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MCDONALD'S GAME OF THE WEEK (Football): #10 Potosi/Cassville 30, #6 River Ridge 26
#10 Chieftains rally to knock off #6 River Ridge in Six Rivers showdown
Levi Groom
Potosi/Cassville senior quarterback Levi Groom threw a pair of touchdowns to fellow senior Robby Roe in the Chieftains' 30–26 victory over Six Rivers foe River Ridge last Friday night.
Published: Oct 14, 2021, 3:53 PM

MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Oct. 5–12)
PREP FOOTBALL: #10 Potosi/Cassville 30, #6 River Ridge 24

By A.J. Gates Herald Independent/Tri-County Press

POTOSI — Despite spotting the Timberwolves a 12–0 lead early in last Friday night’s Six Rivers clash, coach Mark Siegert and his Potosi/Cassville football squad did not push the panic button.

Instead, the Chieftains answered by scoring 30 consecutive points, taking a 30–12 lead into the fourth quarter, and holding off a late run by River Ridge to secure a 30–26 victory.

With their come-from-behind victory over visiting River Ridge, the Chieftains improved to 5–1 in league play, keeping their hopes alive for a share of this year’s Six Rivers conference crown.

Whether or not the Chieftains are awarded a share of this year’s league title, rests solely on the shoulders of the same Timberwolves they defeated last Friday night.

Coach Wade Winkers’ Timberwolves, who entered last Friday night’s contest unbeaten in league play, could have eliminated the Chieftains from any conference title hopes with a win, which would have also set up a winner-take-all scenario this week against visiting Black Hawk/Warren (5–0)

With Friday night’s loss to the Chieftains though, River Ridge fell to 4–1 in league play, and must now defeat the visiting Warriors Friday night in order to create a three-way tie for this year’s Six Rivers conference title.

The action was fast and furious last Friday night, as River Ridge senior Ian Adrian took the opening kick off 77 yards to the end zone for an early 6–0 lead for the Timberwolves.

After stopping Potosi/Cassville on the ensuing possession, the River Ridge offense needed just one play to add to their lead, as senior signal caller Logan Drone scored on an 85-yard quarterback keeper to give his team an early 12–0 lead with just 2:43 taken off the first-quarter clock.

While lesser teams may have hung their heads and veered away from their original game plan, coach Siegert and his Chieftains simply regained focus and went to work.

An 11-yard TD run by senior speedster Ashton Spitzack pulled Potosi/Cassville to within 12–6 late in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Potosi/Cassville got a 1-yard TD plunge from sophomore running back Roman Friederick, followed by a two-point conversion pass from senior quarterback Levi Groom to Spitzack.

Now we had a game, as the host Chieftains had clawed their way back to take a 14–12 halftime lead, leaving the second half to decide the outcome.

After keeping the Timberwolves out of the end zone for most of the first quarter and all of the second, the Potosi/Cassville defense did the same in the third quarter, where the Chieftains outscored the T'Wolves, 16–0.

In the third quarter, the dynamic duo of quarterback Levi Groom and senior wideout Robby Roe who combined for touchdown strikes of 30 and 34 yards, which gave the Chieftains a valuable cushion. Two-point conversion runs by Owen Vogelsberg and Roman Friederick gave Potosi/Cassville a 30–12 advantage going into the fourth quarter.

The Timberwolves made things interesting in the final 12 minutes, getting a 33-yard TD run from senior Will Cooley, followed by a two-point conversion pass from Drone to Adrian, making the score 30–20 with 9:04 to play in the game.

Following a defensive stop, the Timberwolves then cashed in on an eight-yard TD run from senior Owen Hamilton with 3:46 showing on the clock. The missed two-point conversion attempt left the score 30–26.

The River Ridge defense did its job one more time, preventing Potosi/Cassville from running out the clock, and getting the ball back for its offense.

Time ran out on the Timberwolves though, who were unable to gain any ground against the Chieftain defense in the final minutes.

When all was said and done, the Chieftains had amassed 392 yards of total offense on 57 plays, while River Ridge had 366 yards of total offense on 54 plays.

Despite playing from behind early in the contest, coach Siegert’s Chieftains stuck to their game plan, rushing for 278 yards and two touchdowns on 45 attempts.

They were led by  Friederick, who finished with 168 yards and one TD on 22 carries. Spitzack added 87 yards rushing and one TD on 13 carries.

“We didn’t really do anything different, we just didn’t hit the panic button,” said Siegert. “The kids just refocused and did all of the things we’ve been doing in practice all week and made sure that they did their job and went through their assignments.

“We had opportunities to shut the door, but we just never did. We always kept that door just a little bit open. Against a really good team, they’re going to find a way to scratch and claw and make it close, which they absolutely did that. It was a really good game.”

