MONROE - Giving up big plays in the passing game haunted the Monroe defense in the Cheesemakers' 27-6 loss to Mount Horeb Friday night.
Mount Horeb senior quarterback Tim Holan completed 19 of 24 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns.
On the Cheesemakers first play from scrimmage, senior Alex Dammen broke loose for a 10-yard run. On the next play, senior Mitch Tordoff completed a 6-yard pass to Zach Rast. The ball squirted loose with Mount Horeb junior Joshua Slaney recovering the fumble.
The Vikings capitalized on the short field, marching 38 yards in 10 plays. Michael Martin's 1-yard plunge ended the drive with a touchdown.
The Cheesemakers' spread offense moved the ball, but four turnovers stalled drives. Tordoff completed 13 of 21 passes for 126 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
"The turnovers just killed us," Monroe coach Curt Miller said. "No team can turn the ball over like that and give up big plays and expect to win."
The Cheesemakers' defense, which had four sacks and forced three turnovers, set up their lone score when Rast recovered a fumble at the Vikings' 40-yard line with about eight minutes left in the first quarter. The Cheesemakers cashed in right away with Tordoff lofting a perfect 40-yard TD pass to Josh Popanz to tie the game at 6. Popanz caught four passes for 61 yards.
"I was just thinking don't drop it," Popanz said. "It felt really good to be wide open."
Monroe senior Aaron Krattiger had two sacks and a forced fumble. Krattiger was excited about playing a team that passes as much as the Vikings.
"You want to get in there and put some pressure on and make it easier on the defensive backs," Krattiger said. "We just let big plays happen. We didn't make them happen."
The Vikings struck early in the second quarter when Holan hooked up on a 46-yard pass to Riley Koval.
On the Vikings' ensuing possession, Holan zipped a 46-yard pass to Patrick Clerkin that gave Mount Horeb a 20-6 halftime lead.
Turnovers again short-circuited the Cheesemakers' opening drive of the second half when Tordoff's pass over the middle was intercepted by Slaney.
The Cheesemakers' defense delivered with Popanz blocking a field goal.
The Vikings put the game away midway through the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-2 play, when Holan rolled out and tossed a 31-yard pass to Koval.
"We will have to learn when mistakes happen, we will have to overcome them," Miller said.
Mount Horeb senior quarterback Tim Holan completed 19 of 24 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns.
On the Cheesemakers first play from scrimmage, senior Alex Dammen broke loose for a 10-yard run. On the next play, senior Mitch Tordoff completed a 6-yard pass to Zach Rast. The ball squirted loose with Mount Horeb junior Joshua Slaney recovering the fumble.
The Vikings capitalized on the short field, marching 38 yards in 10 plays. Michael Martin's 1-yard plunge ended the drive with a touchdown.
The Cheesemakers' spread offense moved the ball, but four turnovers stalled drives. Tordoff completed 13 of 21 passes for 126 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
"The turnovers just killed us," Monroe coach Curt Miller said. "No team can turn the ball over like that and give up big plays and expect to win."
The Cheesemakers' defense, which had four sacks and forced three turnovers, set up their lone score when Rast recovered a fumble at the Vikings' 40-yard line with about eight minutes left in the first quarter. The Cheesemakers cashed in right away with Tordoff lofting a perfect 40-yard TD pass to Josh Popanz to tie the game at 6. Popanz caught four passes for 61 yards.
"I was just thinking don't drop it," Popanz said. "It felt really good to be wide open."
Monroe senior Aaron Krattiger had two sacks and a forced fumble. Krattiger was excited about playing a team that passes as much as the Vikings.
"You want to get in there and put some pressure on and make it easier on the defensive backs," Krattiger said. "We just let big plays happen. We didn't make them happen."
The Vikings struck early in the second quarter when Holan hooked up on a 46-yard pass to Riley Koval.
On the Vikings' ensuing possession, Holan zipped a 46-yard pass to Patrick Clerkin that gave Mount Horeb a 20-6 halftime lead.
Turnovers again short-circuited the Cheesemakers' opening drive of the second half when Tordoff's pass over the middle was intercepted by Slaney.
The Cheesemakers' defense delivered with Popanz blocking a field goal.
The Vikings put the game away midway through the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-2 play, when Holan rolled out and tossed a 31-yard pass to Koval.
"We will have to learn when mistakes happen, we will have to overcome them," Miller said.
