Falcons top Colby 21-6 in rivalry game
By Nathaniel Underwood
The latest chapter in the Abbotsford and Colby varsity football rivalry was inked last Friday night as the two teams collided on the Hornets’ home turf. With possession of the traveling trophy dubbed “the Can” and bragging rights on the line, there was more to fight for than just a win for their overall records. After four quarters of grind it out football, the visiting Falcons had secured their second win of the season, downing Colby 21-6 and snapping the four-game winning streak that Colby had held in the crosstown series.
Despite the short distance between the cities of Abbotsford and Colby and the fact that the two schools would often face each other in non-conference games, the two varsity football teams had not historically played each other very often. That changed when the Hornets joined the Marawood conference in 2020, setting up a yearly bout between the two squads. Colby had gotten the best of the series heading into their latest matchup, having won all four meetings between the two squads. While the recent conference shakeups have once again placed the two teams into separate conferences, this year’s non-conference game continued the newly fostered tradition.
The Falcons flipped the established script on Friday night, marching onto the Hornets’ field and taking control from the onset. While the two teams finished with similar numbers in terms of total offense, it was Abbotsford’s initiative in the first half, their ability to supplement their ground attack with key plays in the passing game, and some key stops by the Falcons defense that turned the tide in the visitors favor.
Abbotsford seized momentum on the opening drive of the game. Behind some impressive blocking by the Falcons’ offensive line and utilizing the legs of Christian Fuentes and Irvin Aguilera, the visitors cruised down the field, picking up big chunks of field position on the ground and eventually setting up inside Colby’s 10yard line. With their backs against the wall, the Hornets defense locked down the Falcons for three plays, forcing a fourth down from the one-yard line.
A false start on Abbotsford pushed them back five yards and gave the home team a little breathing room, but the Falcons were not going to be denied. The visitors turned to the air, putting the ball in the hands of Aguilera on a touchdown-or-nothing play. The senior quarterback found tight end AJ Brodhagen on a shallow out route and Brodhagen slid past a Colby defender at the goaline to put Abbotsford on the board.
Two big pass plays were instrumental in the Falcons other scoring drive of the half. On their first possession of the second quarter and still holding on to their slim 70 lead, Abbotsford was facing a fourthand-five at Colby’s 35-yard line. Having come up empty on their previous foray into Hornets’ territory, the Falcons opted to go for it, once again turning to their passing game. Grayson Totzke found a soft spot in Colby’s coverage on a corner route and Aguilera delivered a perfect pass. The play resulted in a 25-yard gain, keeping the drive alive and setting the Falcons up just inside the home team’s 10yard line. Aguilera and Brodhagen then combined for their second touchdown of the evening a few plays later as Abbotsford’s quarterback found the tight end across the middle for a seven-yard score.
While the two passing touchdowns certainly boosted the Falcons in the first half, their defensive effort was equally important to their success. Abbotsford did not give up a first down in the opening two quarters, forcing three punts on the Hornets’ first three drives before Brodhagen picked off a deep pass near the end of the half.
They continued that stifling defensive effort into the second half, where they once again forced a three and out from the Hornets on their opening possession. Colby’s defense prompted a punt out of Abbotsford on their next drive, however, and momentum began to shift slightly on the next possession.
Despite some early penalties that looked like they were going to shut down yet another Hornets’ drive, the home team started to gain some traction in the running game. A 16-yard scamper from Chase Heeg got the Hornets their second firstdown of the game and kick started their best drive of the contest up until that point. The trio of Heeg, Dany Nunez and Gavin Voss toted the ball for Colby as they picked their way through the Falcons defense, eventually working their way inside Abbotsford’s 10-yard line.
The Falcons held tough, however, and forced the Hornets into a fourth-down situation. Colby turned to the air for the first time of the drive, with quarterback Tayt Smith tossing a ball to Hayden Kaiser in the back of the endzone. While Kaiser could not corral the pass, a pass interference penalty on the play gave the Hornets another opportunity, creating a fourth and inches at the five-yard line. Colby handed the ball off to Voss, looking at the very least to pick up a new set of downs, but the Falcons’ defensive line collapsed the left side of the Colby’s line and stonewalled the Hornets’ back short of the line to gain, ending the home team’s threat and maintaining their 14-0 lead. Colby’s defense managed to force another quick punt from the Falcons at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but more mistakes hindered the offensive momentum they had built on their previous drive. While they were able to overcome a holding call on their first play of the drive thanks in part to a 14-yard connection between Smith and Nunez, two fumbles on their next set of downs resulted in an eventual turnover after they failed to convert on fourth down.