With a stable of good running backs at his disposal, Siegert was pleased to see Friederick step up when his team needed him, and always has good things to say about his offensive line.

“We’ve been super lucky that we have a bunch of guys that could do that on any given night,” said Siegert. “If it’s not one of them, it’s a couple of them, and it’s hard to shut all of them down. Roman had some really big runs, and the line did an incredible job too. They are doing a very nice job of working together, and we’re pretty lucky that way.”

Through the air, Groom completed 6-of-12 passing attempts for the Chieftains, accounting for 114 yards and two TDs. Robby Roe hauled in four passes for 94 yards and both TDs, while Logan Kruser had one catch for 17 yards, and Spitzack one catch for three yards. Defensively for the Chieftains, Owen Vogelsberg was in on 18 total tackles, while Groom had 14 and Spitzack 10. Senior defensive back Joseph Vogelsberg had two interceptions on the night.

River Ridge, who did a nice job of mixing up their offense, rushed for 207 yards on 35 attempts, while Drone completed 9-of-19 passes for 159 yards. Drone was the team’s leading rusher with 87 yards and one TD on seven attempts, while Hamilton rushed 21 times for 66 yards and one TD, followed by Cooley who had five carries for 38 yards and a score.

Ian Adrian hauled in a team-high four receptions for 91 yards, while Braden Crubel had two catches for 45 yards and Bryr Clark two receptions for 17 yards. Defensively for the Timberwolves, Drone had 14 total tackles, followed by Hamilton with 10 and Andrew Nies with nine.

“We played a really good team on Friday night and we needed to play at a high level throughout,” said River Ridge head coach Wade Winkers. “We did that early with some explosive plays and solid defense, but we let the momentum swing in their favor by allowing some big plays and some costly mistakes.

“We could never answer them during the second quarter specifically. We had opportunities, but couldn’t punch it across the goal line. I give our opponent a great deal of credit for their fight to come back after being down, and I was pleased with our fight in the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game and have the ball back with less than two minutes left.”

The Timberwolves close out the regular season Friday night with a home game against visiting Black Hawk/Warren, while Potosi/Cassville plays a crossover contest with host Fennimore.

“A conference title is still in front of us and we have to bounce back quickly to beat a very good team this Friday night,” said Winkers. “I feel good about the mindset of our team and I think we will be ready.”

While Black Hawk/Warren has won conference football titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019, the Timberwolves are looking for a share of their first title since 2004. For the Chieftains, they haven’t won or shared a conference title since 2014.


Potosi/Cassville 30, River Ridge 26
(from Friday, Oct. 8, at Potosi)
River Ridge 12 0 0 14 - 26
Potosi/Cassville 6 8 16 0 - 30
First quarter
RR - (11:47) Ian Adrian, 77-yard kick return (kick failed)
RR - (9:17) Logan Drone, 85-yard run (kick failed)
P/C - (3:17) Ashton Spitzack, 11-yard run (run failed)
Second quarter
P/C - (8:40) Roman Friederick, 1-yard run (Spitzack pass from Levi Groom)
Third quarter
P/C - (9:03) Robby Roe, 30-yard pass from Groom (Owen Vogelsberg run)
P/C - (5:13) Roe, 34-yard pass from Groom (Friederick run)
Fourth quarter
RR - (9:04) Will Cooley, 33-yard run (Adrian pass from Drone)
RR - (3:46) Owen Hamilton, 8-yard run (pass failed)
Team statistics
First downs - RR 13, P/C 16. Rushing - RR 35-207, P/C 45-278. Passing yards - RR 159, P/C 114. Passes - RR 9-19-2, P/C 6-12-0. Fumbles-lost - RR 0-0, P/C 2-2. Penalties-yards - RR 4-30, P/C 4-24. 
Rushing leaders: RR: Logan Drone 7-87, Owen Hamilton 21-66, Will Cooley 5-38, Ian Adrian 1-10, Braden Crubel 1-6. P/C: Roman Friederick 22-168, Ashton Spitzack 13-87.
Passing leaders: RR: Logan Drone 9-19-2, 159. P/C: Levi Groom 6-12-0, 114.
Receiving leaders: RR: Ian Adrian 4-91, Braden Crubel 2-45, Bryr Clark 2-17, Will Cooley 1-6. P/C: Robby Roe 4-94, Logan Kruser 1-17, Ashton Spitzack 1-3.
MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U GAME OF THE WEEK (Six Rivers Baseball): #10 River Ridge 5, #5 Belmont 2
#11 Timberwolves upset #4 Braves to win a share of first baseball conference title
Blake Reynolds
Sophomore Blake Reynolds collected the win on the mound, limiting #4 Belmont to two runs, one earned, on four hits, while striking out five batters and walking four over six innings to lead River Ridge to a 5–2 win over the Braves last Thursday. - photo by A.J. Gates
Updated: May 29, 2025, 5:54 PM
Published: May 29, 2025, 5:55 PM

MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (May 20–27)
SIX RIVERS BASEBALL: #10 River Ridge 5, #5 Belmont 2

By A.J. Gates, Herald Independent

#10 Timberwolves upset #5 Braves to win a share of first baseball conference title
PATCH GROVE — Coming into the 2025 prep baseball season, coach Andrew Redman had a hunch his Timberwolves would be a strong contender for this year’s Six Rivers Conference baseball title.

