quarter, taking an extended 63-yard ….
quarter, taking an extended 63-yard drive downfield en route to their fourth touchdown of the evening for a drive that all but put the game out of reach. It ended in a rather fitting fashion, as the Meyer-Rue connection that seemed to kick start the Hornet offense combined for a 6-yard pitch and catch to put their team up 28. Even if that wasn’t the metaphorical nail in the coffin, the result of the ensuing Spencer-Columbus possession could certainly be considered one.
Rockets quarterback Isaac Mauritz, who otherwise had a fairly efficient night, going 8-10 for 83 yards through the air, was rushed by Healy into a poor throw. Senior Mateo Lopez took advantage, intercepting the pass and returning it 71 yards for a touchdown. The interception was the second defensive touchdown for the Hornets of the season and highlighted another impressive effort from the Hornets’ defensive unit.
“I thought our defense once again played solid for the majority of the night, bending a few times but never breaking,” head coach Jim Hagen said. “[Senior] Isaac Raatz played really well at linebacker, making a lot of tackles and I thought our linebackers in general did well picking up their screens and making open field tackles before those plays could develop.”
Raatz and Lopez combined for eight tackles each to lead the Hornets defense to their first shutout of the season. Sophomore Gavin Voss contributed to five tackles and senior Nathaniel Robida was part of four himself.
On offense, Healy led the team with 101 yards rushing and 5 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Rue had 96 total yards, with 76 coming on three catches and another 20 on six carries. Haemer added 62 yards on the ground for the Hornets, with 35 of those yards coming on a counter play in the fourth quarter that gave the junior his second touchdown of the evening. Meyer finished the evening with 92 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
“Offensively, it took us a while to get going,” Hagen said, “but after our first two possessions of the night, our offense found their identity and made some big plays which we are capable of doing with our speed, whether it be on the ground or through the air.”
While the score would suggest a blowout, some of the other stats would suggest a much harder fought battle. The Rockets actually had more first downs than the Hornets, 11 to 10, and their 187 yards of total offense would have normally translated into some sort of points.
“It is never easy beating a well coached team like Spencer/Columbus but I am proud of our players for being resilient and they continue to find ways to make plays and get a hard earned victory,” Hagen said.
Looking ahead to this coming Friday, Colby will be heading to Iola-Scandinavia for a non-conference matchup. The Thunderbirds are 0-2 and will be coming off a 53-7 loss to Wittenberg-Birnamwood.
