throughout the game. ….

throughout the game.

Castillo and Fuentes were the main components of the ground game, with 150 and 97 yards respectively, though sophomore Emilio Escalera added 55 yards and senior Jake Hirsch contributing 30 yards, giving the Falcons a well rounded approach on the ground.

“Our offensive line did a very good job with double teams and getting out and running in space,” Knapmiller said of his rushing attack. “Now we need to work on finding work in space when we get there, but youth and inexperience is something we knew we had. Hirsch and [junior] Evan Reis did a nice job blocking on sweep in the second half along with [senior] Brandon Diedrich on our right side setting the edge. Escalera and Hirsch got some solid yardage on the few carries they had, and showed no drop off from the other running backs.”

“We have lots of options and Christian unexpectedly had to handle a really big workload with some injuries and guys out for the game,” Knapmiller added. “Christian allows us to move some pieces around and get other guys at positions that might help us even more. We were able to get the edge on Loyal but also had some really effective early runs up the middle with Christian which held the defense in check. Our off tackle plays struggled a bit partly due to blocking, but the front four of Loyal was their strength as well. Our outside run game and pass game really picked us up.”

Diedrich led the way in the aforementioned pass game, recording two receptions for 50 yards. Fuentes was also part of the passing attack, catching two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown, and Reis had one for 15.

“We really want to be efficient with our passing game and not concern ourselves with the home run unless it’s there,” Knapmiller stated. “We did get JV out of the pocket to throw, giving him the option to run or pass, and that will be his strength this year.”

The defense also played solid for much of the evening. Despite missing Evan Schunk and Noah Schraufnagel in their linebacking corps, they held Loyal to just seven first downs all evening and only gave up 23 yards through the air. The 128 yards Loyal gained on the ground could perhaps leave something to be desired, but considering 74 of those yards came on two plays, the aforementioned 39-yard touchdown by Nikolai and a 35-yard scramble by senior Sullivin Hanson, and one might get a better picture of how well the defense was able to keep the Greyhound run game in check over the course of the game.

“They had a couple of nice senior lineman who gave us problems on one side of the ball,” Knapmiller said. “We struggled to get off of blocks. Overall we didn’t have a standout defensive player, but we ran really well and minimized big plays after the first few.”

Abbotsford has its home opener next up on its schedule. The Falcons are hosting Melrose-Mindoro this coming Friday, with a game time slotted for 7 p.m. Melrose-Mindoro was bested by Bangor 56-0 at home last week, giving up 384 yards on the ground to their opponents. Last year, Abbotsford won this match-up by a score of 13-6.