Hornets spoil ‘Cats homecoming

Colby beats Edgar second straight year

By Casey Krautkramer

Edgar’s varsity football team scored first on Friday night but then Colby dominated the rest of the game. The Wildcats lost to the Hornets, 32-6, in a battle of highly-ranked undefeated teams in the state.

The Wildcats entered their homecoming contest ranked No. 1 in Division 7 while the Hornets were No. 5 in Division 5. Colby also defeated Edgar last season to win the Marawood Conference championship. Edgar junior speedster Kohlbe Weisenberger outran Colby’s defense for a 41-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Wildcats junior quarterback Teegan Streit’s two-point conversion pass that he floated into the end zone was intercepted by Hornets senior Mateo Lopez.

With Edgar leading 6-0, the turning point in the game occurred in the second quarter when Streit threw a pass that went into and out of the hands of his receiver, sophomore running back Jase Apfelbeck, right into the hands of Colby senior Kaden Wiese in Wildcats territory.

Colby immediately made Edgar pay for the mistake when senior quarterback Tucker Meyer threw a 51-yard touchdown strike to senior Nathaniel Robida to tie the game.

Jim Hagen, Colby head football coach, said Wiese’s interception was a pivotal play in the game.

“That could’ve been the turning point in the game because if Edgar completes that pass then it’s probably going for another six points so then we are down either 12 or 14-0 and it could be a totally different ballgame,” he said. “Fortunately that ball bounced our way and if it hadn’t, I’m not sure what would’ve happened, but I guess somebody was looking down on us and helping us out against Edgar.”

Meyer intercepted Streit’s pass at Edgar’s 33-yard line. Colby’s offensive drive stalled when Apfelbeck atoned for his earlier dropped pass that caused an interception by recovering Colby’s fumble on Edgar’s 18-yard line.

Hornets senior Caden Healy then got things going rushing the football with an eight-yard touchdown. This time Brost made the extra point. Brost added a 23-yard field goal in the second quarter to give the Hornets a 16-6 halftime advantage. Coach Hagen spoke about how big it was for Brost to kick the ball into the end zone for touchbacks during the game instead of letting Edgar kick returners Karter Butt and Streit catch the ball and either run with it or reverse it to one another.

“Tucker Brost, who is a heck of a kicker, put a couple balls into the end zone which just eliminates Edgar returning the ball, so it just really helps to have a good special teams,” Hagen said.

Brost had six kickoffs for a total of 316 yards, which is a 52.6 average per kickoff. He also had four punts for 151 yards, which is a 37.75 average per punt.

In the third quarter, Edgar’s center snapped the ball over junior punter Marcus Huehrnerfuss’ head. Huehrnerfuss wisely grabbed the football and tossed it through the end zone for a safety, instead of risking Colby recovering the ball for a touchdown. Huehrnerfuss then took his frustration out on the football with a 62-yard kickoff to the Hornets.

Later in the third quarter, Meyer found Healy in the back of the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown catch. Brost added the extra point. Healy sealed the Hornets victory in the fourth quarter with an 86-yard touchdown run in front of the Wildcats’ sideline. Brost again added the extra point.

Edgar sophomore Leyton Schuett led the Wildcats with two receptions for 94 yards. Edgar falls to 4-1 while Colby remains undefeated at 5-0. Following Friday’s loss, the Wildcats slipped to No. 3 in the Division 7 state rankings while the Hornets remain at No. 5 in Division 5.