POTOSI — Two games into the 2019 high school football season, and it appears the Potosi/Cassville co-op squad is sending a message to everyone in the Six Rivers conference.
Coach Mark Siegert’s squad improved to 2–0 in convincing fashion Friday on Parents’ Night, drubbing visiting Royall 47–6 after leading the Panthers 40–0 at halftime.
Against the Panthers last Friday night, coach Siegert’s squad came away with 359 yards of total offense on just 26 plays for an average of 13.8 yards per play.
On the defensive side, the Chieftains limited Royall to just 149 yards of total offense on 46 offensive plays, for an average of just 3.2 yards per play.
As expected, Potosi/Cassville did most of their damage on the ground, rushing for 284 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 attempts.
Senior Ryan Kruser rushed for 68 yards on five attempts, including a 26-yard TD on Potosi/Cassville’s first possession. He also had two receptions for 36 yards, giving him a combined 104 yards of offense.
Senior quarterback Ben Udelhofen rushed two times for 70 yards, including a 61-yard TD late in the second quarter, while fellow senior Jeffrey Jacobson rushed one time for a 70-yard score midway through the third quarter.
Through the air, Udelhofen completed 5-of-7 passing attempts for 75 yards and two touchdowns. He firsts hooked up with senior split end Ty Dressler on an 18-yard score midway through the first quarter, and then connected with senior wing back Gunnar Stappert on an 18-yard score late in the opening quarter.
While the Potosi/Cassville offense scored five touchdowns, the defensive unit also came up with a score early in the second quarter when senior linebacker Brandon Klein picked off a Keith Schnurr pass and returned it 58 yards to the end zone.
Electing to go for two points after five of their six touchdowns, Potosi/Cassville was successful on three rushing attempts and two passing attempts, while Nelson Bauer converted on his only extra-point kick.
Senior middle linebacker Cal Collins led the Chieftains’ defense with 12 total tackles, including 1.5 sacks. Junior linebacker Tucker Leibfried was in on 11 stops and half a sack, while Nelson Bauer had eight tackles and sophomore Levi Groom seven.
Klein had two interceptions on the night, while sophomore Ashton Spitzack had one.
This Friday night, Potosi/Cassville (2–0) will kick off play in the Six Rivers conference when they hit the road to take on Black Hawk/Warren (2–0), who is coming off a 42–7 victory over Cuba City.
Though it’s early in the season, Friday night’s meeting between the Chieftains and Warriors will undoubtedly play a major role in deciding this year’s conference championship.
Potosi/Cassville 47, Royall 6
(from Friday, Aug. 23 @ Hillsboro)
Hillsboro...............0 0
0 6
— 6
Potosi/Cassville..24 16
7 0
— 47
First quarter
P/C: Kruser 26 run (Ben Udelhofen run), 10:50
P/C: Ty Dressler 18 pass from Udelhofen (Brandon Klein run), 7:10
P/C: Gunnar Stappert 18 pass from Udelhofen (Kruser run), 1:10
Second quarter
P/C: Brandon Klein 58 interception return (Kruser pass from Udelhofen), 10:15
P/C: Udelhofen 61 run (kick failed), 4:10
Third quarter
P/C: Jacobson 70 run (Nelson Bauer kick, 6:00)
Fourth quarter
R: Keith Schnurr 3 run (conversion failed), 5:16
(Team statistics)
First downs — R: 10, P/C 12. Rushing – R 35-133, P/C 19-284. Passing (comp-att-int, yards) — R 4-11-3, 16; P/C 5-7-0, 75. Fumbles-lost – R 0-0, P/C 0-0. Penalties-yards — R n/a, P/C 4-25.
(Individual Leaders)
Rushing — R: Zephyr Turner 17-75; P/C: Ben Udelhofen 2-70, Jeffrey Jacobson 1-70, Ryan Kruser 5-68. Passing — R: Keith Schnurr 4-11-3, 16; P/C: Udelhofen 5-7-0, 75. Receiving — R: Bryce Geuen 2-13; P/C: Kruser 2-36. Tackles — P/C: Cal Collins 12, Tucker Leibfried 11, Nelson Bauer 8.
