Glenwood City opens football season with lopsided win over Eleva-Strum

PROTECTED CONTENT

If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.

Username

Password

Login

Lost your password?

Username and Password Help

Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.

Email

Submit

← Back

GLENWOOD CITY — Hoping to improve on their 4-5 record from the previous year and become playoff eligible, the Glenwood City football team hosted a familiar opponent for it Thursday, August 17 season opener. The Hilltoppers welcomed Eleva-Strum to town, and much like last year’s opener in Strum, the Hilltoppers cruised to the win.

Last year’s contest was halted at halftime due to weather, with Glenwood City taking home a 35-0 victory. This year’s edition would go the full 48 minutes with Glenwood City scoring touchdowns on seven of nine possessions for the 47-6 victory.

The dominate performance was also reflected in the stat line. Glenwood City outgained the Cardinals 439 to 240, with 303 yards coming on the ground and 136 yards through the air.

“We came into this game with three returning starters on offense,” Hilltopper head coach Shane Strong comment after the game. “We knew there would be some growing pains early in the year, but the kids responded very well.”

After forcing the Cardinals to a three-and-out on their opening possession, the Hilltoppers took over on their own 44-yardline with less than two minutes off the clock. 

It didn’t take long for Glenwood to light up the scoreboard as running back Mitch McGee would take a third-down handoff around the right end for a 45-yard touchdown. The ensuing PAT kick was missed leaving the Toppers up 6-0.

The next Cardinal possession didn’t fare much better for them. On fourth and one on the Glenwood City 44 yard line, Cardinal signal caller Brennan Hanner fumbled the snap resulting in a turnover on downs.

Starting at their own 46 yard line, the Toppers would use a series of big plays to move the ball. McGee ripped off a carry for 10-yards to get Glenwood in Cardinal territory. A 14-yard reception by Zach Hill from quarterback Andrew Blaser set the Toppers up on the Eleva-Strum 25 yard line.

It appeared the drive was about to stall, but a pass interference penalty by Eleva-Strum on fourth down near the Hilltopper goal line gave Glenwood a fresh set of downs at the 18 yard line.

Blaser called his own number on the next play and carried the ball to the 1 yard line. On the next play, McGee plunged into the end zone for his second score of the evening. Steven Booth would secure the pass from Blaser for the 2-point conversion to extend the lead to 14-0 with 11:56 remaining in the half.

The next two possessions for each team saw them go nowhere.

It wasn’t until the Cardinals took over on their own 20 yard line with only 2:05 remaining in the half did Eleva-Strum finally find paydirt. They took the ball 80 yards on six plays to cut the Topper led to 14-6 with 00:15 remaining in the half.

However, Glenwood was not done. After receiving a short kickoff, McGee busted a long run to put the Hilltoppers in great position at the Cardinal 32 with two seconds remaining on the clock. On the next and final play of the half, quarterback Brody Olson, filling in for an injured Blaser, connected with Brady Thompson in the end zone as time expired for the 20-6 lead. 

“That was a very big play in the game,” Strong mentioned. “Going into half with a two score lead and receiving the ball in the second half created great confidence in our team.’

The Hilltopper offense did respond in the second half. They received the opening kickoff at their 40 yard line and would drive it 60 yards for the score. 

The drive was highlighted by a 20-yard run by Olson and was capped by McGee’s third touchdown, this one from three yards out. The two-point PAT reception by Booth put the Toppers ahead 28-6 with 8:35 remaining in the third quarter.

The Hilltopper defense once again held the Cardinals, which resulted in a fourth McGee rushing touchdown from the 5 yard line and the 35-6 advantage after a Booth kicking PAT.

Eleva-Strum misplayed the ensuing kickoff resulting in the Hilltoppers recovering the ball on the Cardinal 24 yard line. Two plays later, Olson connected with end Brody Riba for the 18-yard reception and a touchdown. That gave the Hilltoppers a 41-6 lead with 2:19 to play in the third quarter.

That instituted a running game clock.

The Cardinals next possession saw them march into Hilltopper territory. However, Hill would halt the drive with an interception at his own 13-yardline.

The Hilltoppers final drive saw them march 87 yards in 5:19, with Olson connecting with Esdyn Swenby for the 5-yard touchdown reception. The drive was highlighted by big plays as Logan McVeigh and Hill had numerous gains over 10 yards apiece.

The touchdown would put the score at 47-6, which was the final for the evening. The win puts the Hilltoppers at 1-0 on the early season.

The workhorse on the evening was McGee. To go along with his four touchdowns, he rushed for 163 years on 19 carries. McVeigh was second on the team with seven carries for 67 yards.

“Mitchell had a great game running the ball for the first time as a feature back,” commented Strong on his junior back’s performance. “He has worked extremely hard this off-season to prepare for this role.”

In the passing department, Olson led the team with 127 yards on 10-for-15 passing. The leading receiver was Riba with four receptions for 34 yards and a score. Thompson had 55 yards receiving to lead in that category.

Glenwood City will travel to Barron this Friday, August 25 for a 7:00 p.m. game. This will be the third straight year that Hilltoppers have faced the Golden Bears in non-conference action, with Glenwood winning the previous two including 54-8 last season.