Thunderbirds record close victory over ML
by Michael Mattison
After losing its first game of the season last week, the GFW Thunderbird football team went up against another tough foe this week. Due to bad weather on Friday, the game was postponed to Saturday afternoon at Norwood Young America against Mayer Lutheran
In a hard-fought battle, the T-Birds came out victorious 14-13.
GFW turned the ball over on its first possession with an interception but the T-Birds’ defense held for a turnover on downs.
After a three-and-out, GFW punted and Mayer Lutheran took over in GFW territory. It took just three plays of the opponents to score as Levi Hahn completed a pass to Michael Woestehoff for a 41-yard touchdown and GFW trailed 7-0.
GFW came with a quick response. Justin Messner would take the first play for a 9-yard run and then ripped off a 59-yard scamper for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed and Mayer Lutheran held a 7-6 lead.
Mayer Lutheran would move the ball on its next possession, picking up three first downs before turning the ball over on downs.
The T-Birds would turn the ball over on its next drive, this time on a fumble but again the T-Birds held and got the ball back on their own 31-yard line.
Garret Schmidt would run seven yards for a first down, Messner would pick up another on a 9-yard gain, Owen Swenson added a 10-yard run, Schmidt a 6-yard carry and Darren Messner a 7-yard run before Swenson found the end zone with a 23-yard run. Schmidt ran in the two-point conversion and GFW led 14-7 at halftime.
Early in the fourth quarter, Easton Taylor picked off a pass at the GFW 17-yard line. GFW would punt and ML would go on a 54-yard drive late in the fourth and score on an 8-yard run. Alex Johnson kept Hahn out of the end zone on the two-point conversion and GFW led 14-13.
The T-Birds would get a first down on three plays and then kneel twice to end the game.
Justin Messner rushed for 118 yards on 10 carries, Schmidt added 60 yards and Swenson 42.
Dominic Rose completed one of three passes, an 11-yard pass to Ashton Buboltz.
Swenson had six tackles, Taylor 5.5 and Buboltz and Tristian Kruger 4.5.
