Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School junior Jacob Banker tries to break a tackle during the Bears’ 19-7 victory over Peshtigo. Banker finished the game with 68 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School defenders Wyatt Erb (25) and Seth Matz (77) chase down Peshtigo quarterback Justin Thill in the first half of Bonduel’s 19-7 victory Friday.
On four occasions, the Bonduel defense recorded red zone turnovers to preserve the Bears’ lead in a 19-7 victory over Peshtigo in a nonconference matchup Friday at home.
With BHS holding a 13-7 lead with five minutes left in the second quarter, sophomore Isaac Garside picked off Peshtigo quarterback Justin Thill at the 3-yard line and returned it 21 yards to get the Bears out of trouble.
After a Bonduel three and out on the opening possession of the second half, the Bulldogs again drove down into the Bonduel red zone. On fourth and one at the 7-yard line, the ball was snapped over the head of quarterback Riley Reif, who had to jump on the ball to prevent the Bonduel defense from scoring.
“We’ve just got to come up with something in the red zone when we’re down in there,” Peshtigo head coach Eric Seyler said.
Bonduel’s success on defense is a marked change from last season, when head coach James Westrich thought the team gave up too many points.
“When we give ourselves a chance on fourth down to get off the field, we need to get off the field,” Westrich said.
When the Bulldogs moved the ball late in the contest, the Bonduel defensive line was able to get a push into the backfield to contain the threat, with Peshtigo twice turning the ball over on downs.
Westrich credited the success to the team’s depth in the line.
“We have a lot of depth there, and it came in handy tonight in the fourth quarter,” Westrich said. “We started rotating guys in there more.”
Freshman Jared Jandt gave the Bulldogs an early lead when he took the opening kickoff 65 yards. The points were the first allowed this season by Bonduel (2-0), which shut out Crivitz 41-0 in the season opener.
“It was kind of good for us. We worked on it, but our kids didn’t really understand the importance of their roles and stuff like that,” Westrich said of his kickoff coverage unit. “So that was a good wake-up call for our kickoff team, and I think they adjusted well after that.”
Bonduel, which was playing in its first home game since Halloween 2014, responded to the opening score with a 68-yard drive, helped by a 30-yard rush by Jordan Boldt down the left side and Jacob Banker taking the ball down to the 20-yard line on a 10-yard carry.
The 3-minute, 31-second drive was capped by Eli Mastey’s 2-yard run for the score.
Boldt, known for his speed at running back, found Brandon Olsen open on a deep corner route for a 34-yard gain in the first half, catching the Peshtigo defense off-guard.
Four plays later, Parker Bohm found Olsen cutting across the middle for a 13-yard catch on 4th and 11. Boldt would be the beneficiary, scoring on a 6-yard run up the middle to give Bonduel the lead.
“I’m really happy with the way he’s running his routes and going after the ball when it’s up there,” Westrich said of Olsen. “Last year, he waited for passes to come, and now he’s going to get them. Our quarterbacks did a great job staying patient and finding the open man.”
Ahead 13-7 with the clock ticking down in the third quarter, the Bears put on the only scoring possession of the second half.
Sophomore quarterback Parker Bohm found Brandon Olsen for a 17-yard catch to get Bonduel into a scoring situation, and Jordan Boldt, playing quarterback for one play on the drive, found Eli Mastey right at the goal line for a 6-yard score and the 19-7 lead.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Bohm cramped up, but the offense continued to run the ball through the Peshtigo defense, eating away the valuable time remaining in the contest.
Boldt finished the game with 75 yards on the ground, with Banker adding 68.
Olsen finished the game with 83 receiving yards on five catches. Bohm was 4 of 9 passing for 49 yards.
Jandt led Peshtigo (1-1) in rushing with 89 yards. Thill had 32 yards passing.
Peshtigo felt good about the way it played. Too many mistakes in the red zone ended up costing the Bulldogs the game.
“We played them fairly well,” Seyler said. “Like I told the kids, we had little bounces, little things that didn’t go our way.”
Bonduel 19, Peshtigo 7
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Peshtigo 7 0 0 0 7
Bonduel 7 6 6 0 19
First quarter
P: Jared Jandt 65-yard kick return (PAT good) 0-7 (11:46).
B: Eli Mastey 2-yard run (PAT good) 7-7 (8:15).
Second quarter
B: Jordan Boldt 6-yard run (PAT blocked) 13-7 (7:43).
Third quarter
B: Mastey 6-yard reception from Boldt (conversion missed) 19-7 (1:24).
Fourth quarter
No scoring