GLADBROOK – It started small, like flood disasters usually do, with a shower here, a thunderstorm there – and then it intensified.
In the case of the Class 8 football playoff game between Gladbrook-Reinbeck and Montezuma, the Rebels started winning the battles on first and second down, both on offense and defense.
Into the maelstrom stepped a maestro, Rebels quarterback Isaac Clark, who did catastrophic damage to the Braves with passes, then blended in elusive runs.
The sixth-ranked Rebels ran off with a 64-18 opening round win Friday night, Oct. 20, during which they put the mercy rule clock in motion by the end of the third quarter.
The Rebels scored through the air six times in all, and really opened things up with a 20-point second quarter, which gave the home team a 36-12 halftime lead.
The loss closed a 5-5 season for Montezuma.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck moves on with an 8-1 record.
The game started well for Montezuma’s defense, which faced a fourth-and-one from its own 6 – but rose up and made the stop.
Montezuma got some early strong running from fullback Brett Plants, but a quarterback sack halted the advance. The Braves were forced to kick the first of three punts they made during the game’s first 13 minutes.
Clark scored on a 24-yard run, and the Rebels were off to the races with an 8-0 lead and 4:37 left in the first quarter.
A screen pass picked up a Rebel first down, Clark ran for another, then passed 33 yards for a touchdown and it was 16-0 after one quarter.
Clark struck from 44 yards out to take the count to 22-0 with 8:49 left in the half.
Montezuma got moving on offense after quarterback Brady Boulton ran 10 yards for a first down. Boulton then hit wide receiver Garrett Watts for a 41-yard gain down to Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s 10.
On the next play, tight end Cruz De Jong ran a precise route and Boulton dropped a rainbow in his hands for a Montezuma touchdown.
A bit later, consecutive passes to Plants and one to Watts took the ball to the Rebels’ 13. The Braves faced fourth-and-four from the seven, but Boulton found De Jong for another score and Montezuma had life at 30-12 with 1:27 left in the half.
Landon Morrison sacked Clark, and the Rebels punted after facing fourth-and-20. Boulton returned out to the Braves’ 26 with 20 seconds left.
But then the Gladbrook defense came up with the play of the game, a pick six against Boulton and the Montezuma offense. That made it 36-12 with just six seconds left in the half.
Out of halftime, Boulton ran two yards for a touchdown and ran for a two-pointer and the Rebel lead was 36-18.
But three Gladbrook-Reinbeck touchdowns in the next five minutes made it 58-18 after three quarters, and the continuous clock was running.
Score by quarters
Montezuma 0 12 6 0 – 18
Gladbrook-Reinbeck 16 20 22 6 – 64
