LG comes up short against Abby in 1st co-op varsity game

By Valorie Brecht All eyes were on the Loyal High School football field last Friday night as the Loyal-Greenwood (LG) varsity football team madetheirco-opdebutagainsttheAbbotsford Falcons. Unfortunately for LG, the Falcons flew away with the win. However, LG was able to score a couple of touchdowns and show some solid running game.

“Our outside run was working for us. They (Abbotsford) really plugged up the middle, but we found some success on the outside,” said LG co-head coach Chris Lindner.

Three minutes into the game, Abby quarterback Irvin Aguilera completed a pass to Christian Fuentes for a 47-yard gain and a touchdown. The extra point by Fernando Perez was good, putting the Falcons up 7-0.

However, on the next drive, LG marched down the field through a series of carries by Tryn Scheel, until he ran it in from 7 yards out to score. Scheel also punched in the 2-point conversion to put LG up 8-7.

“The offensive line did a nice job of creating holes for him (Scheel), being physical and moving the line of scrimmage,” said Lindner.

Neither team scored for the remainder of the first quarter. In the second, Fuentes again found an opening and outran the LG players. At 8:46 left on the clock, he ran 54 yards for a touchdown and Perez again made the extra point. LG put together a lengthy drive after that, but it did not result in a score. At 2:42 remaining, Abby got the ball back and scored on a 55-yard run by Fuentes. This time the extra point was no good. LG again tried to get something going, but was hurt by a couple of mistakes, including a fumble and incomplete pass.

At 43 seconds remaining in the half, Abby’s Chase Boller made an interception and took it to the LG 45-yard line. Just after that, Aguilera completed a pass to AJ Brodhagen for an 18-yard gain and a touchdown just before time ran out. The extra point attempt failed, but that still left the Falcons up 26-8.

“When they got the touchdown right before halftime, it kind of took the wind out of our sails,” said Lindner.

Still, LG jumped into the second half ready to make something happen. Isaac Zabel returned the punt to the LG 40. Through a series of short runs, LG made it all the way to 2nd-and-goal at the 5-yard line. Again, it was Scheel who ran around the defenders to score. He also scored the 2-point conversion, making it 26-16 and giving the LG players a little more spring in their step.

“Myself and the other coaches were happy with how they came right down in the second half and scored,” said Lindner.

However, that ended up being the last time LG would make it into the end zone that game. Abby hit pay dirt again when Aguilera connected with Boller on a pass for a 49-yard gain to end the third quarter with a 33-16 lead. That ended up being the final score, as both teams held each other scoreless in the fourth.

Despite the loss, Lindner could see potential for his team with how they performed overall.

“We had three to four good drives, with 10 to 12 plays on each drive. Our line did a good job and I thought they adapted well. But, Abby had three or four big plays where their speed was just too much for us,” he explained.

That speed mainly came in the form of Fuentes, who ended up beingAbby’s leading rusher, running for 127 yards with 14 yards per carry.

“To Abby’s credit, they have great speed and they utilized it,” said Lindner.

Yet, “our players didn’t quit; they played right down to the end. That’s what we need to continue to see. And we need to improve on consistency on both sides of the ball. That’s our focus this week.”

He also said there were a couple of players who didn’t play last week or saw limited time because of recovering from an injury, and they would be back with the team for this Friday’s game, so that should help.

This Friday, LG will play Neillsville-Granton at Neillsville at 7 p.m.

Above center, Loyal-Greenwood’s Tryn Scheel darts through the gap, with Rory Hanson blocking for him on the left side of the photo and Devon Roehl ready to block on the right side. Below left, Scheel attempts to get past his opponent. He was his team’s leading rusher. Below right, Adam Kautzer makes a tackle, assisted by Cain Toufar on top.

VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTOS