Bulldogs blast Colfax Vikings in Dunn-St. Croix gridiron action

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by Marlys Kruger

Sports Correspondent

COLFAX — The Boyceville football team may have had a sour taste in their mouths after a disheartening loss to Spring Valley in their previous game, and they made sure that taste would disappear with a  lopsided defeat of the Colfax Vikings 35-7 in Colfax September  9.

“I thought we rebounded well from our loss against Spring Valley,” stated head coach Michael Roemhild. “Colfax has a very big line and they like to blitz a lot on defense. I thought our linemen stepped up to the challenge and really played well on both sides of the ball.”

Boyceville is 3-1 overall and 1-1 in Dunn-St. Croix Conference play.

The Bulldogs scored early and often, starting with their first possession of the game. Braden Roemhild returned the kickoff to the Bulldog 36 yard line and in eleven plays they were in the end zone on a Bash Nielson run from five yards out. The extra point kick by Brayan Vasquez Martinez was off the mark but it was 6-0 with 5:57 left in the quarter.

The Bulldog defense forced the Vikings to punt after six plays and they took over on their own 33. Mason Bowell ran for a 12 yard gain, Devin Halama gained nine yards, Roemhild picked up a first down on a run to the Viking 34 and quarterback Nick Olson completed an eight yard pass to Caden Wold. A false start penalty, the first of many penalties on the Bulldogs was called to move the ball back but on the first play of the second quarter, then Roemhild took a screen pass from Olson down the sideline for a 31 yard touchdown. Vasquez Martinez made the PAT for a 13-0 Bulldog advantage with 11:48 left in the half.

Boyceville caught the Vikings sleeping with an onside kick which they recovered on the 42 yard line. Olson threw a bomb to Wold near the end zone but the Viking defender, Theo Hovde had it covered to cause an incompletion. Despite three false start penalties in the drive, they used their ground game to move down field and with 6:54 on the clock, Bowell hit pay dirt from one yard out. Another successful kick made it 20-0 for the Bulldogs.

Colfax made an attempt to stay in the game with a 15 play drive and moved all the way to the Bulldog seven yard line with 21 seconds in the half. It appeared Asher Pecha scored but a holding penalty called the run back and the Bulldog defense stiffened, ending the half with a Viking incomplete pass.

The defense remained solid to start the third quarter, forcing Colfax to punt. A bad snap led to a short punt and a short field for Boyceville as they started at the Colfax 39. Halama snagged a pass in between three Viking defenders for 21 yards but on the next play, Pecha picked up a fumble by the Bulldogs and raced downfield to the Bulldog 24. The defense again did their job and held Colfax to minus ten yards which included a quarterback sack for a loss of eight yards by Corbin Krenz.

“Defensively, Bash was our anchor at middle linebacker and was in charge the whole night. Corbin Krenz and Mason Bowell played amazing at defensive end, keeping Colfax option game to almost non existent,” added Roemhild.

Taking over on downs at their own 35, a holding penalty moved the ball back and on the next play, Olson was picked off by Colfax linebacker Dylyn Hiitola. This time the Vikings were determined to break the shutout and they used a heavy dose of Pecha on the ground who eventually put the ball in the end zone from four yards away. A PAT was good and it was 20-7 with 1:44 left in the third quarter.

Any hopes of the Vikings making a run at a comeback were diminished when on a second and four, Roemhild took a handoff and blew past the Viking defenders on the right side of the field and scored from 62 yards away. The kick was off the mark and it was 26-7 to end the quarter.

“Offensively, Braden had a long run for a TD to answer a score from Colfax in the 3rd. Mason and Bash ran the ball hard the whole night with Bash seeing the end zone once and Mason twice. Nick set up a nice screen pass to Braden for a TD and Peter Wheeldon and Zach Hellendrung executed their blocks to perfection. It was really fun to watch it all progress,” noted Roemhild.

The Vikings had just 18 healthy players on the roster and didn’t have any firepower left offensively and punted the ball away again. Boyceville however, didn’t move the ball either and Olson the punter made his only punt of the game a real dandy. The kick rolled to the Viking two yard line, and two plays later, a ton of Bulldogs smothered the Colfax running back in the end zone for a safety and a 28-7 advantage.

Colfax had to kick the ball away and after a long run by Roemhild, Bowell scampered down the right side for a 19 yard score. The kick put the finishing touches on the contest for the 35-7 win.

Roemhild rushed for 106 yards on six carries, Nielson added 80 yards on 13 attempts and Bowell added 40 yards on five rushes. Olson was five of ten passing for 85 yards and Carson Roemhild completed a pass for 30 yards. Wold, Landyn Leslie and B. Roemhild all snared one pass. Leading tacklers were Krenz, Peter Wheeldon, Zach Hellendrung and Nielson all with five,while Bowell was credited with eight.

“The real reason we turned everything around was because of Bash Nielson,” commented Roemhild. “He is one of the most unselfish players I have been around. We try to get everything going through him on offense, and no matter what he is always looking to get everyone else the ball. He rarely calls his own number, and is always doing what is best for the TEAM.”

“A couple of touchdowns were all his call on what he saw,” said Roemhild of Nielson. “Our main focus is to be a we team and not a me team. Tonight was a great step in that direction.”

The Bulldogs return home this Friday to host Turtle Lake in conference action.