Storm ends early surge by the Eagles
UNITY 35, RIB LAKE-PRENTICE 0
Friday could pretty much be summed up as a lost night for the Rib Lake-Prentice Hawks football team.
Due to a persistent thunderstorm, Friday’s Lakeland Conference opener in Prentice against the Unity Eagles lasted just one quarter and that quarter was a rough one as Unity had stormed out to a 35-0 lead.
The game was called by the officials after 9 p.m. as lightning continued to fill the sky and the field was deemed unsafe amid the lengthy downpour from a storm cell that stubbornly wouldn’t leave the area.
In the quarter that was played, Unity rolled up 177 yards and scored three offensive touchdowns and added a special teams and a defensive score.
The Eagles scored on the first possession of the game and then blocked a Hawk punt, recovering it in the end zone for an almost immediate 14-0 lead.
“They blitzed almost every play and our line got confused which led to backto- back negative plays to start,” Hawks’ co-head coach Jonah Campbell said. “Our punt got blocked into the end zone and they recovered. So in a matter of one drive and then our drive we were already down 14-0.”
The other dagger for Unity was an interception return for a touchdown as quarterback Michael Borchardt was hit as he tried to throw the ball away out of bounds. Instead Unity’s safety got to it and easily ran it to the house.
“Between that and the blocked punt, it just accelerated the rate at which they gained momentum and were able to score,” Campbell said.
Unity quarterback Brody Allen had 76 yards and a touchdown on two carries and completed a 55-yard touchdown pass to David Whitlock. Tristan Tillery added 33 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
Now 0-3, Rib Lake-Prentice looks forward to a trip to Webster this Friday. The Hawks have had two close games with the Tigers the past two falls, falling 20-14 in overtime in 2020 and 8-6 last year.
“That was one of the focuses in the offseason for the guys, just being close the last two years and not quite nailing it down,” Campbell said. “Looking at film and how their season has started, we’re pretty comparable teams as far as we each have one touchdown on the season and as far as what we have with size of players, number of players, all across the board we’re pretty comparable. Watching their game film there are a couple of things we think we can capitalize on. I think the guys are really looking forward to having a game that’s close and competitive.”
