SHULLSBURG – Benton/Scales Mound got rolling early and steamed to a 36-0 Six Rivers Conference victory over the Shullsburg Miners at Badger Park on Friday, Sept. 8.
    The Zephyrs (2-2 overall, 2-2 SRC) scored on their very first play from scrimmage with senior running back Ethan Shetler chugging 44 yards to pay dirt to put the guests up 6-0 just over two minutes into the game.
    Shetler added a 3-yard TD run on Zephyrs’ second possession of the night to extend the lead to 12-0 midway through the opening frame.
    The Miners (1-3, 1-3) recovered a fumble in BSM territory to halt the Zephyrs’ third drive, but gave the ball back on an interception three plays later to end the threat.
    The Zephyrs scored on each of their final three drives of the first half to extend their lead to 36-0 by the intermission. Sophomore Kaelan Shetler scored on runs of 10 and 63 yards while junior quarterback Wyatt Bastian tossed a pair of conversion passes to increase the BSM lead to 28-0 with 7:21 to play in the first half.
    Bastian added a 44-yard scoring strike to junior Nathan Mowry with 3:10 remaining in the half, and Brad Goffinet punched in the conversion to make it 36-0 in the Zephyrs’ favor.
    With the clock running continuously in the second half, the Miners had few chances to cut into their deficit. The hosts threatened to put together a couple of nice drives over the final two quarters, but the Zephyrs’ defense held them out of the end zone to preserve the shutout.
    Shullsburg, which was limited to minus-two yards rushing in the first half, finished the game with 208 total yards, outgaining the Zephyrs, 156-131, through the air and getting outgained 179-52 on the ground.
    Junior quarterback Jacob Berendes completed 15-of-27 passes for 156 yards with an interception. Sophomore Logan Glasgow hauled in five catches for 67 yards and junior Alex Wand had four grabs for 45 yards for the Miners
    Junior Oscar Ortiz ran seven times for 31 yards, while freshman Brandon Hoppman gained 21 yards on seven carries.
    K. Shetler ran for 105 yards and two scores on seven carries, and E. Shetler had 66 yards and two TDs on eight totes. Bastian went 7-of-9 through the air for 131 yards and a score.
    Defensively, junior Oren Charles led the Miners with eight tackles. Wand also had a fumble recovery.
    The Miners will take a break from SRC play on Friday, Sept. 15, when they host Wauzeka/Steuben (3-1) in a non-conference contest at Badger Park, starting at 7 p.m.
 
Benton-SM… 20  16  0  0 – 36
Shullsburg…   0    0  0  0 –   0
BSM – Ethan Shetler, 44 run (run failed)
BSM – E. Shetler, 2 run (try failed)
BSM – Kaelan Shetler, 10 run (Brooks Tiedeman pass from Wyatt Bastian)
BSM – K. Shetler, 63 run (E. Shetler pass from Bastian)
BSM – Nathan Mowry, 44 pass from Wyatt Bastian (Brad Goffinet run)

Team Stats: First Downs– BSM 14, S 8. Rushing– BSM 27-179; S 25-52. Passing– BSM 7-9-0, 131; S 15-28-1, 156. Fumbles-Lost– BSM 2-1; S 1-0. Penalties- BSM 2-10; S 8-33.
 
Shullsburg Individual Leaders: Rushing (Att-Yds-Td)– Oscar Ortiz, 7-33-0. Passing (Comp-Att-Int-Td-Yds)– Jacob Berendes, 15-27-1-0, 156. Receiving (Cat-Yds-Td)– Logan Glasgow, 5-67-0.

LAST WEEK’S CORRECTED BOX SCORE
Shullsburg… 0  0  14  8 – 22
Belmont……. 0  0    8  2 – 10
S – Griffin Wiegel, 21 pass from Jake Berendes (Alex Wand pass from Berendes)
B – Ethan James, 1 run (Isaac Wiegel pass from Jacob Amenda)
S – Oscar Ortiz, 10 run (2-pt failed)
S – Wand, 18 pass from Berendes (Berendes run)
B – Safety, Riley Christensen tackles Aiden Dole in end zone
 
Team Stats: First Downs– S 18, B 14. Rushing– S 38-129; B 36-102. Passing– S 9-23-1, 164; B 8-17-2, 49. Fumbles-Lost– S 0-0; B 1-0. Penalties- S 9-95; B 9-85.
 
Individual Leaders: Shulls– Rushing (Att-Yds-Td)– Oscar Ortiz, 19-133-1. Passing (Comp-Att-Int-Td-Yds)– Jacob Berendes, 9-23-1-2, 164. Receiving (Cat-Yds-Td)– Troy Turpin, 3-78-0; Griffin Wiegel, 4-62-1; Alex Wand, 2-25-1. Bel– Rushing (Att-Yds-Td)– Connor Wiegel, 12-49-0; Jacob Amenda, 20-48-0. Passing (Comp-Att-Int-Td-Yds)– Amenda, 8-17-2-0, 49. Receiving (Cat-Yds-Td)– Isaac Wiegel, 3-20-0.