I was really proud of the way our kids played Friday night.”

Oriole head football coach Brody Mahr

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The Orioles now face Regis at Carson Park on Friday. Game start is 7 p.m.

The Stanley-Boyd Orioles picked up a 37-23 home victory over the Neillsville/Granton Warriors on Friday, Oct. 2, behind a strong rushing performance from sophomore Max Acker and several big plays from freshman Kaynen Steinbach, as well as a solid effort by defense. The Orioles built enough of an advantage to withstand 23 points from Neillsville/Granton and came away with a 37-23 victory, continuing a two-game win streak.
Oriole head football coach Brody Mahr shared more after the game.
“I was really proud of the way our kids played Friday night,” he said. “We’ve been challenging them pretty hard to become a more physical football team and to play a brand of Stanley Boyd football that matches the history and tradition of our program. I thought we took another good step in that direction against Neillsville.
“It was a total team effort. We were without Porter Goettl and Jesse Allard, so once again we had young guys being asked to step into bigger roles. That next man up mentality is something we’ve talked about a lot, and I thought our kids responded really well.
“Offensively, Max Acker had a huge night with 176 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. A lot of credit needs to go to Sawyer Boos, Deven Parker, Aaron Lew, Spencer Mikalauski and Fisher Pischke up front. We rushed for 228 yards as a team, and you don’t do that without the offensive line playing physical and everyone buying into blocking.
“Kaynen had a really big night for us. He scored twice on the ground and caught another touchdown, finishing with four catches for 51 yards. He also had six tackles defensively. He’s a young kid who continues to grow every week, and he impacted the game in a lot of different ways.
“Griffin Dahm continued to step up at quarterback, completing 10 of 18 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Micah Krajacic had four catches for 36 yards, and we got contributions from a lot of different guys.
“Defensively, Max also finished with 11 tackles, Oliver Hatfield had 10 tackles and a sack, Ryan Bowe had two tackles for loss and a sack, and Aaron Frederick had two tackles for loss and a sack. I thought we were much more physical and played with better effort as a group.
“Probably the biggest thing for me is that we’re starting to see kids believe in each other and understand what we want Stanley Boyd football to look like. We’ve dealt with injuries and adversity all year, but these kids have kept showing up. We’re still young and still have plenty to improve, but I’m proud of the way they’re competing and the direction we’re heading.”
The Orioles now face Regis at Carson Park on Friday. Game start is 7 p.m.