When you’re playing against a football team with a strong running game, you don’t want to spot it an early lead.
You don’t want that team churning up and down the field, “shortening” the game by gobbling the clock and squeezing your number of possessions.
And if THEY don’t want to pass, YOU want them to.
The Montezuma Braves played their plan close to perfection, scoring five touchdowns in the first 8:08 of play in a 73-32 win over Winfield-Mt. Union.
It was Montezuma’s homecoming game, played in front of a big Badger-Gabriel Field crowd on a near-perfect Friday, Sept. 4 evening, with temperatures in the low 70s and a gentle breeze.
Whether it was defense, special teams, or offense – and oh wow, do the Braves have some offense – Montezuma was just plain “on it.”
Quarterback Eddie Burgess is the straw that stirs this Montezuma drink, but he’s not the only ingredient in the mix and that is becoming more apparent with each passing quarter.
Burgess passed for 375 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 91 yards and four touchdowns. He finished the onslaught by grabbing a kickoff in the fourth quarter, then rushing it right back at and around the Winfield-Mt. Union kicker for a 65-yard touchdown.
“Offensively, we began to click,” said Braves Coach Pat O’Brien.
Burgess was 19-for-24 through the air.
Receiver Cole Watts grabbed eight passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns.
Owen Cook kicked a field goal and was 10-for-10 on extra point attempts. He also kicked off – a lot.
Masin Shearer, who Coach Pat O’Brien said is improving rapidly, led the defense with 5.5 total tackles.
Montezuma led 35-8 after an incredibly intense first quarter by the Braves.
The Wolverines didn’t throw a pass until they trailed by that 35-8 score. They completed it.
But the Wolves later completed two throws – to Braves defenders – that cost them.
“It definitely was a great defensive game for us,” O’Brien said. “Obviously, there are improvement we can make, because we lost running backs four times for touchdowns,” said the coach. “But, I am pleased overall for what we did on defense.”
Burgess and Watts hooked up on a 38-yard scoring play for Montezuma’s first score. Then, Cook executed an onside kickoff, which Trey Shearer recovered.
A 23-yard Burgess to Watts smart bomb set up the first of four straight short scoring runs by the Montezuma quarterback.
The Braves’ only punt of the game came on the first play of the second quarter, but it was a beauty, a 56-yard rainbow and roll by Trey Shearer.
The Wolves have a player for the future in 6-2 freshman running back Cam Buffington. He scored on runs of 51 and 47 yards, and had another long jaunt of 45.
When the Braves leaned the wrong way, Buffington could cut back and if the Braves didn’t wrap up, he could break away. Usually, though, Montezuma didn’t miss, and they didn’t miss many of the other Wolves.
After a brilliant start, it was probably human nature that made the Braves trend a little sloppy on offense during the second quarter.
Still, they put up 17 points, with Burgess and Kodie Strong connecting on a 67-yard touchdown play, with Watts getting his second touchdown on an eight-yard pass.
Cook’s field goal just before halftime made it 52-16 and ensured a continuous clock in the second half. That was set up by Cole Watts’ interception.
A second Montezuma onside kick in the second quarter led to Burgess’ longest rushing touchdown – a nine-yarder.
Trey Shearer scored on a 22-yard pass from Burgess after the Braves recovered a Wolves fumble early in the third quarter.
Buffington’s 45-yard run gave WMU a scoring chance, but Kodie Strong intercepted a pass, and later scored on a 20-yards strike from Burgess.
Position backups for both teams saw most of the action during fourth quarter play.
“We did get penalized 12 times during the game, which is something we’ve got to clean up!” O’Brien said.
Montezuma went to 2-0 on the season, while the Wolves are 1-1.
UP NEXT – Montezuma visits 2-0 New London next Friday, Sept. 11.
New London was a 50-10 winner over WACO on Friday.
