Bulldogs overcome slow start and turnovers to fly past Unity Eagles and remain unbeaten
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by Joel DeWitt
Sports Correspondent
BALSAM LAKE — The undefeated Boyceville football team’s road trip to Unity looked to be a cake walk. The Eagles came into the October 4 Dunn-St. Croix/Lakeland crossover matchup with only a single win and losers of three straight. Regardless, Unity proved up to the task and gave the Bulldogs their toughest outing of the year to date.
Unity matched Boyceville score for score in the first half as the teams went into halftime with the score tied at 14 apiece. It wasn’t until the Bulldogs scored two touchdowns late in the third quarter, and another in the fourth, that the Bulldogs felt secure and left town with the 38-14 win.
“They are big up front, have speed, and have guys that fly around and hit people,” commented coach Michael Roemhild on Unity. “This was the most physical game of the year so far.”
Unity was able to stay even with the Bulldogs in the first half largely due to miscues on the offensive side of the ball. Two Bulldog first-half turnovers resulted in a short field for the Eagles who were able to convert both turnovers into touchdowns.
Boyceville’s defense only surrender 96 total yards on the night, limiting Unity to only 20 rushing yards on 11 carries. The Bulldog defense also forced Unity quarterback Isaiah Fugate to throw four interceptions on 11-of-26 passing on the night.
Boyceville (7-0, 5-0) opened the scoring on the first possession of the game with a nine-play drive that covered 69 yards. Zach Hellendrung set the pace on the first play with a 38-yard carry into Unity territory. Landyn Leslie capped the drive with a nine-yard reception from Carson Roemhild and the 6-0 lead with 6:14 left in the first quarter.
Roemhild notched the first Bulldog interception on the Unity’s third play from scrimmage as he picked off Fugate’s second pass attempt. Unfortunately, Roemhild throw an interception six plays later. The Eagles turned that interception into a touchdown and a 7-6 lead with 10:21 left in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs responded almost immediately. Starting at midfield, a 13-yard rush by Roemhild and a 17-yard reception by Bradley Maes positioned Boyceville in the red zone. Hellendrung finished the drive with an 11-yard carry across the goal line to propel his team to the 14-7 advantage with 7:29 left in the half.
Boyceville got the ball back after a three-and-out by Unity, however a fumble by Hellendrung set the Eagles up with first-and-goal on the Bulldog six-yard line. Three plays later Fugate plunged across from one yard out, and the extra point knotted the score at 14-14.
“I thought we had a sloppy first half but made our adjustments at halftime and came out and dominated the second half,” emphasized coach Roemhild. “This team is a very unselfish, fun team to coach.”
The unselfishness shined through in the second half. The Bulldogs scored on three of four possessions to take control of the game and clip the Eagles wings.
The Bulldogs controlled the line of scrimmage on the opening drive of the second half as they drove 72 yards on ten plays, nine rushing attempts, to take the lead. Big gains by Owen Rydel, Hellendrung, and Leslie of 12, 17, and 27 yards, respectively, set the Bulldog up deep in Eagle’s territory. Hellendrung finished the drive with a seven-yard carry and the 22-14 advantage.
The ensuing Eagle possession ended after two plays when Leslie intercepted Fugate for the second time. The Bulldogs turned the pick into six points five plays later on Hellendrung’s third rushing touchdown from 2 yards out. The score with 00:43 left in the third quarter gave the Bulldogs the 30-14 lead.
Hellendrung completed the scoring late in the fourth quarter when the junior back scored his fourth touchdown of the night, this one from 5 yards out, to put Boyceville up 38-14 with under four minutes left in the game.
“Tonight was Zach’s (Hellendrung) night and everyone could feel it,” praised coach Roemhild. “They just said keep giving the ball to him.”
Hellendrung finished the with 154 yards on 25 carries and four touchdowns. Roemhild was second with 75 yards on seven rushes.
Roemhild completed 6-of-10 passes for 97 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Leslie was his favorite target with five receptions and 80 yards.
The win puts the Bulldogs in position for the battle of the unbeatens as they face Spring Valley at home this Friday, October 11. The Cardinals shut out Cadott (28-0) and Elmwood/Plum City (24-0) in their last two game as they hope to avenge their 26-6 loss to Boyceville last season.
The sixth-ranked Bulldogs (wissports.net – Division 7) will host the eighth-ranked Cardinals, with the winner having the inside track for the conference title with two games remaining. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.