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Chieftains get a leg up in league race
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Potosi senior Jase Udelhofen ran all over Black Hawk last Saturday, and the 5'8", 150-pound dynamo rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, while also catching a 40-yard score from quarterback Tim Fritz.

 

Last Saturday’s season-opening football game between Potosi and Black Hawk was sure to go a long way in deciding a conference champion and certainly was going to give the winner a leg up over the competition.

The two top-ranked teams in the Six Rivers conference squared off at UW-Platteville last Saturday to open up the annual Six Rivers Jamboree.

Coach Mark Siegert’s Chieftains extended a 13-0 first-quarter lead into a 19-0 advantage at halftime, then battled through a difficult second half to claim a 26-13 victory.

“Obviously winning the first game and getting off on the right foot was big,” said Siegert who enters his 14th season at Potosi.

“I really believe that Black Hawk has a really good team and is one of the better defenses in the conference that we’ll see all year. They’re not going to give up very many points this year.”

The Chieftains though aren’t your typical offense either, as they return a wealth of talent at skilled positions, and have the ability to be very explosive.

On the day, Potosi ran for 197 yards and passed for 106, giving them 303 yards of total offense.

The Warriors finished the game with 175 yards of total offense, 107 of which came on the ground.

The Chieftains scored on their first possession of the game, covering 94 yards in four plays. The drive ended with senior Alex Wright sprinting 74 yards for the end zone, followed by an extra-point kick from Tim Fritz.

On Potosi’s next possession, they were forced to punt, but senior Hunter Leibfried was Johnny-on-the-spot when he recovered the muffed return at the Black Hawk 27-yard line.

It took Potosi just four plays to extend their lead, as Jase Udelhofen scored from 13 yards out with 2:28 to play in the first quarter.

The extra-point kick was missed by Fritz, leaving the score 13-0.

The Chieftains added to their score in the second quarter when Udelhofen hauled in a pass from Fritz and scampered 40 yards to the end zone. The failed two-point conversion pass made the score 19-0 after one half of play.

The second half was more a battle of wills than anything else, as both teams began to feel the effects of playing on a blistering hot field that had reached a temperature of 110 degrees.

There was no scoring by either team in the third quarter, but in the fourth, Black Hawk scored early on a 12-yard TD pass, and then later on a three-yard TD plunge.

In between the two scores by the Warriors was a 40-yard TD run by Udelhofen, followed by an extra-point kick from Fritz with 9:08 to play in the game.

On the day, Udelhofen ran for 93 yards and two TDs on 13 carries, while also hauling in two receptions for 46 yards and another score. Alex Wright finished with 99 yards rushing and one score on only eight rushing attempts, while Mitchell Langkamp had two receptions for 45 yards.

At quarterback, Tim Fritz completed 9-of-22 passing attempts for 106 yards, and was picked off twice.

“I thought our offensive line did really well,” coach Siegert said after the game. “We were close to 350 yards of total offense, and that all comes from up front.”

“Our backs ran really hard, and I thought they showed really good bursts and read things well for the most part,” Siegert added. “I think as our season goes along, our passing game will get better and better.”

Defensively, Alex Wright led the team with 15 tackles, while Keegan Brown was in on 13 stops.

Senior defensive end Mitch Langkamp had two sacks and one interception, to go along with nine tackles.

“I’m happy that we played as well as we did, and got the win,” Siegert said. “Now we can focus on our next opponent.”

That opponent will be Belmont this Friday night on the Chieftain’s home field.

The Brave’s (1-0) also are off to a good start, as they defeated Benton/Scales Mound, 26-6, last Saturday.

 

Potosi 26, Black Hawk 13
(from Saturday, Aug. 25, at UW-P)
Black Hawk    0    0    0    13 - 13
Potosi    13    6    0    7 - 26
First quarter
P
- Alex Wright, 74-yard run (Tim Fritz kick)
P - Jase Udelhofen, 13-yard run (kick failed)
Second quarter
P
- Jase Udelhofen, 40-yard pass from Fritz (pass failed)
Fourth quarter
BH
- Rupnow, 12-yard pass from M. Meythaler (Rupnow kick)
P - Jase Udelhofen, 40-yard run (Fritz kick)
BH - Rufenacht, 3-yard run (kick failed)
Team statistics
First downs
- BH n/a, P n/a. Rushing - BH 17-107, P 21-192. Passing yards - BH 68, P 106. Passes - BH 7-15-1, P 9-22-2. Fumbles-lost - BH 2-2, P 2-1. Penalties-yards - BH n/a, P n/a.
Individual leaders
Rushing
- BH: Tanner Sweeney 16-105; P: Alex Wright 8-99, Jase Udelhofen 13-93. Passing - BH: Merik Meythaler 7-15-1, 68; P: Tim Fritz 9-22-2, 106. Receiving - BH: Cory Rupnow 2-27; P: Jase Udelhofen 2-46, Mitchell Langkamp 2-45.