Trailing Montezuma 13-0 through one quarter, HLV got off the deck and pushed the Braves into halftime.
The Braves were still up 21-20, but in need of answers.
They had two answers. One was turnovers. The other: Stops on defense.
Montezuma outscored the Warriors 21-6 during a 12-minute stretch of second half play, went up by 16 points with 5:30 left in the game and beat HLV 42-32 on Friday evening, Aug. 26 at Badger-Gabriel Field.
“It was a tight game all night,” said Montezuma Coach John Beck. “But in the third and fourth quarters, we were able to get a few turnovers and stops on defense. On offense,we were able to move the ball down the field using our run game, while getting in a few pass plays.”
The Braves showed excellent offensive balance, rushing 44 times for 245 yards while quarterback Owen Cook hit on 13 of 20 passes for 138 yards. Totaled, that’s 383 yards on 64 snaps, a 6.0 per play average.
“Our offensive line played really well,” Beck said. “We had multiple fronts thrown at us and we were able to adjust.”
‘We got a good push on our run plays and kept Owen upright on pass plays,” Beck said.
“We were able to spread around the ball in our passing and came up with some big plays in key situations.”
The Braves led 28-26 in the third quarter when Cook hit wide receiver Garrett Watts with a 50-yard scoring pass as the Braves opened a 35-26 lead. Watts and Masin Shearer combined for 11 receptions totaling 123 yards on the night.
Early in the fourth quarter, Braves linebacker Brett Plants recovered an HLV fumble.
The Braves converted when freshman Broox Stockman ran 23 yards for a touchdown, helping to push Montezuma out to a 42-26 lead with 5:30 left.
HLV scored a touchdown with 2:17 to play in the game, but it was too little, too late.
“Our run game was dominant most of the night,” Beck said. “Our dominance up front allowed us to get guys like Cook, Plants, Marty Knox and Broox Stockman a lot of carries.”
“Our backs did a really great job of running downhill and securing the football,” the coach said.
Stockman gained 73 yards on nine carries, Cook had 72 on 19, Plants had 45 on nine, Knox had 34 on six and Shearer gained 20 on one carry.
HLV gained 356 yards on 55 snaps, a 6.5 average per play.
Kyler Gorsch passed for 120 yards and rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Brody Sternhagen rushed for 99 yards and two scores and caught two passes totaling 50 yards.
Boston York was a defensive standout for HLV with 14.0 tackles.
“Our defensive line played well all night,” Beck said. “We mixed in about five guys and were able to keep our guys pretty fresh. Our linebackers filled well, especially in the second half,” Beck said.
“In the secondary, I thought we played the run well,” said the coach. “We still need to work on situations particularly on third and fourth down,” Beck said. “That comes down to understanding down and distrance while also improving on coverage.”
“Overall, it was good to get in the win column and the boys are excited to get back out there next Friday when we start district play,” Beck said.
The Braves went to 1-1 with the win.
The game was the season opener for HLV, 0-1.
UP NEXT – The Braves open district play at home next Friday, Sept. 2, against Grand View Christian.