T’Wolves fall to top-ranked Exira
CORNING — Southwest Valley Head Football Coach Kent Bass made it clear to his team Friday night that they need to have a short memory.
With a showdown in Tabor this week in what is possibly Southwest Valley’s best chance to enter the district title picture, the Timberwolves look to put behind their 68-13 home loss to top-ranked Exira-EHK.
“We got handled in about every aspect of the game, but that really has no bearing on our future,” Bass said. “It’s a good football team over there, but I would hope we could compete a little better with a team like that, but Fremont-Mills is going to be a great challenge next week.”
Exira-EHK scored 48 first half points, leading to a running clock in the second half. It’s the most points Southwest Valley has given up this season.
The Timberwolves went three and out on their first drive. Exira-EHK scored on the third play of their first drive when Trey Sandler ran 60 yards for a touchdown. The PAT was good and the Spartans led 7-0 with 8:22 left in the first.
“They’re the No. 1 team in the state for a reason and that’s what every team aspires to be is the best,” Bass said. “If that gives you a little taste of how much work we have to put in to get there, I think that’s a pretty good measuring stick and we’ve got a long way to go.”
Southwest Valley went three and out on the next drive, which led to another touchdown for Exira-EHK and a 14-0 lead with 6:48 left.
The Spartans scored another touchdown on their next drive, this one courtesy of a 41-yard keeper by quarterback Drew Peppers, who eluded and even broke a couple of tackle opportunities. Exira-EHK led 21-0 with 3:24 left in the third quarter.
While their speed was impressive, Bass noted that Exira-EHK’s overall strength was more impressive.
“The way they handled the line of scrimmage, that’s a physically strong football team,” Bass said.
Southwest Valley sustained their first drive of the game, thanks to a third down catch by Nick Spring. Exira-EHK wound up with the ball in their own territory with seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Timberwolves defense stepped up and forced their first three and out for the game. The Timberwolves weren’t able to take advantage though as Trey Sandler returned his first punt for a touchdown and Exira-EHK took a 28-0 lead with nine minutes remaining in the second quarter.
A turnover on the first play of the next Southwest Valley drive gave the ball right back to Exira-EHK in Timberwolves territory. Sandler scored another touchdown and the lead became 35-0 with more than eight minutes left until halftime.
Southwest Valley put together another long drive, which included a direct snap to Gunnar McCuen on 4th and 3 to throw off the Exira-EHK special teams defense. Two plays later though, quarterback Jordan Stuart’s pass was picked off by Peppers, who returned it for a touchdown. The Spartans now led 42-0 with 4:39 left in the half.
In search of momentum, the Timberwolves went for it on fourth down on their next drive. With 4th and 1 on their own 28, Southwest Valley running back Zach Barton took the hand-off, but was immediately swarmed by Exira-EHK defenders. The Timberwolves turned the ball over on downs and gave Exira-EHK prime position to score once more before halftime.
Sandler scored once more on a 17-yard run on the second play of the drive for Exira-EHK. The PAT was blocked, but Exira-EHK went into halftime with a 48-0 lead.
The scoring continued early in the third quarter when Peppers scrambled for a touchdown on 3rd and 3. Exira-EHK missed the PAT, but led 54-0 with 9:23 left.
Southwest Valley sustained another drive, which finally paid off for them when Stuart scrambled 28-yards to get a touchdown and prevent the shutout. The Timberwolves missed the two-point conversion attempt and trailed 54-6 with more than five minutes left in the third quarter.
The Spartans scored once more in the third quarter when Sandler returned his second punt for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was good and Exira-EHK led 62-6 with 10 seconds left in the period.
Southwest Valley put together another strong drive, which culminated in a 12-yard touchdown run by Barton. The PAT was good and the score was 62-13 with 9:30 left.
Both teams used second stringers in the second half. Exira-EHK scored their last touchdown with 4:43 left. Drew Buckholdt had the score. The Spartans went for two, but missed.
Despite the loss, the game doesn’t count against Southwest Valley’s district record. They remain 4-1 in the district, in a tight race for the top spot with Sidney and Fremont-Mills.
“Our kids are resilient. I’m confident we’ll come out and have a good gameplan ready to go,” Bass said. “The kids will be ready.”
A win against Fremont-Mills Friday night would force a possible tiebreaker scenario. This season, Southwest Valley lost to Sidney, but Sidney lost to Fremont-Mills.
The action kicks off in Tabor at 7 p.m.