BRODHEAD - Senior punter Matt Schmitt rolled the dice on a fake punt on the first possession of the game for the Brodhead-Juda football team against Clinton on Friday.
With the Cardinals facing fourth-and-two from their own 32-yard line, Schmitt gambled with some blockers out front and raced towards the sidelines. It appeared he had picked up the first down, but the Cougars were called for a late hit and the Cardinals were called for holding to wipe out a potential first down.
It didn't take Clinton long to respond. Four plays later, Clinton junior Zach Kruse rumbled for a 25-yard TD run. It was just two plays but they were critical in the Cougars' 32-0 win over Brodhead-Juda.
"I had the option to run it or punt," Schmitt said of the fake punt in the first quarter. "I saw we had three guys out front, and they had their three guys were back five yards, and we had them blocked and I thought I could get the first down."
Kruse then recovered a fumble on the Cardinals' next drive that led to junior Tyler Halsted's 20-yard TD pass to senior Jordan Jones to give the Cougars a 14-0 lead about midway through the first quarter.
Starting out 0-2 is nothing new for Brodhead-Juda coach Jim Matthys, who has guided the Cardinals to turnarounds before.
"We have no choice but to bounce back next week," Matthys said. "I told the kids at some point you have to draw a line in the sand."
Clinton junior running back Connor Mullooly broke loose for a 64-yard run to set up the Cougars' next scoring drive. Halsted then darted in for a 20-yard score. The Cardinals blocked the extra point, and the Cougars had a 20-0 lead with 5.8 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Jones rushed for 74 yards on three carries and scored one touchdown. The Cardinals were limited to just 179 total yards. Schmitt completed 9 of 26 passes for 26 yards with one interception.
"The big issue is we didn't do enough offensively," Matthys said. "I thought our defense played well. They were out there on the field for almost the entire game. The offense didn't help them out."
Clinton racked up 302 total yards against the Cardinals.
"I thought we played well defensively despite giving up 32 points," Matthys said.
Brodhead-Juda's Parker Johnson had five receptions for 46 yards. Senior running back Jack Speckman rushed for 52 yards on 12 carries.
It was tough sledding for the Cardinals' running game against the Cougars' quick and aggressive defense.
"Overall, on offense we struggled," Schmitt said. "We would move the ball down the field and then we would have a turnover, turnover on downs or a dropped pass. The pass protection wasn't there."
Both Brodhead-Juda senior Bryson Ils and senior Skylar Stuckey had interceptions, but the Cardinals couldn't muster any points off the turnovers.
The Cougars put the game away when Jones bolted for a 58-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 26-0. Halsted, who was 3-of-7 passing for 38 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, capped the scoring with a 30-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter.
Matthys and the Cardinals will look to fine-tune the offense before playing Jefferson next week.
"We had a dropped pass in the end zone, and we were one block away from a kickoff return for a touchdown," Matthys said. "That's 14 points. We just can't leave points out there. You have to capitalize when you get the opportunity. When you get behind by three scores it's not hard for them to put pressure on you."
With the Cardinals facing fourth-and-two from their own 32-yard line, Schmitt gambled with some blockers out front and raced towards the sidelines. It appeared he had picked up the first down, but the Cougars were called for a late hit and the Cardinals were called for holding to wipe out a potential first down.
It didn't take Clinton long to respond. Four plays later, Clinton junior Zach Kruse rumbled for a 25-yard TD run. It was just two plays but they were critical in the Cougars' 32-0 win over Brodhead-Juda.
"I had the option to run it or punt," Schmitt said of the fake punt in the first quarter. "I saw we had three guys out front, and they had their three guys were back five yards, and we had them blocked and I thought I could get the first down."
Kruse then recovered a fumble on the Cardinals' next drive that led to junior Tyler Halsted's 20-yard TD pass to senior Jordan Jones to give the Cougars a 14-0 lead about midway through the first quarter.
Starting out 0-2 is nothing new for Brodhead-Juda coach Jim Matthys, who has guided the Cardinals to turnarounds before.
"We have no choice but to bounce back next week," Matthys said. "I told the kids at some point you have to draw a line in the sand."
Clinton junior running back Connor Mullooly broke loose for a 64-yard run to set up the Cougars' next scoring drive. Halsted then darted in for a 20-yard score. The Cardinals blocked the extra point, and the Cougars had a 20-0 lead with 5.8 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Jones rushed for 74 yards on three carries and scored one touchdown. The Cardinals were limited to just 179 total yards. Schmitt completed 9 of 26 passes for 26 yards with one interception.
"The big issue is we didn't do enough offensively," Matthys said. "I thought our defense played well. They were out there on the field for almost the entire game. The offense didn't help them out."
Clinton racked up 302 total yards against the Cardinals.
"I thought we played well defensively despite giving up 32 points," Matthys said.
Brodhead-Juda's Parker Johnson had five receptions for 46 yards. Senior running back Jack Speckman rushed for 52 yards on 12 carries.
It was tough sledding for the Cardinals' running game against the Cougars' quick and aggressive defense.
"Overall, on offense we struggled," Schmitt said. "We would move the ball down the field and then we would have a turnover, turnover on downs or a dropped pass. The pass protection wasn't there."
Both Brodhead-Juda senior Bryson Ils and senior Skylar Stuckey had interceptions, but the Cardinals couldn't muster any points off the turnovers.
The Cougars put the game away when Jones bolted for a 58-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 26-0. Halsted, who was 3-of-7 passing for 38 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, capped the scoring with a 30-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter.
Matthys and the Cardinals will look to fine-tune the offense before playing Jefferson next week.
"We had a dropped pass in the end zone, and we were one block away from a kickoff return for a touchdown," Matthys said. "That's 14 points. We just can't leave points out there. You have to capitalize when you get the opportunity. When you get behind by three scores it's not hard for them to put pressure on you."
