By DELBERT PETERS

Staff writer

Goessel and Ellinwood avoided severe weather by postponing their football game until Saturday, but the Eagles were powerless to stop a deluge of 10 Goessel touchdowns as the Bluebirds chalked up their first win of the season, 72-38.

“When our runners got past the line, they ran well,” center Nathaniel Schmucker said.

“Seventy-two is a lot of points,” he stated with a smile.

Goessel took advantage of five fumbles from Ellinwood, losing just one of their own.

Zach Zogleman ran for six touchdowns as he accumulated 199 yards on the ground.

Neither team scored in the first six minutes, but Zogleman broke free for a 19-yard run for the first score of the game. Ellinwood returned the kickoff for a touchdown and tied the score at 8-8.

The Eagles scored again with 2:00 in the first quarter, but Zogleman answered with a touchdown to forge a 14-14 tie at the end of the period.

Early in the second quarter, Ellinwood broke free on a long touchdown run to give the Eagles their last lead of the game.

Goessel worked the ball downfield via the run. Zogleman scored from 3 yards out, tying the game at 22.

Jacob Hagewood got into the scoring column with a 42-yard gallop with just over 4 minutes in the first half, giving the Bluebirds a 30-22 lead. Using good clock management, the Bluebirds scored on a 9-yard Zogleman run with four seconds left on the clock, giving the Bluebirds an unusual 38-22 lead at halftime.

Carson Sterk was on the receiving end of a Luke Wiens pass for another score midway through the third quarter. Ellinwood responded with a score of its own with under 5 minutes to play in the period. Goessel answered with two more Zogleman touchdowns, giving the Bluebirds a 58-30 lead at the end of three quarters.

Jordan Griffin returned an Eagles fumble 41 yards for a score, giving the Bluebirds a 36-point lead. Ellinwood scored once more, then Luke Wiens scampered 43 yards for the final points of the night.

The Bluebirds picked up 435 yards on the ground and 32 yards in the air. Griffin led the team defensively with 9.5 tackles, followed by Hagewood with 8.5, and Kale Funk with 7.

The Bluebirds, now 1-5 overall and 1-1 in district play, will be home Friday against St. John-Hudson.