Goessel, Centre also win in routs; Peabody-Burns loses

Marion county football split the difference this past weekend as Hillsboro trounced Marion at home 56-8 and Peabody-Burns was bested 42-20 by Caldwell at homecoming.

Centre and Goessel both scored big wins on the road and at home with Center winning 57-7 over Western Plains and Goessel beating Fairfield 54-0.

Marion, Hillsboro

Seniors Matthew Potucek and Jamari Harris led Hillsboro offense Friday night, aiding the Trojans’ 56-8 win over Marion.

Potucek completed nine of 13 passing attempts and threw one touchdown Friday for 188 yards. The Trojans quarterback also scored three touchdowns along with Harris.

Coach Jordan Metro, filling in for Coach Shaun Craft, said he was pleased that Marion rallied in the second quarter to make its only touchdown.

“We put together a good scoring drive,” he said, adding that Hillsboro is a “senior heavy” team with a great blend of athletes.

“Their quarterback is one of the best in the state, if not the best quarterback in the state,” he said of Potucek, “It makes it extremely difficult to defend as you have to account for his passing but his running ability makes it so tough.”

“Add to that their running is very good and runs really hard, so you have to account for him too.  Just a very impressive team and they fly around on defense as well.”

 Hillsboro got started quickly in the first quarter with touchdowns by Nick Smith, Tristan Rathbone, and Potucek, who hurled a 57 yard pass to Wichert.

Marion start Miles Olson was injured during a tackle early in the second quarter.

“We are already pretty thin with the other injuries we’ve had throughout the year and had to put in some guys that second half that don’t have a ton of varsity experience,” Metro said.

The Warriors plan to regroup and tackle their last few games.

“We have a great shot to finish these next two weeks on a strong note,” Metro said. “But we have to continue to grow together as a team and concentrate on doing the little things: corrections, fundamentals, assignments, playing for each other.”

Marion and Hillsboro will be on the road Friday. The Warriors will face Sterling and Hillsboro will take on Lyons.

Peabody-Burns

Peabody-Burns lost their homecoming game against Caldwell 42-20 on Friday, although it didn’t much dampen the spirits of the Peabody community gathered at the game.

“I thought we competed really well,” head coach Kody Tegtmeier said. “I know we were very beat up. We had a lot of kids that were battling some type of injury or wound.”

A senior with a bad shoulder had to leave the game before halftime, wincing in pain even with a shoulder brace and topical pain reliever.

Peabody-Burns totaled 235 yards: 155 rushing, 80 passing, and 80 receiving. Their three touchdowns were all in the first half of the game.

“If we hang onto the ball and don’t hand it over four times, I think the outcome will be a little different,” Tegtmeier said.

Jake Partridge and Ariana Marcenaro were named fall homecoming king and queen before Friday’s game. Mya Winter, Noal Reynolds, Skylre Stucky, and Thomas Smith were Peabody’s fall homecoming court.

Peabody-Burns will face South Haven Friday on the road.

Centre

Centre defeated Western Plains on Saturday at Bushton, 54-7.

Luke Hudson received Western Plains’ kickoff in the end zone and ran the length of the field to score Centre’s first touchdown.

His conversion kick was good for another two points.

Hudson scored the next two touchdowns on runs, and Centre led 20-0.

Santiago Knepp, Robert Spohn, and Quentin Bina scored touchdowns in the second quarter, and Bina scored again in the third quarter. Centre led, 47-0.

Western Plains scored its only points in the fourth quarter.

After Spohn ran 58 yards for a Cougar touchdown and David Rziha ran for the extra point, Centre walked away with a 47-point victory.

Almost all of Centre’s yards were gained on the ground. Bina was the leading rusher, with 57 yards, followed by Knepp, with 42. Gentry Holub caught a pass for 19 yards.

Centre will play Wakefield Friday at home.

Goessel

Goessel’s defense snuffed the Fairfield offense in a 54-0 rout Friday at home.

On the first play from scrimmage, Grant Bryant sprinted 58 yards for the Bluebirds first touchdown.

Jake Flaming carried for the extra points.

Kacen Smith intercepted a Falcon pass and ran in a touchdown on 25 yards, giving the Bluebirds a 14-0 lead.

Bryant outran Fairfield defense to score on a 32 yard run. Flaming carried for the extra points.

The Bluebirds took advantage of the Falcon’s struggle to make snaps or defend their quarterback by swarming him and costing several yeards.

Goessel’s offensive line opened holes allowing Jake Wiens to slip through and sprint 47 yards for another score.

Flaming spun his way into the end zone for the extra points and Goessel led 32-0.

Kacen Smith showed his speed, going 42 yards for the fifth Bluebird touchdown and Eli Boden scored the extra points. The first quarter came to an end with a 40-0 lead for the Bluebirds.

With the help of Goessel penalties, Fairfield began the second quarter by moving the ball to the Bluebird 23 yard line. The Bluebirds held and Wiens went untouched for a 63 yard touchdown run.

The Bluebird defense had 18 tackles in the Falcon backfield. Goessel threw no passes in this game as the running game accumulated 304 total yards.

Goessel’s win gives them a 3-0 record in district play and 4-2 overall. The Bluebirds will be at Pretty Prairie on Friday.

Staff writers Mindy Kepfield, Delbert Peters, Rowena Plett, Madeline Reida, and Phyllis Zorn contributed to this report