POTOSI — After the first three weeks of the 2015 football season, Potosi was 1–2 in the Six Rivers Conference.
After the first three weeks of the 2016 football season, Potosi is officially 1–2 in the Six Rivers, including the second-week forfeit win over Cassville.
On Friday, the Chieftains found out how improved Highland is from one year ago, after the Cardinals’ 43–22 win.
Quarterback John Ross Linscheid, who came into the game averaging 193 yards in offense through the first two games, gets all the attention of Highland opponents, but other Cardinals contributed to the win.
Linscheid had a 21-yard run to set up a 1-yard fourth-down run by Adam Wolfe in which he was called in the end zone after several seconds of official deliberation.
Highland’s second score came at the end of a 73-yard 14-play drive that included a jet sweep by Drew Hennessey for 21 yards and a first-down, an 11-yard Wolfe first-down run and two runs for third-down conversions by Linscheid. Wolfe’s 3-yard run extended the Cardinal lead to 13–0 59 seconds into the second quarter.
Potosi got its first score on the next drive, which featured an eight-yard Dylan Pluemer run for a first down, a 14-yard Will Bierman run for a first down, a 26-yard pass from Bierman to Austin Schmitz for another first down, and then back-to-back six-yard runs by Zack Reuter, the latter cutting the margin to 13–6 with 6:58 left in the half.
The Chieftains’ next series ended with a fourth-and-goal incompletion at the Highland 9 with 2:13 left in the half. But after three runs netted four yards, the Chieftains got two points when the fourth-down punt snap ended up in the end zone, making the score 13–8 with 10.6 seconds left in the half.
Momentum switched back to Highland after the half. The Chieftains’ first series ended with a fourth-and-3 fake punt run that netted only one yard. From the Potosi 47, Highland needed six plays and 2:52 to extend its lead to 21–8 on a one-handed 24-yard touchdown catch by Hennessey with 7:12 left on the third.
Entering the fourth, the Chieftains were in decent shape despite having one third-quarter series end on an interception and another stall out after a completion was wiped out by a holding penalty. But the Cardinals extended their lead to 28–8 on a 29-yard Hennessey jet sweep run with 10:20 remaining, then added another score on a pass interception and fumble recovery that Hennessey finished to extend the score to 36–8 with 8:49 left.
Brady Curtis had a touchdown run and Jayden Carbone had a 60-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, making him the night’s leading rusher. Bierman was 9 of 23 for 175 yards and two interceptions. Reuter caught three passes for 58 yards.
Potosi (1–3, 1–1 SRC) goes to undefeated Shullsburg (4–0, 3–0) Friday night.
Highland 43, Potosi 22
(from Friday, Sept. 2 @ Potosi)
Highland 6 7 8 22 — 43
Potosi 0 8 0 14 — 22
First quarter
H: Adam Wolfe 1 run (Drew Hennessey kick)
Second quarter
H: Wolfe 3 run (kick failed)
P: Zack Reuter 6 run (kick failed)
P: Safety, Highland snap out of end zone
Third quarter
H: Drew Hennessey 24 pass from John Ross Linschied (John Ross Linschied run)
Fourth quarter
H: Hennessey 24 run (Hennessey kick)
H: Hennessey fumble recovery (Hennessey pass from Linschied)
P: Brady Curtis 10 run (Alex Udelhofen pass from Will Bierman)
H: Hennessey 3 run (Hennessey kick)
P: Jayden Carbone 60 run (run failed)
Team Statistics
First downs — H 16, P 15. Rushing — H 46-221; P 35-203. Passing yards: H 50, P 175. Passes — H 4-5-0; P 9-23-2. Fumbles-lost — H 0-0, P 0-0. Penalties-yards — H 2-20, P 2-15.
Individual leaders
Rushing — H: John Ross Linscheid 21-98; P: Jaydon Carbone 1-60, Brady Curtis 5-42. Passing — H: John Ross Linscheid 4-5-0, 50; P: Will Bierman 9-23-2, 175. Receiving – H: Drew Hennessey 4-50; P: Reuter 3-58, Curtis 2-50, Austin Schmitz 2-47.
