Bluebirds Ready in 48-0 WSL Game
Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000167 EndHTML:0000008603 StartFragment:0000000457 EndFragment:0000008587
Goessel Varsity Football v. Peabody-Burns @ Peabody September 23, 2016
Goessel’s 2-1 Bluebirds used a 22 point 2nd quarter to squeeze the hope out of the Peabody-Burns Warriors Friday at Peabody. Ahead 28-0 at the half, the visitors added 20 more in the 3rd quarter and the contest ended on a 40 yard Zach Zogleman sprint with 5:15 left in the 3rd quarter. The Bluebirds go to 3-1 with the shutout 45-point rule win and Peabody falls to 1-3. The Bluebirds used their speed well, particularly in the open field, and an outstanding Blue Wall Defense held the Warriors several times at key junctures. It has been a few games since Goessel has been on the winning end of a 45 point rule game and fans remember just a few seasons ago when Peabody came out on the W end of such a contest with the Blue.
Peabody won the toss and elected to receive. In a sign of things to come, a flock of Bluebirds held key Senior Warrior Austin Reynolds #4 on 4th and 1, making a statement on the very first series. The Bluebirds proceeded downfield and found themselves at the Peabody 6 with 3rd and goal. QB Josh Schmidt ran off tackle untouched at 7:18 for the first score of the night. Peabody began from its own 27 and hit 6’2” Jayton Scott for a nice completion on 4th and 4, then #16 Chance Elliott ran long down to the Goessel 27. Threatening in the red zone, Peabody’s runner coughed up the ball in the middle and out of the running scrum, Kenny Hammond emerged with the ball! Goessel took over on its own 16. Two penalties took it back to the 5, and Miguel Guerrero had to leave the game with a twisted ankle at 3:10. Schmidt hit Jayce Schmidt for 21 yards, then QB Schmidt scampered for two more runs and another first down. Trevor Beisel ploughed down to the 26 and the teams changed ends with Goessel up 6-0.
On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Schmidt hit Jordan Griffin up the middle. The receiver was wide open over the top, pulled in the heave, and beat his pursuers into the end zone to go up 12-0. Under 150 lb. Jayce S. expertly tackled the 200 lb.+ big guy kickoff returner and Peabody commenced at their 37 yard line. Goessel was now bird-dogging Warrior go-to guy Reynolds, but the skilled receiver/runner still made some big plays. Not the least of his outstanding efforts on the night was a punt that hit on the 1 yard line and bounced exactly sideways out of bounds. Goessel took over on its own 1 yard line, then got the first of two well-executed hard counts on the night to move it out to the 7. Playing from its own 18 on the 2nd series, Josh stepped back, set and released yet another deep pass to Griffin, who looked like the Heisman trophy as he high-stepped all the way down the field, doing a reverse stiff arm at the 20, and cavorting in for the 18-0 score. Josh scored the 2 point conversion on a keeper and the ‘Birds were up 20-0 with 7:41 left in the half.
Peabody again put together two nice series, including a Hail Mary (set play?) throw where #4 streaked out of nowhere to pull it in for a long gain. In yet another key turnaround, the Warriors pushed to the Goessel 7 where Dylan Lindeman and Josh Schmidt put a slow motion push on the Peabody runner to stop on 3rd and goal. On 4th down, Peabody fumbled on the pitch and Hammond recovered with 5:26 left. From their own 9, Goessel’s QB flitted 15 yards, then the Blue put together two more 3rd down conversions to go all the way down to the Warrior 21. Zogleman (“ZZ Pop”) scooted around the end for a nifty finish, the Blue added two and it was 28-0 with time winding down. Peabody pushed downfield again with a big run from #4 but could not convert several passing plays and the clock ran out with Goessel ahead 28-0 at the half.
Both Guerrero and Beisel played with ankle sprains. Goessel received the kickoff and began from their own 30. Called for movement on the first play after a train whistle roar disturbed the count, Josh Schmidt burst through the line on 2nd and 15 and absolutely left flames on the field for another huge 65 yard run! With 11:41 left in the 3rd Goessel was up 36-0. On the kickoff, the near perfect on-side kick hit the front Warrior and bounced straight up off his helmet, Goessel recovered and caught the home team on yet another hard count. On 2nd and 1, Josh went around the end, nearly had his jersey ripped off, but kept going and the Warriors were called for a facemask. Now at the 15, Beisel nimbly side-stepped the opponent’s defenses and scored to take it to 42-0.
On the kickoff, Goessel again appeared to recover the Warrior’s fumble deep in Warrior territory at approximately the 10, but the officials called an inadvertent whistle and the Bluebirds kicked again. Peabody proceeded with two series; on defense Griffin’s helmet came off mid-play and he continued pursuit of the runner. The unusual penalty of “illegal participation” was called against the Bluebirds, putting the ball at the Goessel 23 yard line. Once again, the Bluebird defense came ready and prepared and held firm against anything the Warriors could throw against it….. On downs, Goessel took over at 7:49 from its own 12, got pushed back on a procedure penalty, then Josh took it to the 27. On the move again, Goessel found the 1st down at mid-field. With 5:15 left on the clock, Zogleman got the handoff and absolutely stunned the home team with his Usain Bolt imitation. Goessel finished this one at 48-0! Congratulations Bluebirds! Win the Day!
Goessel players seeing action tonight included Josh Schmidt, Miguel Guerrero, Trevor Beisel, Kenny Hammond, Zach Zogleman, Jayce Schmidt, Dylan Lindeman, Jordan Griffin, Carson Sterk, Nathaniel Schmucker, and Konrad Thierfelder. Drew Lindeman’s knee surgery was reported to have gone well.
