Mounders hang on for win over Bulldogs

ELK MOUND – The Elk Mound football team discovered they were playing a very physical team from Boyceville when they met up on the Mounder’s home field Oct. 2.

The Elk Mound coaching staff had to make some adjustments on both sides of the ball after their leading scorer, Noah Zurbuchen, who has already rushed for over 1,000 yards this season and is one of their leading tacklers, went down with a leg injury on the second series of downs. The coaches and players did just that as they pulled out a 20-13 win on homecoming night and improved their record to 7-0 on the season. With four of those wins in conference play, the Mounders are assured of a spot in the WIAA playoffs.

Boyceville put the first points of the game up when they moved down field for a six minute drive on 14 running plays with Hunter Anderson finding the endzone from a yard out. A kick by Jake Lake made it 7-0 at the 5:47 mark of the first quarter.

The Mounders took to the air on their next possession as quarterback Dane Lew found Hunter Adleman for a 20 yard completion then connected with Collin Svee for a 30 yard TD strike to get on the board. After the two point pass attempt fell incomplete it was 7-6 Boyceville.

Midway through the second stanza, Ben Mack carried the ball five straight times, which included a 34-yard gain on one run, then took the handoff and gave it to Svee on a reverse who zipped around the end for a 42-yard touchdown run. Again the two point conversion was unsuccessful but the Mounders were up 12-7 at the half.

“Boyceville is a very physical team which their record does not indicate,” Mounder coach Dave Lew said.

With that being said, the Mounders decided they needed another trick play to try and increase their lead in the second half. Svee took the ball again and it appeared it was another reverse, but he pitched to another Mounder who gave it back to Lew. While all this was happening, Alex Hollister blew past the Boyceville defensive backs and snared an 84-yard scoring pass over the middle.

This time, Mack found the end zone on the two point conversion to make it 20-7 in Elk Mound’s favor at the 10:15 mark of the third quarter.

Boyceville responded however when Anderson picked off a Lew pass near the Mounder’s goal line and Hunter Lipke blasted his way in from 3 yards out. Their extra point try was no good and the third quarter ended with Elk Mound up 20-13

Both teams moved the ball during the fourth quarter but every drive was halted by big defensive plays.

The Mounders were at the Bulldogs 38 and on fourth and two they were stopped, but in turn after allowing Boyceville to penetrate to their 7 yard line, they stuffed the ball carrier on a fourth and one.

Elk Mound took their last drive all the way to the Boyceville 11 and again they couldn’t convert the fourth down play. With just a few seconds left, they finished off the game by stopping the Bulldogs on two final plays.

“It was a great game,” coach Lew said. “Boyceville was big and they came to play. Mack ran tough after Zurbuchen went out and (Dane) Lew had a great game passing.”

Lew completed just 4 of 7 passes but he had a total of 154 yards with two touchdowns. Mack ran like a Mack truck and was the leading rusher as he collected 66 yards on 18 carries. Svee added 45 on just two carries.

Four different Mounders caught a pass from Lew including Svee, Hollister, Cole Tyman and Adleman. Adleman, Hunter Johnson and Mack led the defense as they all made 10 tackles while Jordan VanSchoonhoven added eight and Lew seven.

Elk Mound will travel to Durand this Friday then will host the undefeated Spring Valley Cardinals next week in a final regular season game.