Pirates have no problems while getting fall’s first win

GILMAN 50, LAKE HOLCOMBE 0

Gilman’s execution was solid for a first game and the Pirates also made Lake Holcombe pay for its mistakes, giving the Chieftains no chance in a 50-0 blowout in the teams’ 2022 eight-player football season opener.

The Pirates recovered a Lake Holcombe fumble on the first play from scrimmage and turned that into points, the first of four times they would score following Chieftain turnovers. Grady Kroeplin ran for four touchdowns, the team averaged 11 yards per rushing attempts and Gilman raced out to a 37-0 halftime lead to create a short second half in its dominant start to the season.

Lake Holcombe was only able to suit up 10 players for the game due to some injury and ineligibility issues.

“Field position was kind of an important deal coming out of those turnovers and the one good punt return we had,” Gilman head coach Robin Rosemeyer said. “For our first game, the execution was OK. We made some mistakes. We had some players going the wrong direction on some plays, whether it was the quarterback opening the wrong way or the running backs going the wrong way. A little bit of both. We put the ball on the ground one time and it resulted in a turnover.”

The Pirates also had a couple of big plays wiped out by penalty, which is something they’ll also need to clean up going forward.

But, for the most part, things went Gilman’s way starting with Wayne McAlpine being credited with recovering the fumble on the opening play at Lake Holcombe’s 19-yard line, setting up Kroeplin’s 5-yard touchdown run three plays later. Kroeplin hit McAlpine for the twopoint conversion to put Gilman up 8-0 just 61 seconds into the game.

Kroeplin’s fourth-down sack thwarted Lake Holcombe’s deepest drive of the game into Gilman territory, giving the Pirates possession at their 33 after the 5-yard loss. Kroeplin’s only punt of the game traveled 55 yards to pin Lake Holcombe on its six. Caleb Marion forced a Maxum Sauerwein fumble and Sam Syryczuk pounced on it at the 11. Kroeplin rolled right on the next play, then cut back left to go untouched into the end zone. Troy Duellman’s two-point run made it 16-0 with 3:55 left in the opening quarter.

Branden Ustianowski’s 25-yard punt return set Gilman up at Lake Holcombe’s 30 on the next possession and, again, the Pirates needed just one play to cash in as Kroeplin, despite fumbling at one point, cut back left and got to the end zone to push the lead to 22-0 with 1:11 left in the quarter.

Braeden Person blew up a fourth-down run by Sauerwein, dropping him for a 3-yard loss at Gilman’s 42. The Pirates quickly went 58 yards in just four plays to extend the lead. Duellman got the score from 35 yards, going basically untouched behind a double-team block from Person and center Brayden Olynick and a lead block from McAlpine on a quick hitter.

“Brayden Olynick did a good job for a sophomore starting on varsity his first game at center,” Rosemeyer said. “He did a good job firing out and getting his blocks. Dalton Wisocky started a few games last year and was real solid at guard. It was Caleb Marion’s first start on offense at tight end and he was solid with his blocking. A lot of new guys who got their first starts all did very productive things.”

Gilman went 60 yards on eight plays, overcoming two penalties, to score its fifth touchdown of the half. Lee Zagorski had a big 28-yard run on the drive, which ended with Kroeplin’s 2-yard score with 2:03 left.

After Gilman’s reserves fumbled the ball away for the Pirates’ lone turnover, Ustianowski directly turned a Lake Holcombe turnover into points late in the third quarter, coming off his man to intercept a Harley Schroeder pass over the middle and returning it 75 yards to the house.

“Casey Grunseth didn’t have bad coverage on the play, but Branden kind of came off his guy, made a nice catch and then we had some good downfield blocking for him and he got to the sideline and into the end zone,” Rosemeyer said. “He showed some speed and athleticism there to make the play and we gave him some good blocking.”

Zagorski stripped Schroeder of the ball and Dalton Wisocky recovered on Lake Holcombe’s next possession and sophomore Brady McAlpine immediately paid that off on the first play of the fourth quarter, getting through traffic at the line of scrimmage and then busting loose down the left side for a 65-yard touchdown run.

The Pirates had a 306-127 advantage in total yardage despite running eight fewer plays. Gilman ran for 286 yards on 26 attempts with Duellman leading the way. The junior had 70 yards on six attempts. Brady McAlpine had 67 yards on just two carries, Kroeplin had 50 yards on six carries and Zagorski had 38 yards on two carries.

Kroeplin completed each of his three short passes for 20 yards with Ustianowski catching all of them.

Schroeder led Lake Holcombe with 87 yards on 19 attempts with 42 of those yards coming on one second-half carry.

Gilman starts a three-game homestand Friday by welcoming the Bruce Red Raiders into town for a nonconference game that kicks off a 7 p.m. Bruce won its opener 40-36 over Alma Center Lincoln on Thursday.