Time was quickly becoming an issue for the Hornets as the Falcons bled the clock down to under four minutes on their next drive. However, forcing a long third down, it looked like the Colby defense had perhaps bought their team another opportunity. Looking at a third-and-11 from Colby’s 37-yard line, Aguilera unleashed a deep pass to Fuentes and connected for a 26-yard pick up. The play netted a first down and set up the dagger on the next play, a seven-yard touchdown run from Aguilera that put the Falcons up by three scores.
The Hornets answered on their next possession, going on an 80-yard drive that featured another few big runs from Heeg and a 30-yard run by Voss to get Colby back into the redzone. Heeg capped off the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run, making the score 21-6. Though the Hor-
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INTO THE ENDZONE - AJ Brodhagen crosses the goal line after a six-yard catch on fourth-down to give the Falcons their first points of the game. He would score another touchdown later in the half and record an interception.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
FIGHTING THROUGH THE DEFENSE - Chase Heeg (31) receives a block from Hunter Reynolds (67) and Brennan Geiger (54) on a run in the third quarter. Heeg led the Hornets ground attack with 96 rushing yards.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
PINPOINT ACCURACY - Irvin Aguilera prepares to unleash his first of two passing touchdowns against Colby. The senior quarterback also ran for a touchdown to seal the game in the fourth quarter.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD Rivalry game
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nets had finally gotten on the scoreboard, Abbotsford had still sealed their victory. The final three minutes had been drained off the clock on the drive, allowing the Falcons to kneel the ball once on their final possession before claiming the win.
While the Hornets finished the game with more rushing yards, ending with 196 to Abbotsford’s 169, 80 of those came on the last drive of the contest, after the game had largely been decided. The Falcons also had a much more successful passing attack, picking up 98 yards and two touchdowns through the air while Colby only had 14 yards and one interception.
Heeg and Fuentes were the leading rushers for their respective teams, with Heeg turning in a game-high 96 yards on 12 carries and scoring once while Fuentes had 95 yards on 21 carries.
Chase Boller had the best yards per carry for the Falcons on Friday night, picking up 39 yards on seven rushes. Aguilera had 35 yards on 11 attempts and the sole rushing touchdown for Abbotsford.
Voss finished with 58 yards on 12 carries, Nunez had 34 yards on eight rushes and Smith had two yards on two carries for the Hornets.
Aguilera was 6-for-10 passing, going for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Brodhagen pulled down three of those passes, two of which were touchdowns and accumulated 27 receiving yards. Totzke had two catches for 45 yards and Fuentes had one catch for 26 yards. Smith went 1-for-6 passing, his one completion going to Nunez for 14 yards.
Luke Hannula led the Hornets in tackles, finishing the game with nine total tackles. Voss and Jacob Hoppe both had seven each while Smith and Kaiser combined for six apiece. Brodhagen’s interception was the only turnover forced by either team’s defense, other than turnovers on downs.
Abbotsford picked up wins in both their non-conference games and will be looking to keep the ball rolling in their first CWCSmall game of the season. They are set up to host Iola-Scandinavia this Friday, Sept. 6. The Thunderbirds are also 2-0 this season and are coming off a 46-29 victory over Weyauwega-Fremont. The defending CWC-Small champs are led by quarterback Jensen Rice, who has 501 yards rushing and 220 yards passing in the Thunderbirds’ two victories. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Colby will be looking for a course correction as they too enter their conference schedule. The Hornets will start their CWC-Large campaign by going on the road for the first time this season, facing off against Amherst this Friday. The Falcons have won both their games this season, having defeated Shiocton 49-20 in their most recent contest. Running back Ayden Nerdahl and quarterback Michael Glodowski have been their primary sources of offense early on, accounting for all 10 of the offenses’ touchdowns so far. Receiver Sully Perkins also had two kick returns for touchdowns in their win over Shiocton. Game time is also scheduled for 7 p.m.
SWEET, SWEET VICTORY - Coach Jake Knapmiller is doused by his team in celebration following the Falcons 21-6 win over the Colby Hornets on Friday night.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
