Colby defeated in homecoming game against Stratford

By Nathaniel Underwood

For a quarter, the Colby Hornets were able to keep the visiting Stratford Tigers in check. Outside of a big play from Stratford’s Jett Schoenherr that went for a 65-yard touchdown, the Hornets were able to corral the Tigers’ rushing attack while moving the ball on the ground on offense. However, Colby could not put together enough good runs to sustain a drive all evening and the game quickly got out of hand when the visitors turned to the air. Relying largely on their passing attack, Stratford scored four touchdowns in the final nine minutes of the second quarter, stretching out a lead that would eventually turn into a 49-0 homecoming loss for the Hornets.

Led by linebacker Jacob Hoppe’s eight total tackles, Colby’s defense quickly put a stop to the Tigers’ efforts on the ground. Most of Stratford’s yards on the ground came on two carries from backup Cayden Leonhardt at the end of the game. Not including the 32 yards picked up by Leonhardt at the end of the game, the Hornets held Stratford to just 27 yards rushing.

The visitors were able to make an adjustment on offense, instead turning to the passing game. Colby could do little to stop the Tigers from picking them apart through the air, giving up 429 passing yards and six passing touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns were 65 yards or longer and the one rushing touchdown that Stratford recorded was set up by a lengthy pass play. Tigers’ starting quarterback Jack Tubbs lit up the scoreboard in efficient fashion, completing 14 of his 17 passes for 403 yards and five touchdowns, recording a perfect passer rating in the process.

On the other side of the ball, the Hornets were able to find success at times on the ground, racking up 167 yards rushing. However, negative plays and a lack of a complementary passing attack saw a few early drives into Tigers’ territory end in no points for the Hornets.

One such drive came on the possession following Stratford’s first touchdown of the game. Down 7-0, Hornets responded with a big play of their own, getting a 43-yard run from Colton Orth that set them up at the Tigers’ 27-yard line. The Hornets only picked up seven yards on the next three plays, however, forcing them into a fourth down situation. Colby opted to go to the air, quarterback Tayt Smith airing it out to Gavin Voss in the endzone. The Tigers were able to get a hand on the pass at the final moment and Voss was taken out of bounds, resulting in an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs.

The Colby defense forced a three-and-out on the following Stratford possession and were able to drive back into Tigers territory following a punt from the visitors. However, the potentially promising drive fizzled out and the Hornets opted to punt it away. The floodgates opened on the very next play, as Tubbs found Caleb Wrensch behind the Colby defense and hit his receiver in stride for a 75-yard touchdown.

Stratford continued to exploit the passing game, a 40-yard pass setting up their third touchdown and a 76-yard passing touchdown following another Colby drive that went into Tigers’ territory before eventually ending in a punt. A long kick return from Luke Hannula put the Hornets back on Stratford’s side of the field, but they were subsequently turned away after getting inside the 35-yard line. The Tigers’ wrapped up the half with a fourth passing touchdown and Colby found themselves down 35-0 at the half.

A running clock gave the Hornets just two full possessions in the second half, and while a long run by Brody Viegut brought Colby back into their opponents’ territory on the second of those possessions, they were once again denied from scoring. Two more passing touchdowns from Stratford in the second half solidified the visitors’ hold on the game.

Orth led the team with 54 yards on 10 carries. Viegut picked up another 50 yards on nine touches and Voss had 42 yards on eight carries. Smith completed one of his five passing attempts, with his only completion to Viegut going for no gain. In addition to Hoppe’s eight tackles, Smith had four and Hannula, Hayden Kaiser and Braiden Johnson were in on two each.

The Hornets will have to go on the road as they look to get back above .500 in conference play against Wittenberg-Birnamwood this Friday, Oct. 4. The Chargers are 4-2 this season and hold a 3-1 record in the CWC. They are coming off a 52-28 victory over Loyal/Greenwood, where they fended off a comeback from the co-op squad by scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Bryson Schmid also serves as the team’s primary rusher, picking up 673 yards rushing while passing for an additional 658. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

PICKING HIS WAY THROUGH THE DEFENSE - Brody Viegut breaks away from a group of would-be Tigers tacklers during Colby’s game against Stratford on Friday night. He finished with 50 yards rushing in the loss.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD

HARD TO BRING DOWN - Gavin Voss breaks through a tackle on his longest run of the game. The senior had 42 rushing yards on eight carries.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD