Unhappy Homecoming in East Dubuque

By Jon Lewis, Northern Illinois Sports Beat writer

EAST DUBUQUE - Both East Dubuque and Orangeville entered the night with 3-2 records and tough schedules ahead. Therefore, the team that won would most likely be heading into the playoffs. The losing squad would then more than likely would not earn a post-season entry.

To open, the East Dubuque Warriors marched right down the field and reached into the old bag tricks. They pulled out a ten-yard reverse that Kyle Huseman took in for the score, a Keith Hayes extra-point was then added to make the score 7-0 in favor of the home team.

However, the lead did not last long as Orangeville�s Caleb Carr answered right back returning the kickoff seventy-eight yards for a touchdown to be followed by a Clayton Shick extra-point. This tied the game up at 7 with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter.

�I give all the glory to God for giving this short kid the ability to do things like that,� Carr stated. �Oh yeah, the blocking wasn�t bad either.�

Next, the feisty Warriors answered back on their next possession with a one-yard touchdown run by Austin Fluhr with 1:38 remaining in the second quarter. Once again the kick was good by Hayes to make the score 14-7 in favor of East Dubuque.

After a Clayton Shick fumble deep in Bronco territory Gunnar Leibold hocked up with Huseman with 1:20 left in the first half. Hayes was good again on the extra-point attempt and the Warriors took a 21-7 lead into halftime.

�The line was giving me the time to do my thing.� Said Leibold.

�That was easily the worst half of football we have played all year,� Orangeville Linebacker Steve Snider said. �Coach G let us know at halftime that it was now or never for all of us seniors.�

�Then Derek gave a speech to get us all fired up especially the line and that was the best blocking of the year in the second half.�

The second half started with a bang as Carr once again received the kick for the Broncos and returned it down to the one-yard line. On the next play Steve Snider took it in for the score and Shick added the extra-point to make the score 21-14 East Dubuque.

Following was one of the most odd plays in football when Orangeville kicker Clayton Shick on side kicked to himself.

�I knew the play was coming I saw it every time we lined up to kickoff,� Shick said. �I was trying to make up for my fumble late in the first half.�

Even though the Broncos didn�t score on the drive they pinned the Warriors deep in their own territory. After a three-and-out the East Dubuque punter bobbled the snap and was tackled at the two-yard line. The next play brought the Broncos within one point as Riley Kubatzke took it in from two yards out. However, Shick missed a pivotal extra-point, so East Dubuque still lead 21-20 with 5:27 left in the third quarter.

Succeeding a momentum-changing Warrior fourth down stop deep in Bronco territory, Drew Weber broke free for a fifty-five yard touchdown run with 6:15 remaining in the game. Unlike after the first three touchdowns Hayes missed the extra-point wide right. At this point the score was 27-20 East Dubuque as the Warrior faithful started to celebrate a Homecoming victory.

But in words of the great Lee Corso: �Not so fast my friends.� The Broncos were not going to let their playoff hopes end without a fight. With less than three minutes remaining Orangeville quarterback Trace Hanson connected with his favorite target Austin Cramer to make the score 27-26 Warriors. After a time out and the entire Orangeville sidelines shouting "Go for two, go for two," Golembewski did just that and put the ball in the hands of his game changer Riley Kubatzke and he delivered to put the Broncos ahead for the first time in the game 28-27.

�I was trying to make up for all of the drops I had earlier in the game," Cramer said. �The leadership on this team is amazing you never know who is going to step at any time.�

�You got to Orangeville the credit they came out hard in the second half,� said East Dubuque runningback Drew Weber.

On the ensuing the possession East Dubuque turned the ball over on downs and Orangeville answered on the first play with a Kubatzke touchdown run made the score 34-27 with 0:57 remaining.

�After the first half when the line completely gave up we let them know there is no chance at the playoffs if we don�t start blocking,� Kubatzke said. �Then in the second half the wholes started opening up.�

East Dubuque then had one last chance but once again the stingy Bronco defense forced a turnover on downs after the Warriors got the ball across midfield. With the loss the Warriors fall to 3-3 on the season as the Broncos rise to 4-2.

Next week both teams in competition tonight have tough opponents as Orangeville will host undefeated Dakota and East Dubuque will travel to Polo in a must-win situation.

By Jon Lewis, NISB Writer

ORANGEVILLE - The Broncos hung tough with the Pirates for the majority of three quarters but a reverse for a touchdown was the dagger.

It was a defensive battle in the early going with Orangeville having to punt on their first two possessions. Galena was also forced to punt on their opening drive but opened up the scoring with a five-yard Harris touchdown with 1:34 left in the first quarter, the extra-point was good to make the score 7-0.

After a Bronco punt Galena marched the ball down the field poised for another score when Caleb Carr darted in front of the ball and returned it back to around midfield.

�With the way they were hitting on the short routes early on that was huge for our momentum at the time,� said Carr. �We just didn�t get to capitalize on it the way we wanted to.�

The Broncos then turned the ball over on down and Galena dinked and dunk their way down the field mixing in a little run now and then. Until with one second left in the half the Pirates scored on a seven-yard touchdown pass. The kick was then blocked making the score 13-0 Galena at halftime.

That remained the score until 3:40 left in the third quarter when Galena went to the bag of tricks and pulled out a fifty-four yard reverse to take the air out of the Broncos sails. This made the score 19-0 Galena after a failed kick.

To cap the night the Pirates scored on a fifty-yard touchdown run with 11:14 remaining.

�When you have multiple 225lb plus guys rotating in throughout the game it is tough up front.� Said Orangeville linemen Andrew Gilmour.

Next week the Broncos take their show on the road to East Dubuque, which could be a battle for a playoff spot. While Galena is in the playoff they have to go to Milledgeville next week in what is being hyped as the game to determine who wins the small division of the NUIC.

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