PLATTEVILLE – Kyle Pulvermacher got the Benton/Scales Mound Zephyrs off and running to start the 2015 season.

    Pulvermacher ran through, ran over and ran around the North Crawford defense to the tune of 292 yards on just 14 carries and scored on runs of 8, 70, 49, 65 and 31 yards to lead the Zephyrs to a 51-12 non-conference victory over the Trojans in their season opener during the Six Rivers Conference football jamboree hosted by UW-Platteville at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 22.

     The Benton senior gave the Zephyrs (1-0 overall) an early 8-0 lead when he capped a 65-yard, seven-play opening drive with an 8-yard scoring jaunt and added a two-point conversion run.

    The Trojans answered back with a couple of quick–strike scores to grab a 12-8 advantage. Running back Skyler Olson blew through the Zephyr defense on a 51-yard TD run on the Trojans’ first play from scrimmage, and then fullback Zach Stluka rumbled for a 56-yard score on their fourth offensive play to erase the deficit.

    The Trojans didn’t hold the lead for long as Pulvermacher hit pay dirt the next three times he touched the football to put the Zephyrs back on top for good.

     Pulvermacher busted loose on a 70-yard TD run on BSM’s next play to snatch the lead back. Quarterback Kyle Wienen ran in the conversion to make it 16-12 with 4:31 remaining in the first quarter.

    Then, after the Zephyrs’ D forced a punt, the senior raced in from 49 yards out for his third TD of the opening period; and, following another NC punt, he ripped off a 65-yard TD run on the third play of their next drive to make it 32-12 with 9:35 to play in the opening half.

     After Pulvermacher blocked a NC punt attempt, he had a fifth first-half score– a 33-yard run– called back due to penalty, but the Zephyrs still scored on the drive on a 3-yard Wienen run to open up a 38-12 halftime advantage.

    Pulvermacher got his fifth score on a 31-yard run on the Zephyrs’ first play of the second half to make it 44-12, and junior Aaron Coffey got into the scoring act with a 4-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter with Pulvermacher tacking on the extra point kick to close the scoring at 51-12.

    All told, the Zephyrs rolled up 463 yards of offense on the day with 424 of those yards coming on the ground on 41 carries with seven rushing TDs.

    Coffey finished with 72 yards on 14 totes with a score, while Wienen ran eight times for 26 yards and a score and completed 2-of-4 passes for 39 yards.

    After giving up 129 yards and two scores on North Crawford’s first two drives, the Zephyrs’ D limited the Trojans to just 75 more yards the rest of the way– 51 of which came with the second-team unit in the game.

    The Trojans were held to minus-eight yards rushing by the BSM first-team defense on the six drives following the first two possessions.

    Tyler Hilby recorded a quarterback sack and four other tackles for loss in the game, while Shane O’Neill had five TFLs and Harrison Jakel added two TFLs. Wienen also had a sack and a TFL for the Zephyrs, who matched their win total from the previous two seasons in the opener.

    The Zephyrs will try to keep the train rolling in week two when they return home to host River Ridge (0-1) at Swift Park on Friday, Aug. 28, starting at 7 p.m. The Timberwolves were blanked by Highland, 29-0, at UWP on Saturday afternoon.

No. Crawford… 12    0  0  0 – 12

Benton-SM....... 24  14  6  8 – 51

BSM – Kyle Pulvermacher, 8 run (Pulvermacher run)

NC – Olson, 51 run (run failed)

NC – Stluka, 56 run (run failed)

BSM – Pulvermacher, 70 run (Kyle Wienen run)

BSM – Pulvermacher, 49 run (Wienen run)

BSM – Pulvermacher, 65 run (Aaron Coffey run)

BSM – Wienen, 3 run (pass failed)

BSM – Pulvermacher, 31 run (kick failed)

BSM – Coffey, 4 run (Pulvermacher kick)