“We have big goals to compete for our first-ever conference title,” coach Redman said this past April in the Grant County Herald Independent’s Spring Sports Preview.” We expect to finish high in the conference standings and rely on our experience from last season to lead us to a successful season.”

After finishing fourth in the conference standings a year ago with a league record of 4-8, the Timberwolves did in fact secure a share of this year’s conference baseball title with a victory in their final regular-season game of the year played last Thursday night.

With a 5–2 victory over visiting Belmont last Thursday night, coach Redman’s Timberwolves (16–7) team concluded the regular season with a league record of 14–2, claiming a share of this year’s conference title along with the Braves (17–5, 14–2).

Belmont, who entered the contest with a league mark of 14–1, could have taken sole possession of the conference crown for themselves with a win Thursday night, but the Timberwolves had other ideas.

“Coming out on top is a great feeling, knowing how much work our players and coaches have put into this,” said third-year head coach Andrew Redman. “My first two years as a head coach we won a total of seven conference games combined. This season alone we doubled that total with 14 conference wins, which was good enough to tie for the top spot.”

“The Six Rivers conference is loaded with great teams, and for us to claim one of the top spots is truly remarkable,” Redman added.

Aside from winning the first conference baseball title since the school’s inception in 1995, this year’s baseball team has also won the most games in a single season, and currently holds an overall record of 16-6 heading into the WIAA postseason tournament.

As they have done all season long, the trio of Blake Reynolds, Carter Copsey and Cael Koenig were at the forefront of last Thursday night’s win over Belmont, doing with their bats, their fielding and their arms.

Reynolds, who pitched the first six innings and collected the win on the mound, limited the Braves to two runs, one earned, on four hits, while striking out five batters and walking four.

Copsey came in to finish the game, pitching a scoreless seventh, striking out one batter and walking one.

At the plate, it was Koenig who led the Timberwolves, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. The team’s other four hits were scattered among Carter Copsey, Andre Nies, Noah Copsey and Brandon Davis.

After a scoreless tie for two and a half innings, the Timberwolves got on the board in the bottom of the third when Koenig’s one-run single scored Carter Copsey, who led off the inning with a double. Noah Copsey then followed with a one-run single of his own to score Koenig.

The Braves plated a run in the top of the fifth to make it a 2–1 River Ridge lead, but the Timberwolves responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Following back-to-back singles by Nies and Koenig, and an intention walk to Reynolds, Brandon Davis came up big with a bases-loaded two-run single to right field, scoring Nies and Koenig. Reynolds later scored on a wild pitch to give River Ridge a 5–1 lead.

The Braves added one run to their total in the top of the sixth, but couldn’t put anything together in the seventh with Copsey on the mound and the River Ridge defense behind him.

The Timberwolves are no strangers to close games this season, and have won a total of five conference games this season by one-run. They have also proven that, while Reynolds, Copsey and Koenig are undoubtedly the leaders of this team, they also have a stable of other role players that have come up big throughout the season.

“What makes this team special is that everybody takes their turn coming through in big moments,” said coach Redman. “We rely heavily on Blake, Carter and Cael, but three players alone doesn’t make a team. We’ve had several players who took on new or bigger roles this year and they contributed in big time spots.”

“This year our guys really focused on doing their jobs and accepting their roles on the team, which led us to having a successful season,” Redman added. “I’m proud of all our players and this program.”

Heading into the WIAA postseason tournament, the Timberwolves (16–7) hold the No. 2 seed in their division 4 sectional bracket. Following a first-round bye, coach Redman’s squad will host the winner between No. 7 seed North Crawford (10–9) and No. 10 seed Hillsboro (10–7) next Tuesday, June 3. The No. 1 seed in the bracket belongs to Seneca (20–2).

River Ridge 5, Belmont 2
(from Thursday, May 22, at Patch Grove)
Belmont..........000 011  0 — 2 4 2
River Ridge....002 030  x —  5 8 1
Leading hitters - RR: Cael Koenig 4x4. 2B — Carter Copsey (RR). W — Blake Reynolds (6IN,4H,1ER,5K,4BB). L — Austin (4IN,7H,5ER,4K,3BB). Other pitchers - RR: Carter Copsey (1IN,0H,0ER,1K,1BB).