground, 251 yards to 126, but only managed 38 through the air compared to the Eagles’ 199 yards.
Healy led the Hornets in rushing yards, carrying the ball 19 times for 97 yards and a touchdown. Haemer added 80 yards on 12 carries and Rue had 47 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Meyer had four carries for 21 yards, Lopez had two for four yards, and Gavin Voss had two for two yards.
Meyer completed four of his nine pass attempts for 38 yards. He also had three interceptions. Rue had two catches for 22 yards, and Robida and Voss each had one, going for 11 and five yards respectively.
Isaac Raatz led the team in tackles, recording ten over the course of the game. Healy added seven of his own and Rue finished with six.
While they may have lost, Colby still managed to claim at least part of the Marawood conference championship for the third straight year. The team finished the regular season with an 8-1 record overall and went 4-1 in conference play.
“Our players played their hearts out and we have a lot to be proud of being co-conference champs,” Hagen said. “Now we set sights on the playoffs.”
The Hornets drew a fourth-seed in the Division 5 playoffs and will face off against fifth-seeded Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau. The Red Hawks were 5-4 overall in the regular season and 5-2 in the Coulee conference. The visitors will offer a multifaceted rushing attack, boasting four players with over 450 yards on the ground over the course of the season. They only have 361 yards and one touchdown passing on the season, however. Colby hosts the first round matchup this Friday, October 21, and the game is to start at 7:00 p.m.
