Bulldogs fall short in loss to undefeated Mounders

ELK MOUND — After scoring the first points of the game, the Boyceville football team gave up the lead and couldn’t get it back as they dropped a 20-13 game to Elk Mound on the Mounders’ home field Oct. 2.

Elk Mound was 6-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play when the game started, with most of their scoring coming from Noah Zurbuchen who has already rushed for over 1,000 yards with 18 touchdowns for the season. Zurbuchen left the game early in the first quarter however with a leg injury and the Bulldogs, with their very physical linemen, planned on using those guys to move the ball down field with their running game. They managed to do just that on their opening drive when they used 13 running plays which included runs by Jordan Morse, Sam Hellmann and quarterback Hunter Anderson and marched from their own 24 yard line to the Mounders’ end zone with Anderson scoring from a yard out. Jake Lake’s extra point kick made it 7-0 for the Bulldogs after they took over six minutes off the clock.

The Mounders are normally a running team with Zurbuchen in the lineup, but with the Bulldogs defense pretty much shutting down their running game, they took to the air on their first possession. A 20 yard pass completion from Dane Lew to Hunter Adleman gave them a first down, and on their next play, Lew found Colin Svee for a 30 yard scoring pass. Boyceville broke up the two point pass attempt to hang on to a one point lead.

Boyceville put together another drive at their own 35 as Morse and Hunter Lipke both picked up first downs but a third down pass fell incomplete and Boyce-ville punted the ball away. Elk Mound’s Ben Mack carried the ball five straight times, and on the sixth time he handed it off to Svee who took off around the end and scored on a 42 yard run. The Bulldogs stuffed the Mounder runner on the two point conversion run but were down 12-7 and neither team could muster much offense the rest of the half.

After their first two running plays were stopped on their first drive of the third quarter, the Mounders reverted to some trickery as they used a double reverse with the ball going back to Lew who found Alex Hollister open for an 84 yard scoring pass. This time Mack carried the ball over for two more points and it was quickly 20-7 for Elk Mound.

Boyceville took the kickoff at their own 34 and started a drive by pounded the ball on the ground. On a fourth and three, Anderson picked up a first down, then went to the air and connected with Buddy Hanestad for a six yard pass and a 16 yard gain for another first down. Morse ran for 10 yards and Lipke gained another first down on a seven yard run but on fourth and one on the Mounders’ six, Lipke was tackled for a loss and the ball went back to Elk Mound. But the Boyceville defense came up big when Anderson picked off a Lew pass at the three yard line and on first and goal, Lipke blasted his way to the end zone. The two point run was stuffed but Boyceville was just down by seven as the third quarter ended.

It was all defense in the fourth quarter with Boyceville moving the ball to the Mounders’ 40 but a fourth and three netted just one yard. Elk Mound took over and went on a long drive which included 15 plays, all but one rushing while picking up three first downs. On fourth and three on the Bulldogs 13, they tried another reverse but this time the Bulldogs were waiting for it and they stopped Cole Tyman for just a two yard gain. On their final possession, Anderson was sacked for a six yard loss, threw an incomplete pass then ran 24 yards for a first down but time ran out after an incomplete pass.

Boyceville outgained the Mounders in rushing yards 187-154 and had 14 first downs to the Mounders’ 10. Morse gained 79 yards on the ground in 17 carries, Anderson ran for 46 on 10 attempts with Hellmann adding 33 and Lipke 32 both on eight carries. Anderson was 5 of 9 passing for 40 yards with four of his completions going to Hanestad for 33 yards.

Boyceville is 3-4 overall and 0-4 in conference play and will travel to Colfax this Friday night to face the 0-7 Vikings.