EDITOR'S NOTE: The SWnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a new web-only feature that will publish each Friday throughout the calendar year.
Benton senior Kyle Pulvermacher played his own personal game of "catch-me-if-you-can" in Saturday's season-opening rout of North Crawford.
The well-built and speedy Pulvermacher, who played offensive line as a freshman and sophomore, rushed for 292 yards and five touchdowns on just 15 carries to lead to Benton/Scales Mound Zephyrs to a 51–12 victory in a non-conference game at the Six Rivers Jamboree at UW–Platteville's Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium. For his efforts, Pulvermacher is the week's SWnews4u.com Athlete of the Week for the week of Aug. 17–Aug. 23.
Pulvermacher ran through, over and arround the Trojans' defense all game. The Benton senior, gave the Zaphyrs and early 8–0 lead when he capped the eight-play, 65-yard opening drive with an 8-yard score and added the two-point conversion run.
North Crawford answered with a pair of quick touchdowns to take a 12–8 lead, but it wouldn't last long as Pulvermacher scored the next three times he touched the ball from 70, 49 and 65 yards out to give Benton/Scales Mound an insurmountable 32–12 lead with 9:35 left in the opening half.
Pulvermacher blocked a punt to set up the Zephyrs' next score, then added a fifth TD run of his own on the first play of the second half on a 31-yard run to make it 44–12.
Pulvermacher's big day gave the Benton/Scales Mound co-op, which has struggled mightily in his first three years of high school, a 1–0 start and plenty of optimism for this rest of this season.
The Zephyrs are 3–24 the past three seasons, including 1–8 last year, and haven't even sniffed a playoff opportunity, something Pulvermacher and company hope to turn around in 2015. Benton/Scales Mound will look to keep its host start going when River Ridge comes to town Friday night.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Caleb Dashe, Cassville, Sr., Running Back
Dashe rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns and return a kickoff for a fourth score to lead the Comets to a 70–22 victory over Shullsburg Saturday at the Six Rivers Jamboree at UW–Platteville's Pioneer Stadium.
Brayden Johnson, Iowa–Grant, Sr., Running Back
Johnson rushed for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first varsity start to lead the Panthers to a 43–21 non-conference victory over Richland Center last Friday night. Johnson wasn't even on the Iowa–Grant football team a year ago.
Hunter Johnson, Darlington, Sr., Fullback
Darlington's Johnson rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown and caught a 72-yard touchdown pass in the Redbirds' 37–21 victory at Platteville last Friday night. The win was Darlington's first over the Hillmen since 2010.
