Hornets dominate at all-star game

Three members of the Colby High School football team represented the Hornets at the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association all-star football game on Saturday, July 15. Caden Healy and Oscar Zamora, who were both seniors on the 2022 team, and head coach Jim Hagen were selected to the small school North team and spent several days practicing with other members of the team ahead of the contest. The North dominated the affair, defeating the South 44-12, with the Colby representatives making significant contributions to the winning effort.

Hagen’s defense, which featured Healy at outside linebacker, stifled the offensive endeavors of the South all afternoon, allowing just 77 total yards and an impressive negative eight total yards on 23 rushing attempts.

After the North’s offense set the tone by scoring a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, the defense upped the pressure, with Healy positioning himself at the forefront of that effort. The Colby rep cut inside on a stunt from his outside edge rusher position on the South’s first third-down and combined with opponent-turned-teammate Brock Sawicki of St. Croix Falls to take down the South quarterback John Perugini for All-star

the South quarterback John Perugini for a huge sack that forced the South to punt the ball away.

Zamora helped make way for the North’s offense in the second quarter. They scored two more touchdowns before the South managed to get on the scoreboard and topped off the first half with a final touchdown with ten seconds left to put them up 28-6.

The North’s control of the game carried over to the second half, putting up two more scores over the final 24 minutes. Zamora and the offensive line continued to make holes for the North’s running game, which amassed 256 yards and four touchdowns over the course of the game.

Meanwhile, the North defense did its part, holding the South to just one successful drive in the final two quarters of play. Healy continued to do his part, picking up a big special teams tackle and managing to wrangle down Perugini for another sack. He finished the game with a team high four unassisted tackles and four assists, as well as one unassisted and two assisted sacks.

The trio of Colby representatives, as well as the many other players and coaches associated with the all-star game, raised thousands of dollars for Children’s Wisconsin, a non-profit organization that supports the physical, social, and mental well-being of kids and families through medical care and research.