Second half Snowballs on Falcons in Quarterfinals Loss
The Hitchcock County Falcons’ defense was a standout throughout the season, not allowing any team to score more than 14 points in their ten victories leading up to the Class D2 quarterfinals against Wynot last Friday in Trenton. In the first half, the Falcons’ defense continued its strong performance, limiting the Blue Devils to just one score late in the second quarter. As a result, the Falcons went into halftime with a 12-8 lead. However, the second half told a different story, as Wynot’s offense surged, scoring 33 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters. The Falcons’ undefeated season came to an end with a 12-43 loss to Wynot.
The Falcons received the ball first and quickly made an impact, scoring on a spectacular 40-yard pass play from quarterback Jack Baker to receiver Adam Kisker, taking an early 6-0 lead with 7:09 remaining in the first quarter. This was the only score of the first period. In the second quarter, Hitchcock County extended its lead. The Falcons executed another big pass play, this time from Baker to Jayce Hauxwell for 30 yards, setting up a scoring opportunity. Running back Grady Erickson then rushed in from two yards out to put the Falcons ahead 12-0 with 4:06 left before halftime. The Falcon defense kept Wynot’s offense in check for much of the first half, thwarting two extended scoring plays by the Blue Devils that were called back due to penalties. However, Wynot managed to craft their best drive late in the second quarter, scoring on a seven-yard pass play with just 28 seconds remaining before halftime. A successful two-point conversion narrowed the score to 12-8.
Wynot began the second half with the ball and quickly took the lead with a 65-yard touchdown run, converting the two-point conversion to make the score 12-16. Things continued to tilt in Wynot’s favor. Following a kickoff, the Falcons had to start their drive from their own five-yard line, and they eventually turned the ball over near midfield. Wynot capitalized on this opportunity, scoring again to extend their lead to 12-22. Despite a promising kickoff return that brought the Falcons near midfield, the offense couldn’t capitalize and turned the ball over on downs at the 40-yard line. The Falcon defense held strong, forcing a punt, but the offense was once again pinned at their own five-yard line. Wynot’s defense made a crucial play, intercepting a pass and giving their offense possession at the Falcons’ 1-yard line. Wynot scored once more, taking a commanding 12-29 lead with under a minute left in the third quarter. The Falcons’ offense struggled throughout the final period as Wynot added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The game concluded with a score of 12-43.
The Blue Devils scored 43 unanswered points after the Falcons led 12-0 late in the second quarter. Hitchcock County’s offense had a tough time establishing their running game, finishing with a season-low of 88 rushing yards. However, they found some success passing, as Jack Baker completed 7 of 11 passes for 151 yards. Three of those completions went to Adam Kisker for 74 yards, and another three went to Jayce Hauxwell for 77 yards. Jeret Neben also caught one pass, but it gained no yards. Grady Erickson led the Falcons in rushing, carrying the ball 17 times for 64 yards. Jack Baker added eight carries for 19 yards, Jaret Neben had four carries for 7 yards, and Carter Propp had two carries for a loss of two yards. In total, Wynot’s offense amassed 363 yards, with 217 of those yards on the ground from 27 carries, and 156 yards through the air from completing 21 of their 30 passes. Defensively, Karson Shuler led the Falcons with 10 total tackles, followed by Brody Hubl with nine, Jayce Hauxwell with seven, and Adam Kisker with six tackles. Jayden Loghry and Jaret Neben contributed four tackles each, while Grady Erickson had three, Dylan Kollmorgen and Jack Baker had two each, and Carter Propp added one tackle. The Falcons conclude the season with ten wins and one loss. They will graduate ten seniors: Jayden Loghry, Karson Hubl, Dylan Kollmorgen, Jakob Wagner, Jayce Hauxwell, Jaret Neben, Jack Baker, Grady Erickson, Karson Shuler, and Adam Kisker. This senior class finishes with an impressive record of 34 wins and nine losses and was part of the 2022 Class D1 State Championship team. Congratulations to the Falcons on a great season, and to the seniors for their remarkable high school football careers!
