Fourth-quarter offensive surge lifts Glenwood City over Barron in non-conference gridiron contest
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
GLENWOOD CITY receiver Brady Thompson (#12) jumped high to make one of the five receptions he had against Barron August 25. Thompson finished with 81 yards and a touchdown in the Hilltoppers 48-32 road win over the Golden Bears. —photo by Jacob Maes Photography
by Joel DeWitt
Sports Correspondent
BARRON — The Glenwood City football team traveled to Barron an August 25 for a matchup against a similar team in the Bears. Combined they went for 922 to-tal yards, with Barron outgaining the Toppers by only 14 yards, 468 to 454.
However, it was big plays by Glenwood City in the fourth quarter that decided the game. Two Barron turnovers in the final period allowed the Hilltopper offense to pounce.
Mitch McGee rushed for three scores and Brody Olson passed for another in the final stanza as the Hilltoppers outscored the Bears 28-6 down the stretch to pull away for the 48-32 win.
The Hilltoppers started out slow on both sides of the ball. The Bears began the scoring with a long drive highlighted by their passing game and capped by a rushing touchdown by David Pond for the 7-0 lead with 7:03 left in the first quarter.
The Hilltoppers responded with a drive of their own. With 3:54 remaining in the first, Olson connected with Morgen Eggert for the score. After a failed PAT, the Hilltoppers trailed 7-6.
Barron countered on the next drive. Pond broke loose for a 55-yard scamper and score extending the Golden Bear lead to 14-6 with 1:52 remaining in the opening frame.
Glenwood City’s defense buckled down and held Barron’s explosive offense score-less in the second frame. While the Topper defense was clamping down, the offense ignited for two scores.
The Hilltoppers inched closer to the lead at the 9:13 mark for the second quarter. Eggert caught his second touchdown pass of the evening to pull Glenwood to within 14-12.
After trading possession, Glenwood City capped the first half with a score to take its first lead of the game. Olson threw his third touchdown pass on the evening, this one to Brady Thompson, with only 1:03 left in the half. The rushing points after by McGee gave the Hilltoppers the 20-14 advantage.
Barron’s offense took command in the third. While the Hilltoppers stopped the Bears’ first drive on a fourth and short on the Hilltopper 7-yard line, they scored twice to take the 26-20 lead heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter is when the Hilltoppers gelled on both sides of the ball to turn the tide of the game.
It started only five seconds into the final quarter when McGee took the ball across the goal line for the touchdown. His rushing PAT was successful and cata-pulted the Toppers into a 28-26 advantage.
The Hilltoppers then added a couple of touchdowns less than three minutes apart midway through the fourth quarter. The first was McGee’s second touchdown with 7:54 left in the game to extend the Glenwood City lead to 34-26.
The second was an Olson to Steven Booth connection at the 5:21 mark of the fourth quarter. A receiving PAT by Brody Riba put the score at 42-26. The second score was set up by an Andrew Blaser inception at the Golden Bear 30-yard line.
TOPPER Morgan Eggert (#2) proved to be a versatile player in Glenwood City’s non-conference football game at Barron last Friday, August 25. Above, Eggert is shown gaining postive yards on a run. He finished with 49 yards on four carries and also added 44 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. —photo by Jacob Maes Photography
The Hilltopper defensive prowess continued on the next possession as Barron fumbled on their own 24-yard line. McGee converted that turnover into his third rushing touchdown on the evening for the 48-26 lead.
Barron pushed the ball into the end zone one more time down the stretch but could not muster any more as the Hilltoppers secured the win 48-32 to move to 2-0 on the year.
The Hilltopper offense was paced by their passing attack with Olson going 21-26 for 269 yards and four touchdowns. Thompson and Riba were his leading receivers with five catches apiece. Thompson topped the team in receiving yards with 81 yards.
For the second straight week McGee anchored the Hilltopper rushing attack. The back had 96 yards on 21 carries and three scores. That gives the junior back seven rushing touchdowns on the year.
The win concluded the Hilltopper non-conference schedule for the season. They travel to Spring Valley this Friday, September 1 to take on the 3-time defending D-SC conference champion Cardinals. Spring Valley is 2-0 coming off a 43-17 win at Chetek-Weyerhaeuser. Game time is 7:00 p.m.