Spartans drop road match to Wheelers
After a 30-22 road victory in their previous game against the Stanton Vikings, the Exira-EHK Spartans football team had another road match against the Audubon Wheelers and faced an uphill battle the entire night losing 72-0.
“We still have all of our goals and aspirations,” said Spartan Head Coach Drew Buckholdt. “That’s a non district matchup against a very good team. I just told the guys we’re going to figure out what type of competitors they are this week going forward because after a loss like that it reveals a lot about who you are.”
The Wheelers rolled right out of the gate and it didn’t take long for them to score when Senior Wheeler quarterback Aaron Olsen went for a 45-yard touchdown run putting his team up 6-0, which was followed by a 2-point conversion from Sophomore running back Karter Obermeier.
The Spartans caught a break not long after when the Wheelers were on offense and on a 3rd and 8, Spartan Senior Alex Hansen came up with a big tackle, followed by him recovering a fumble on the very next play. Unfortunately, nothing came off it as pretty soon the Wheeler offense scored when Junior Carson Wessel threw a pass to Olsen for a 49-yard touchdown run, which was followed by another 2-point conversion by Wessel.
“He’s a good player for us,” Buckholdt said of Hansen. “He has been for his whole career. He does a really good job of studying film. He puts in the time, he gets off blocks well and he tackles well in space.”
The Wheelers got one more touchdown before the end of the quarter when Wessel once again found Olsen for a 25-yard touchdown catch and run, which was followed by another 2-point conversion that was between Wessel and Olsen making it 24-0 at the end of the first quarter.
It looked like the tables were starting to turn in the second quarter when Spartan Junior Bryce Brabham came up with an interception on a 3rd and 7, but when the Wheeler offense returned to the field, Wessel found another teammate, this time Junior Austin Christensen for a 39-yard touchdown catch and run putting his team up 30-0.
The Wheelers got one more touchdown before the half when Senior Jack Stanerson received the kickoff from Spartan Junior Josten Kilworth and ran 35-yards for a touchdown giving his team a 36-0 lead at halftime.
“I always tell them whether we’re up 36 or down 36, you play the same way, it’s 0-0,” Buckholdt said. “You’ve still got to play hard, you’ve still got to block your assignments, and you’ve still got to do your jobs.”
The Wheelers continued to dominate on offense scoring right away in the third quarter when Freshman Aiden Kjergaard threw a 12-yard touchdown pas to Freshman Jorgen Nowatzke. Kjergaard came up with a 2-point conversion following the touchdown to put his team up 44-0.
A bright moment occurred a few plays later when Spartan Junior Owen Juhl came up with an interception that got the Spartan offense to the 14-yard line. With Brabham at the helm, the Spartans were hoping to score on the play, but couldn’t.
“I’m so confident in Bryce,” Buckholdt said. “He’s the kind of kid where he’s going to continue to work. He’s getting better. He’ll learn from this, and he’ll bounce back for sure. I know what type of kid he is.”
The Wheelers scored a few more touchdowns earning their third win of the season and handing the Spartans their second loss. The Spartans return home next Friday for a matchup with the 2-1 Sidney Cowboys.
The Cowboys are coming off a 44-24 win over Griswold. Offensively, they are led by Michael Hensley with 390 passing yards, Braedon Godfread with 334 rushing yards, and Kolt Payne with 197 receiving yards. Defensively, Aiden Stenzel has 20.5 tackles.
“I’m excited to see how our kids grow,” Buckholdt added. “We should be excited. We’re 1-0 in district play, so we’re hoping to make that 2-0.”
