PLATTEVILLE – Seven different players scored for Black Hawk– four on the ground and three through the air– as the Warriors got off to a fast start in 2011 with a 48-14 victory over Shullsburg at the sixth annual Six Rivers Football Jamboree held at UW-Platteville’s Ralph E. Davis Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 20.
    The Warriors (1-0 in SRC and overall) finished with 288 rushing yards and 130 passing yards, while limiting Shullsburg (0-1, 0-1) to 128 yards on the ground and 100 yards through the air.
    “Our kids did a pretty good job. We didn’t play perfect, but the kids hustled hard and that makes up for a lot of things,” said Black Hawk head coach Cory Milz.
    Black Hawk jumped out to a 14-0 lead on rushing touchdowns by Michael Walker (1-yard) and Jace Johnsrud (6).
    The Miners (0-1, 0-1) cut into the lead midway through the second quarter when senior running back Nate Carrier took a short pass in the flat and zigged and zagged his way through the Warrior defense for a 33-yard TD reception. The extra point try failed, leaving the score at 14-6 with 5:15 remaining in the first half.
    The Warriors answered with a pair of touchdown passes from junior quarterback Merik Meythaler. The first-year starter teamed up with Kyle Walters on a 23-yard scoring strike with 3:48 to play in the half, and he hooked up with Hayden Schliem on another 23-yard score with 53 seconds remaining to make it 28-6 at the intermission.
    “They didn’t run anything we weren’t ready for. We just didn’t necessarily trust ourselves enough to make plays. We were hesitating rather than running to our spots and that allowed those passes to be completed,” admitted Shullsburg head coach Scott Matye.
    Jayden Rufenacht ripped off a 68-yard TD run and Meythaler connected with Cory Rupnow from 17 yards out for the Warriors in the third quarter, while backup running back Seth Butler scored on a 1-yard blast in the fourth quarter to seal the outcome.
    “For his first start, Merik stayed pretty poised. He was really accurate with the ball and he made the right reads. That’s what you’re looking for in a first start,” noted Milz.
    Rufenacht had five carries for 126 yards and a TD to lead the Warriors’ ground attack, while Butler added 67 yards on four totes and a TD and Johnsrud ran seven times for 48 yards and a score. Walker also rumbled seven times for 17 yards and a TD, and he booted six of eight extra points for Black Hawk.
    Meythaler completed 8-of-12 passes for 130 yards and three TDs. Walters had two catches for 31 yards, Schliem added two catches for 28 yards and returned two punts for 49 yards, and DeeJay Warrell had three catches for 32 yards and two punt returns for 62 yards.
    “The receivers caught the ball well. We blocked well on the perimeter and our line improved in the second half. Overall, I’m pretty pleased,” Milz added.
    Carrier, who ran for 107 yards on 25 tough carries and caught six passes for 50 yards, busted loose for a 50-yard TD run in the third quarter for the Miners only other score of the game. Quarterback Jacob Scott completed 8-of-14 passes for 100 yards with a TD and an interception.
    Connor Crotty led the Miners’ defense with nine tackles. Andrew Uehling, Brett Knautz and Hervey Trejo each added seven stops. Knautz recorded a sack and Trejo recovered a fumble for the Miners.
    “Black Hawk’s physicality beat us. They were just more physical than us,” said Coach Matye. “We do have some things to build on. We’re a work in progress.”
    Black Hawk hosts Potosi (1-0, 1-0) in a key SRC showdown on Friday, Aug. 26.
    Shullsburg heads to Highland (1-0, 1-0) for a league affair on Friday night.
    Both games are set to kickoff at 7 p.m.
   
Shullsburg.... 0    6    8  0 - 14
Black Hawk... 7  21  14  6 - 48
BH – Michael Walker, 1 run (Walker kick)
BH – Jace Johnsrud, 6 run (Walker kick)
S – Nate Carrier, 33 pass from Jacob Scott (run failed)
BH – Kyle Walters, 23 pass from Merik Meythaler (Walker kick)
BH – Hayden Schliem, 23 pass from Meythaler (Walker kick)
BH – Jayden Rufenacht, 68 run (Walker kick)
S –Carrier, 50 run (Carrier run)
BH – Cory Rupnow, 17 pass from Meythaler (Walker kick)
BH – Seth Butler, 1 run (kick failed)

Team Stats: First Downs- BH 12; S 7. Rushing- BH 33-288; S 39-128. Passing- BH 8-12-0, 130; S 8-14-1, 100. Fumbles-Lost- BH 3-1, S 0-0. Penalties- BH 2-20, S 2-10.

Individual Leaders: Black Hawk– Rushing (Att-Yds-Td)- Jayden Rufenacht, 5-126-1, Seth Butler 4-67-1. Passing (Comp-Att-Int-Td-Yds)- Merik Meythaler 8-12-0-3, 130. Receiving (Cat-Yds-Td)- DeeJay Warrell, 3-32-0; Kyle Watlers, 2-31-1; Hayden Schliem 2-28-1. Shullsburg– Rushing (Att-Yds-Td)- Nate Carrier 25-107-1. Passing (Comp-Att-Int-Td-Yds)- Jacob Scott, 8-14-1-1, 100. Receiving (Cat-Yds-Td)- Carrier 6-50-1.