The Montezuma Braves, fresh off a sharp 67-32 win over BGM, will look to keep improving Friday evening, Sept. 17, at Melcher-Dallas.
The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
Against BGM, “Offensively, we did a great job at executing,” said Braves Coach John Beck. “I was very pleased with our offensive line. They picked up pressure well and had a very clean pocket for Eddie Burgess.”
“Playing offensive line is a very difficult job in 8-man football and our guys – Kennen Roadcap, TJ Townsend and Jack Brenner, really take pride in getting better every day,” Beck said.
“Our skill guys on the outside do a great job of making plays, but what I am most excited about is how they go out and block and make plays for one another,” Beck said.
“We really have between three and five guys who can step up any night and make big plays,” Montezuma’s head coach said.
“Owen Cook had a great game for us catching the ball, as did Connor Van Zee.”
Cook is now Montezuma’s leading pass catcher, with 367 yards on 10 grabs, three of them for touchdowns.
“Masin Shearer, Eli Bustamonte and Cam Michalek all did a fantastic job blocking and making plays for the other guys downfield,” Beck said. “These kinds of unselfish acts make five- to ten-yard plays into touchdowns in a hurry.”
“Eddie (Burgess did a great job getting the ball to guys in space, allowing them to take advantage of their athleticism,” Beck said. “He really does a fantastic job of running our offense.”
Burgess is now at 1,029 passing yards on the season, good for 15 touchdowns. He has rushed for 552 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“Defensively, I was very pleased with how our guys pursued and did their job,” Beck said. “Our linebackers and secondary did a great job of deflecting passes and tackling in space.”
“Owen Cook had a very tough task on Friday, covering Jacob Moel. “Owen really did a great job making things difficult for him.”
Moel caught 13 passes for 139 yards, but none went for touchdowns.
BGM quarterback Jacob Mauer had a good game, with 27 completions in 50 passing attempts, good for 255 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed 24 times for 160 yards and four scores.
“It was good to have Connor Van Zee back in action,” Beck said. “He knows our defense so well and made some really big plays in the secondary.”
“Our guys on the defensive line had a motor all night long,” Montezuma’s coach said. “They did their jobs well and created a lot of pressure up front.”
“Zach Bennett, Tod Geiger, Keatyn Stockoe and Matt Karadios all played really well and won the trenches for us.”
“Our linebackers,” Beck said, “were all over the place. Marty Knox, Brett Plants and Eddie Burgess all played well. We preach doing our jobs and reading our keys and these guys really executed that well.”
“Our special teams put us in great spots all night,” Beck said. “Owen Cook did a great job in the kicking game and Eddie had two big punts for us that put them back inside their 20.”
“When we can put their offense back deep inside their own territory like that, it is a huge weapon for us.”
MELCHER-DALLAS has a 1-2 record. The victory was 44-6 over winless Seymour. The defeats were 68-0 to Baxter and 74-6 to Mormon Trail.
The Saints have been blessed with just two seniors on a 16-player roster. They have only two guys as heavy as 185 pounds, which could be a factor against Montezuma, which lists a dozen guys heavier than that.