By DELBERT PETERS

Staff writer

Friday’s game with Wakefield was the last non-district game for Bluebirds football, but it did count as a Wheat State League game.

Goessel received the opening kickoff and marched down the field for nice gains running and passing. Zach Zogleman broke free from tacklers and went 34 yards for the Bluebird’s first score. Luke Wiens punched in extra points and the Bluebirds led 8-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Jacob Hagewood sprinted 32 yards early in the second period, and Dylan Lindeman found Kale Funk for a 21-yard pass, which scored with one minute remaining in the half. Lindeman ran in extra points, giving the Bluebirds a 22-0 lead at half-time.

The Bombers took off in the second half with 200-pound senior quarterback Skylur Merritt scoring two touchdowns from six and five yards. Goessel’s defensive line of Justice Johnson, Luke Freeman and Eddie Gaeddert prevented Wakefield from scoring a two-point conversion. Goessel led at the end of the third quarter 22-14

With seven minutes left in the game, Merritt again crossed the goal line from three yards and had an opportunity to tie the game, but again the Bluebird defense stopped the two-point conversion.

A little over one minute later, Hagewood took a Lindeman pass 26 yards for a Bluebird score and Wiens caught a pass for the conversion, giving the Bluebirds a ten point lead 30-20. The larger Bombers tried to move the ball down the field, but Goessel defense prevailed taking their second victory of the season.

Wiens led the Bluebird defense with 9.5 tackles, followed closely with Justice Johnson 7.5, Lindeman 7 and Zogleman 6.

Wakefield passed nearly 100 yards more than the Bluebirds and ran 21 more plays, but the quick strikes from Goessel’s team surpassed the grinding offense of Wakefield.

Zogleman led the Bluebirds with 110 yards rushing and Hagewood with 44 yards receiving. Lindeman threw four completed passes with two of those going for touchdowns.

Goessel is now 2-1 overall and begins district play with a home game with Solomon on Friday.