Loyal falls to Reedsville in final football game as Loyal Greyhounds
By Valorie Brecht The Loyal High School Greyhounds completed their football season last Friday night after taking a loss in their first-round playoff game at Reedsville.
Despite the outcome, the Hounds were the first to put points on the board. Loyal senior Louis Nikolai scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run in the first quarter. That was the only time Loyal made it into the end zone. Meanwhile, the Greyhounds held the Panthers scoreless for the remainder of the first quarter.
“I thought our defense did a good job (containing) their offense, but Reedsville had three or four big plays that really hurt us,” said Loyal coach Chris Lindner.
One such big play came in the second quarter when the Panthers picked up a touchdown and made the extra point kick. Reedsville repeated that process in the third and fourth quarters to walk away with the 21-6 win.
Tryn Scheel was Loyal’s leading rusher, carrying the ball 21 times for a total of 71 yards gained rushing. Nikolai had 25 carries for 63 yards gained. Quarterback Reed Stieglitz completed three passes for 42 yards. He also caught one pass for a 15-yard gain. Rory Hanson caught a pass as well to gain 15 yards.
On the defensive end of things, Cain Toufar led in solo tackles, with five. He also sacked the quarterback twice. Nikolai had three solo tackles. Scheel, Eli Zettler and Rogan Ashbeck each had two. Stieglitz, Rory Hanson, Dane Luchterhand and Devon Roehl had one apiece.
Luchterhand and Scheel had the most assisted tackles, each with eight. Rory Hanson assisted with six tackles and had one sack. Nikolai and Hudson Hanson each assisted with five tackles.
Loyal wrapped up its season with a 4-7 record, 4-3 in conference. The team took second place among six teams in the Central Wisconsin Conference-Small.
This final 2023 matchup marked the end of an era, as it was the last Loyal Greyhounds varsity football game. The Loyal and Greenwood school districts plan to fully combine football programs next year.
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