Abby downs Ladysmith, now 3-0
A huge second half propelled the Falcons football team to their third straight victory, this time defeating the Ladysmith Lumberjacks 40-27 in a hard fought battle at home. After trailing at halftime, Abbotsford scored three consecutive touchdowns in the second half to distance themselves in what had once been a close game.
An extra-point was all that separated the two clubs after two quarters of play. In a half where the teams matched each other blow for blow, both the Falcons and the Lumberjacks got on the board in the first quarter, with quarterback JV Castillo taking it to the house to finish off Abbotsford’s initial scoring drive.
Running back Christian Fuentes added two rushing touchdowns of his own as the game pushed into the second quarter, punching in two goal-to-go situations for the Falcons. Despite their success on the offensive side of the ball, Ladysmith’s offense was more than a match, scoring three first half touchdowns of their own. While the Lumberjacks failed two of their three extra point attempts, the Falcons could not convert any of their three attempts, leading to a 19-18 deficit once the second quarter finally came to an end.
Castillo came through with a big play for Abbotsford to open the second half. The Falcons’ offensive line opened up a big hole along their left edge in their first possession and the senior quarterback did the rest, slipping past one would-be tackler and beating the rest of the defense in a 43-yard foot race to the end zone. The score put the Falcons on top 24-19 and their first successful two point conversion of the evening gave them a full touchdown advantage.
Ladysmith looked like they would once again answer, pushing into Falcons’ territory on the next possession. This time, however, the defense would not break. Castillo came up with a key play on the defensive end, delivering a hit that jostled loose a bobbled pass that would have given the Lumberjacks a first down if caught. Instead, Abbotsford was able to hold and Ladysmith surrendered the ball on downs.
An opportunity to turn the contest into a two-score game had presented itself to the Falcons and the home team was able to capitalize. The line controlled the line of scrimmage, setting up solid runs for Fuentes and Emilio Escalera and Abbotsford marched down the field. With the ball at the Lumberjack’s five-yard line, they turned to Irvin Aguilera, who punched it in for their second touchdown of the third quarter.
Momentum had shifted fully to the Falcons, who came up with another stop of the Ladysmith offense before scoring yet another touchdown. Castillo broke away for his second big score of the half, going 27 yards to cap off their first fourth quarter drive. Holding a 38-19 advantage, Abbotsford had taken full control over the game.
The Lumberjacks were not about to just go quietly into the night, however, and they managed to score on their next possession to bring themselves back within striking distance. Unfortunately for the visitors, a bad snap on a punt late in the game turned into a safety for the Falcons, a play that all but secured the win for Abbotsford.
While they may have started slow, the home team was able to weather the storm and came up with some momentum- shifting plays in the third quarter as they settled into the game.
“I thought we came out kind of flat and not focused and it showed in the first drive of the game,” head coach Jake Knapmiller said. “We showed some physicality and speed that ended up being the difference in the game by the third quarter.”
Abbotsford’s offense relied almost exclusively on their rushing attack against the Lumberjacks. The Falcons ran the ball on 43 plays to the tune of 358 yards for an average of 8.6 yards per attempt. Meanwhile, Castillo only was asked to throw the ball once, which he completed for 27 yards to Fuentes.
The pair made up the bulk of the yards on the ground as well, with Castillo finishing with 155 yards and Fuentes posting 157 yards. Escalera added 28 yards on seven carries, Jesus Reyes had two carries for 10 yards and Chase Boller had two for three yards. Aguilera’s sole touch went for a five-yard touchdown.
“Offensively we were really efficient other than the one punt due to a bad snap at the end of the game,” Knapmiller said. “A few injuries really puts us into a shuffle for positions but if we stay healthy we could be pretty good. Our offensive line really took over the game for our backs and they are pretty good.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Fuentes ended the game with double digit tackles, coming up with 10. Daniel Davila, AJ Brodhagen, Ashton Hammel were all tied for second on the team, recording six apiece. “Defensively, we are close to being technically where we want but a little bit makes a big difference,” Knapmiller noted.
Abbotsford will have one final nonconference game this Friday, Sept. 8 on the road against Iola-Scandinavia. The Thunderbirds are 1-2 this year, picking up a 32-7 win over Shiocton in their opener but having lost their last two contests to Wittenberg-Birnamwood and Colby. Last year, the Falcons came out on top in the matchup between the two squads, winning 63-27. The game is to start at 7 p.m.
