Hornets get key win against Edgar
Before the 2022 football season even began, many had circled the September 16 match-up between the Colby Hornets and the Edgar Wildcats on their calendars, marking it as the potential decider of the Marawood conference. Both schools have established programs with numerous accolades, the trophy cases full of state championship trophies being the foremost amongst them, and the two teams had finished first and second in the Marawood last year. That being said, that was last year, and many preseason predictions can go awry, especially given the turnover in high school football. Despite their pedigree and the high expectations surrounding the two programs, it still remained to be seen if the game would live up to the early hype.
Four weeks into the season and those expectations remained the same. Both teams came into the game 4-0, with Edgar picking up a morale building 14-0 victory over their old Marawood rival Stratford in week two and Colby winning their four non-conference games by an 188-36 margin. The Wildcats were ranked as the number one team in Division 7 and Colby was ranked number five for Division 5 schools. While Abbotsford and Auburndale both remained undefeated as well, the title of Marawood conference champions still felt like it would be decided on the turf of Edgar this past Friday.
Given all of this, both teams had plenty of motivation going into the game. The Wildcats especially so; this was both their homecoming game and their opportunity to avenge their 29-14 loss to the Hornets last year.
This much was obvious from the start, with Edgar taking a tone-setting 6-0 lead on a 40-yard touchdown scamper bounced around the left side for fullback Kohlbe Weisenberger, much to the elation of the hometown crowd. The play had been immediately preceded by a huge 40-yard run by quarterback Teegan Streit, which flipped the field and set up the Wildcats touchdown.
Later in the quarter, it appeared that the Wildcats were going to put their stamp on the game. A deep pass seemed to be right on target for a wide open Jase Apfelbeck, who had burned past Colby’s secondary on a wheel route out of the backfield. But the pass was bobbled, eventually bouncing backwards into the hands of senior linebacker Kaden Wiese, who held on for the dramatic interception.
The Hornets wasted no time on offense. Going deep on the first play after the interception, quarterback Tucker Meyer connected with Nathaniel Robida on a long pass down the middle. Robida wrangled the ball down and broke several tackles on his way to the end zone, tying the game on the 51-yard reception.
Then, on Edgar’s next play, they decided to air it out once more. Streit’s intended target had once again found himself behind Colby’s deepest man, but the Edgar quarterback didn’t put enough on the throw. This allowed Meyer to make up lost ground and snag a leaping interception to give the ball back to the offense.
While Colby did not score on the next drive, momentum was clearly on their side.
“That might’ve been the turning point in the game,” head coach Jim Hagen said. “If they complete that pass then that’s probably going for another six points so then we are down either 12 or 14-0 and it could be a totally different ballgame. Fortunately that ball bounced our way.”
After another strong showing from the Colby defense on Edgar’s next possession, the Hornets used their excellent field position to march down the field, largely on the legs of Caden Healy and the blocking by his offensive line. A drive-saving fumble recovery by Oscar Zamora would set up Healy on the next play, the senior running back giving the Hornets the lead on his eight yard run up the middle. Tucker Brost would hit both the PAT and a field goal attempt at the end of the half to put the Hornets up 16-6 at halftime.
Despite that lead, the Hornets knew that there was still a lot of game left, and their senior leaders wanted to make sure that the team understood that going into the second half.
“The score is zero-zero at halftime,” Healy said. “If you are ever happy with the score then you are doing something wrong. We are never happy.”
Healy had a huge game for Colby, racking up 200 yards on the ground on 26 carries and taking part in two big plays in the second half.
Lined up at the wingback position on a third and long play, Healy streaked down the field for a pass, gaining separation between himself and the Wildcat safeties. Meyer unleashed a perfectly placed ball to the back of the end zone, hitting Healy inbounds and in stride to put Colby up 25-7.
Then, with time running down in the fourth quarter, Healy broke loose on a counter to put away the game on an 86yard touchdown.
After ceding the first points of the contest, the Hornets went on to score 32 unanswered and claim the victory, 32-6.
“You just never know when you play against a team that has such a great football tradition and such quality coaching and players,” Hagen said after the game. “I tell you our guys didn’t flinch tonight. They weren’t affected by the large crowd or their homecoming. Our guys were focused all week in practice and they wanted this win.”
“This is a great feeling. You can’t look past them,” Healy added. “They have Jerry Sinz and Karter Butt coming at you. They just have a solid line every year. They have a great football program and you can’t look past them. It feels good to beat them.”
Minimizing Edgar running back Karter Butt’s impact was key to the Hornets’ success. The junior had 403 yards and seven touchdowns coming into Friday night’s game and the Colby defense managed to hold him to just 35 yards on nine carries.
The Hornets were, for the most part, stifling on defense, forcing six punts and not allowing Edgar to get into any sort of offensive rhythm. Healy led the way with seven tackles, with Isaac Raatz and Levi Dommer contributing five each. Senior Mateo Lopez also had a second half interception, giving the Hornets three turnovers.
While Edgar struggled to find yards on the ground, Colby had 301 yards rushing. Led by Healy’s 200, seniors Tevin Rue and Lopez added 47 yards on eight carries and 40 yards on 11 carries respectively. Meyer was 3-11 for 74 yards passing, but two of those passes were instrumental touchdowns in Colby’s victory.
The Hornets also executed their gameplan in the third phase of the game.
“We really worked hard on special teams all week, like we do every week,” Hagen said. “Edgar just does such a great job when they return their punts or kickoffs. They will do a reverse and our guys were ready for that. Tucker Brost, who is a heck of a kicker, put a couple into the end zone which just eliminates them returning the ball.” After playing spoiler in the Wildcats’ homecoming game, Colby is now the likely favorite to win the Marawood conference. That being said, the Hornets still know that this was only one game in their conference schedule, and there are still plenty of teams that are looking to unseat the reigning Marawood champions.
“You can’t look past anybody,” Healy said. “We still need to play Abbotsford and Auburndale. If you are looking past a team, then you are looking at defeat.”
Colby will host Pittsville this coming Friday for their homecoming game. The Panthers will be coming in with a 1-4 record, having just lost their Marawood conference opener to Auburndale 29-0. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.
RIGHT ON TARGET -Tucker Brost lines up a kick Friday night against Edgar. He had a 23-yard field goal at the end of the first half and made three PATs.STAFF PHOTO/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER
