Sandy Creek moves to 8-1 with 1st round D-1 Playoff win over the Bobcats, prep for Wisner-Pilger at home this Friday
Sandy Creek advanced to the second round of the Class D-1 state football playoffs with their second win of the season over Exeter-Milligan/ Friend, taking down the Bobcats, 60-14, Thursday, Oct. 23, on the Cougars home turf.
Sophomore Kamerin Sealey got the Cougars started on offense with an 18-yard option keeper for a score, and then scrambled to find junior Logan Tomky for the twopoint conversion making it a quick 8-0 in the first quarter.
The Bobcats, however, had a rather quick answer to the Sandy Creek score with a strong drive on offense to trim the Sandy Creek lead to just 8-6.
The Cougars, after a stop on defense, would start at their own 11-yard line, and after a misfires in passing, Sealey would take it himself on third down for a 69-yard touchdown run. Kaeden Schmidt took it in for the two-point conversion to set the score at 16-6, Cougars with 7:46 left in the second quarter.
Christian Shaw made a big play on defense on the next drive, forcing an EMF fumble with Alston Clark jumping on the loose ball, giving the Cougars great field position
ASHLEY D. SWANSON | CLAY COUNTY NEWS
at the EMF 26.
After a few plays to get to the nine-yard line, Schmidt took a swing pass from Sealey in for six points, with Sealey adding the twopoint conversion setting the game at a 24-6 Sandy Creek lead.
Things just kept getting worse for EMF as on fourth down a high snap over the punter would land at their own one-yard line and Cougars would take over the and would score next play with a Sealey oneyard keeper and Wes Biltoft would catch the two-point conversion, making it 32-6 Cougars to end the first half.
Out of the break Sandy Creek forced a turnover on downs, and which led to a Clark six-yard touchdown run and Schmidt’s two-point conversion making it 40-6 with 9:13 left in the third.
Wyatt Hemberger came up with a spectacular one-handed interception and long return that would only be brought back by a penalty, setting the Cougars up at their own 30-yard line.
Sealey had another long run leading for a touchdown on this drive, this time from 44 yards out to extend the Cougars lead to 46-6.
With another stop on defense for Sandy Creek, they would march down the field and Sealey would get his fifth rushing touchdown on the night, this time from seven yards out and Ben Burger’s extra-point kick, setting the Cougars up with a 53-6 lead.
EMF gained a long run for a touchdown to make it 53-14, before the Cougars gained great field position with a huge kickoff return from Hemberger to the EMF oneyard line with freshman Owen Spray taking a pitch and running it in for the touchdown and another Burger kick to set the final at 60-14, Sandy Creek.
Sealey led Sandy Creek’s rushing attack, as he gained 226 of the Cougars’ 240 ground yards, doing so on just 13 carries, an average of 17.4 yards per carry.
Clark netted 17 yards on two carries, Owen Spray had four yards on one carry, while Schmidt was held to a negative seven yards on three carries.
The passing game totaled 70 yards, as Sealey was 5-9 through the air. Tomky hauled in one pass for 32 yards to lead, with Hemberger grabbing one pass for 18 yards, while Alex Watts grabbed two catches for 11 yards, with Schmidt gaining nine yards on one catch.
Clark led the tackle chart with 19 stops. Shaw had 12 tackles, including a team-high eight solo stops in the win.
Junior Logan Tomky stretches high to grab this catch during Sandy Creek’s 46-point win over EMF in the first round of the Class D-1 state playoffs Thursday, Oct. 23, at Sandy Creek.
Josh Spray and Tomky both notched 10 tackles. Wes Biltoft finished with nine tackles, while Jackson Gerdes finished with seven, and Sam Watts, six.
GATORS ARE NEXT
The Cougars will host the Gators of Wisner-Pilger High School this Friday night at 6 p.m. on the Cougars home field.
The green-clad Gators stand with a 7-2 record overall, following a 38-28 win over Hartington-Newcastle.
Score by Quarters
Sandy Creek........................... 8 24 14 14 -60 Tri County............................... 6 0 0 8 -14 SC EMF Rush Att-Yds....................19-240 49-143 Pass Comp-Att-Yds..........5-9-70 6-13-28 Total Offense......................310 171
Sophomore John Skalka celebrates a touchdown during the Cougars 60-14 win over Exeter-Milligan/Friend during the first round of the Class C-1 state football playoffs. It was Sandy Creek’s second win over the Bobcats this season. The Cougars will host the Wisner-Pilger Gators Friday, Oct. 31 with kickoff for the game set for 6 p.m. on the hill. ASHLEY D. SWANSON | CLAY COUNTY NEWS
