Colby ousted from playoffs by Blugolds
Two defending state champions battled it out in the rain at UW-La Crosse’s Veterans Memorial Stadium in last Friday’s third round matchup. With aspirations of retaining their state titles on the line, the fourth-seeded Colby Hornets and the third-seeded Aquinas Blugolds duked it out over four quarters of hard fought football. In the end, it was the Blugolds who emerged victorious, knocking off the Hornets 28-14.
Despite their lower seeds, this was certainly a battle of heavyweights. Both teams had been ranked in the top five in a Division 5 coaches’ poll for much of the season, with Aquinas taking the number one spot every single week and Colby holding steady at either the number four or five slot. Both teams stumbled in their final game of the regular season, however. Colby took their first loss against Auburndale and Aquinas gave up the Coulee conference title after falling to West Salem. How much those late season losses played into the seeds that both received is difficult to say, but it certainly seemed to have some effect. This didn’t seem to stop either team, as both easily dispatched their first round opponents before taking down the top two seeds in the second round. This set up a highly anticipated round three game to see which team would make it to sectionals.
The Hornets took some early momentum, forcing Aquinas into a threeand- out on their first possession. An excellent pass deflection by Nathaniel Robida while covering Aquinas’s top receiver, Collin Conzemius, on thirddown was key in the stop.
Colby took over at the Blugolds’ 44yard line but were unable to capitalize on the excellent field position. Unable to convert on a fourth-and-three on their first set of downs, the Hornets handed the ball back over to the home team.
On the following possession, Aquinas used big plays through the air to march down the field and score the first points of the game. Completions of 18, 13, and 35 yards set up a short, five-yard touchdown run up the middle for the Blugolds. A miscue on the two-point conversion attempt left the door open for Colby, and the Hornets would take advantage.
Down 6-0, the visitors got a pair of big plays from Robida, Tucker Meyer and Caden Healy to tie the game. Healy ripped off a 31-yard run to bring the ball into Blugold territory and Meyer found Robida wide open on a post route three plays later for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Kicker Tucker Brost nailed the extra-point, putting the Hornets up 7-6 with less than three minutes left in the first quarter.
That lead turned out to be short lived, as Aquinas answered right back on their next possession. It only took the Blugolds five plays to score their second touchdown of the evening, highlighted by the 39-yard rushing score from Calvin Hargrove. This time, Aquinas converted on the two-point attempt, putting them up 14-7 as the game shifted towards the second quarter.
The two teams exchanged punts, with Aquinas appearing to come out on top after an impressive kick from the Blugolds completely flipped the field, going from the home team’s 12-yard line to Colby’s eight. The Hornets were in danger of giving the ball back to Aquinas when they pulled out the biggest play of the game.
Colby needed ten-yards on thirddown in order to keep the drive alive. The first two plays of the drive had been runs, both of which had been stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Given the situation, the Hornets turned to their senior quarterback to try to pick up the first. Meyer took the snap and followed through on the play action, faking two handoffs before scanning the field for an open receiver. It only took him a moment to find a target and unleash a deep ball. Healy, who had been lined up as a wingback, was streaking down the middle of the field, and the few yards of separation he had gotten on Aquinas’s safety was more than enough. Meyer’s pass found Healy’s outstretched hands and the senior running back’s speed did the rest. The 92-yard touchdown and the following extra point tied the game at 14-14.
The Hornets would have their opportunities to stop Aquinas on the following possession but ultimately the Blugolds would walk away with more points before the end of the half. An incompletion was undone by a Colby penalty, a strip of Blugold quarterback Jackson Flottmeyer ended up back in his hands and Aquinas was able to turn a third-and-twenty and a fourth-and-ten into a touchdown. Another failed twopoint conversion was a small victory for Colby, but now the Hornets found themselves down once more.
Colby’s defense came up with two big stops in the third quarter, forcing a punt on Aquinas’s first possession and shutting down their second drive on the Hornets’ five-yard line after a fumble gave the Blugolds excellent field position. A big completion to Ivan Haemer in the flats went for 33 yards on the
SLIPPING BY THE SIDELINE - Caden Healy goes airborne near the sideline during a fourth quarter run against Aquinas. The senior running back had 201 yards of total offense and recorded a team high 10 tackles. following possession and momentum seemed to have shifted slightly as the Hornets drove inside their opponents’ 30-yard line. Another turnover on a fumble ended the drive prematurely, however, and Colby would need yet another stop from their defense.
Once again, the Hornets’ defense had their chances, but it was Aquinas that came away with big plays when they needed them. A 48-yard completion on third-and-five and a scramble from Flottmeyer on fourth-and-goal that saw the Blugold sailing into the end zone were game changing plays that could have very well turned the game’s momentum back to the Hornets. Instead, Aquinas went up by two scores, stretching their lead to 28-14.
Colby wasn’t quite done yet, driving down into the red zone on the following possession thanks in part to big runs of 21 and 12 yards from Healy. Once there though, a penalty and a tackle for loss put the Hornets into a passing situation. On fourth down, Meyer went to Healy down the middle of the field, but the pass was broken up, giving possession to the Blugolds. While they forced an Aquinas punt, two sacks of Meyer on Colby’s final drive effectively ended the game.
“We went nose to nose with a very good, physical and fast Aquinas football team,” head coach Jim Hagen said following the game. “I thought offensively we mixed it up nicely with both the run and pass and we hit them on some big pass plays. A few turnovers in the second half hurt our chances to win the game. Defensively we played well at times but Aquinas offense is really good and they have some play makers.”
Colby gained 296 yards of total offense and Healy accounted for 201 of those yards. He led the team in rushing with 112 yards on 22 carries and had 89 yards receiving, the total from his 92-yard touchdown catch brought back slightly by another reception for -3 yards earlier in the game. Healy also led the team in tackles, ending the game with 10.
Haemer finished the day with 44 yards rushing on 11 carries and had one catch for 33 yards. Tevin Rue, who had to exit the game early due to injury, finished with six carries for 22 yards. Robida’s 20-yard touchdown reception was the major source of offense for Colby.
It was a tale of two halves for Colby’s passing attack. After completing three of four pass attempts for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, Meyer was one-for-six passing in the second half for 33 yards.
Mateo Lopez followed Healy in tackles, racking up nine in a return performance to the defense. Erik Martinez also contributed seven and Isaac Raatz had six.
While the season may have concluded earlier than the Hornets would have liked, there was still a lot that the team managed to achieve over the course of the season. Colby won the Marawood conference title for the third year in a row and ended with a 10-2 record overall including two playoff wins, one of which was against the one-seed in their regional.
“I am so proud of this team and what they have accomplished,” Hagen said. “We had an excellent season. Making it to level three is something to be proud of and even though it hurts to lose, we played well during the playoffs. Thank you to the seniors for the past four years, as they accomplished an awful lot and have meant so much to the football program. They will all be missed.”
PLUG THE HOLE -Logan Stuttgen (77) and Isaac Raatz (47) look to take down the ballcarrier.STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
IT’S GOOD -Holder Kaden Wiese and kicker Tucker Brost watch the ball go through the uprights to give Colby a 7-6 lead in the first quarter.STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
