WACO stops Cardinal’s win streak, 41-20

By ROGER THOMAS, Courier correspondent

ELDON — The Cardinal Comets ran out of big plays in the second half, falling to WACO 41-20 in Class A, District 7 football in Eldon Friday night.

After a 52-yard pass play from Jay Olson to Michael Warren and two kick-off returns for touchdowns by Olson in the first half, the visiting Wildcats totally dominated play in the second half.

Cardinal jumped out to a 6-0 lead with less than two minutes gone in the game. Olson hit Warren on the long pass play for a first down at the three. Olson then soared on a three yard run for the early score.

WACO came right back on their first play after the Comet score on a Chayse Roth 65-yard touchdown run. That would be his first of five touchdowns for Roth in the game as WACO took a 7-6 lead.

Quarterback Austin McBeth hit Drew Burnham on a 25-yard touchdown pass, extending WACO’s lead to 14-6.

The Comets’ Jay Olson returned the ensuing kick-off 78 yards for an answering touchdown. Olson’s pass to Bryce Bloomquist for a two-point conversion tied the game at 14.

Midway through the second quarter, Roth scored his second touchdown on a four-yard run, putting WACO up 21-14. Cardinal came right back again as Olson took a second straight kick-off back for a touchdown, scoring from 73 yards for another big play score. The two-point try was stopped, leaving WACO up 21-20.

“We knew they overloaded a side on their kick-off. We had a scheme to block it a certain way,” Olson said. “It didn’t work exactly that way, but both of them just opened up big and I was able to get them in.”

Roth, who had 157 yards rushing in the opening half, scored his third touchdown of the half on a one-yard run with just over a minute to go in the half. WACO went into the break up 27-20.

With all the first half scoring, not many in attendance would have expected the second half slow down.

The kicking game played a big role in the third quarter. On Cardinal’s opening possession of the third quarter, they were stopped short on a fake punt on fourth and one. Later in the third, WACO was third and long from their own 16 and they pulled off a quick kick that carried down to the Cardinal 35.

The only score of the third quarter was an eight-yard run by Roth.

In Cardinal’s last two games, both wins, the rushing game was a big factor. On this night, the Comets rushed 33 times for a net 15 yards.

“We knew they were big and physical but I didn’t expect them to stuff us like they did,” Cardinal head coach Jim Lindsey said of WACO’s defense.

Three minutes into the final quarter, Roth scored the last of his five touchdowns as he went in untouched from the 26.

As the game wound down, penalties would hurt the Wildcats. Cardinal picked up one of their few second half first downs as WACO roughed Comet punter Tom Fite. WACO (5-1, 2-1) would also have a 40 yard touchdown pass called back in the final stanza.

“We are still in the district race and practice will be practice next week. I think we will respond well,” said Lindsay.

The Comets (2-3, 2-1) travel to Highland next week to continue district play.

“They are a mirror image of our team in almost every way,” commented Lindsay.

WACO 41, Cardinal 20

WACO 14 13 7 7 — 41

Card 14 6 0 0 — 20

Scoring By Quarters

First Quarter

C — Olson 3 yard run (Kick no good)

W — Roth 65 yard run (Conrad Yutzy kick)

W — McBeth 20 yard pass to Burnham (Yutzy kick)

C - Olson 78 yard kick-off return (2 point conversion pass from Olson to Bloomquist)

Second Quarter

W — Roth 4 yard run (kick good)

C — Olson 73 yard kick-off return (2 point conversion no good)

W — Roth 1 yard run (kick blocked)

Third Quarter

W — Roth 8 yard run (Yutzy kick)

Fourth Quarter

W — Roth 26 yard run (Yutzy kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

Cardinal WACO

First downs 9 28

Rushes-yards 33-15 49-279

Passing yards 66 136

Total Yards 81 415

Comp-Att-Int 4-14-2 9-15-0

Return Yards 5-158 7-93

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 5-1

Penalties-Yds 1-8 11-75

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

WACO

RUSHING — Roth 22-214, McBeth 11-28, Jared Achen 6-(-4), Javan Freyenberger 1-2, Yutzy 2-16, Alex Cardenas 1-(-6), Tad Morrow 4-29.

PASSING — McBeth 9/15, 136 yards.

RECEIVING — Burnham 4-50, Ethan Roth 1-4, Isaiah Stauffer 1-12, Yutzy 1-8, Chayse Roth 1-40.

INTERCEPTIONS — McBeth 2.

TACKLES — Roth 7, Steven Verrips 7.

Cardinal

RUSHING — Jeran Courtney 9-23, Olson 7-(-5), Tom Fite 4-2, Devin Yeager 6-(-1), Michael Goering 5-(-1), Warren 2-(-3).

PASSING — Olson 4/13, 66 Warren0/1, 0.

RECEIVING — Warren 2-62, Bloomquist 2-4.

INTERCEPTIONS — none.

TACKLES — Ethan Eakins 10, Olson 10.

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