Rain came, but all it did was leave the field wet. Soaring to victory 33 - 14 the Neillsville/Granton Warriors Friday, Sept. 22, the Orioles big breakaway in touchdowns came during the second quarter—but that’s getting ahead of the action a bit.
Starting out the first quarter, the Orioles made a touchdown run, with Jake Lagrander crossing the goal line but the followup two point conversion run unsuccessful.
Increasing their lead in the second quarter with a touchdown by Madden Mahr off a pass from Carter Isenberger just one minute into the quarter, the Orioles added an extra point with a field goal kick by Jesse Allard, bringing the score 13-0 Orioles.
The clock winding down, the Orioles scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter, one on a pass from Isenberger to Cole Brenner for a 32 yard gain and another by Rudy Kletsch, another extra point by Allard bringing the score 26-0 in the Orioles favor when halftime came.
And then, it started to rain. Entering the third with a 26 point lead, the Orioles saw Warriors fight back, a touchdown run by Warrior freshman Bryce Erickson with a two point conversion followup bringing the scoreboard 26-8 Orioles.
Oriole Landon Karlen answered with a touchdown run and Allard contributed an extra point field goal to bring the score 33-8 Neillsville. With another touchdown by the Warriors via a pass from Erickson to junior Braylon Boyer but followup up two point conversion, the score at the end of game play stood 33-14 Orioles. Coach Jeff Koenig shared his thoughts on the game after it ended.
“I thought it was the first game this season that we were able to see the ability of this team,” he said. “Our offense and defense played with intensity and a low pad level.” With the Orioles having suffered injuries and illness this season, Koenig also said that, “It was nice to have a few of the injured guys back.” But the rain?
“It really rained hard in the second half but both teams had to play in it,” Koenig said. “Play got a bit sloppier by both teams but focus on proper technique and execution can really make a difference.”
As to yardage statistics, Isenberger made 11 passing attempts with seven completions for a total of 115 yards, while the team’s overall rushing yards totaled 236, split among Alex Williams, Karlen, Daniel Person, Isenberger, Lagrander, and Kletsch.
Now ranked third in the conference and having increased their record to 5-1 overall, the Orioles face off against Regis this Friday, Sept. 29 at Oriole Park. Game
