Colby scores 56, grounds Thunderbirds

The Colby Hornets football team improved to 3-0 on the season after defeating Iola-Scandinavia 56-20 on Friday night.

After two slow starts to begin the season, Colby’s offense got rolling early, scoring 35 points in the first quarter. The Thunderbirds could not match the visiting team’s speed, leading to a host of long plays for the Hornets.

After a penalty on the opening kickoff set Colby back, senior wingback Tevin Rue took the second play from scrimmage around the left side for 44 yards before eventually being wrangled out of bounds around the Thunderbird 25-yardline. Another penalty on the ensuing play would set the Hornets back, but it ultimately made little difference as senior running back Caden Healy broke a tackle inside and cut back around a final defender to score Colby’s first points on a 30-yard touchdown.

Colby’s defense held Iola-Scandinavia to a three-and-out on their first possession, which led to a long punt return by Rue that would set up the Hornets with a short field. A trap up the middle on the second play of the drive led to another quick score for Colby, as senior fullback Mateo Lopez broke through the line almost untouched and sprinted away from the Thunderbirds for a 28-yard touchdown run.

An interception on Colby’s third possession may have halted the Hornets temporarily, but they immediately got the ball back as senior Kaden Wiese picked off an errant screen pass on Thunderbird’s first play to bring the offense back onto the field.

The Hornets once again struck quickly, this time utilizing a bit of trickery. On their first play of the drive, senior Nathaniel Robida took the ball on a reverse to the left sideline, stiff arming the only defender to get close en route to his first touchdown of the season, scoring from 35 yards out.

Up 21-0 with 5:08 left in the first quarter, the Hornets weren’t finished yet. A Lopez 45-yard touchdown run and 35yard draw play that saw Healy in the end zone gave Colby a 35 point lead after one quarter of play.

The home team’s fortunes would not change in the second quarter. Trying to utilize the speed of quarterback Parker Gullixon, Iola-Scandinavia tried several times to get one of their better athletes outside. The Hornets defense was up to the challenge, preventing Gullixon from getting loose and forcing another punt. Lopez took this one all the way, sprinting 45 yards and sneaking inside the pylon on the return for his third touchdown of the evening.

With a large lead secured, the Hornets took the opportunity to play their second and third teams for the rest of the game. Even without their starters in, Colby still built their lead, with sophomore Gavin Voss scampering for a 65-yard touchdown to put the visitors up 49-0 at halftime.

“I thought we played well, at least in the first half, in all three areas: offense, defense, and special teams,” head coach Jim Hagen said. “Offensively, we ran the ball effectively and scored on some long runs with four different players scoring. I thought in the first half that our defense played really well once again, only holding Iola-Scandinavia to 38 total yards and one interception. Furthermore, I was also happy that we scored on a punt return and we were eight out of eight on PATs because during the week we do put a lot of emphasis on and take pride in our special teams.”

The second half was largely an opportunity for some of the younger members of the team to get varsity experience. While the Thunderbirds were able to put some scoring drives together, they never truly threatened to take the lead at any point. They scored on a long run by Gullixon in the third quarter, but junior Ivan Haemer punched it in from a yard up to effectively cancel out that effort. Two late game touchdowns from the home team were not enough to make up the difference and the defending state champions took home their third win.

“I was happy to see that all players who suited up for the game got to play,” Hagen said. “It is so enjoyable watching our younger players get a chance to play in a varsity game and gain some experience.”

Healy led the way for a rushing attack that saw all four of its starters post double digit average yards per rush. He finished with 100 yards and two touchdowns on seven rushing attempts. Lopez made the most of his two attempts on the ground, scoring both times and covering 73 yards. Rue added 48 yards on his two attempts and Robida had one carry for 35 yards and a touchdown. Voss also scored on his only touch of the game, the 65-yarder in the second quarter. Sophomore back-up quarterback Tayt Smith had 41 yards rushing on five attempts, Haemer finished with 18 yards on five attempts, and freshmen Colton Orth had 37 yards on 10 carries.

With how successful the ground game was, the Hornets did not feel the need to air it out. They attempted only three passes, none of which found their intended targets.

The Hornets once again looked sharp on defense. Senior Isaac Raatz once again co-led the team in tackles with four and junior Caden Kleparski added four of his own. Wiese had the sole turnover for the Hornet defense on his interception in the first quarter.

Colby will be hosting Loyal this Friday at 7:00 p.m. The Greyhounds are 0-3 on the season and are coming off a 35-0 loss to Auburndale. It will be Parents Night and the team asks that all parents be on the track by 6:35 p.m.