Bears struggle to finish drives

With both Bonduel and Iola-Scandinavia relying heavily on the run, it was three explosive plays by the Thunderbirds that made up the difference in a 27-14 loss for the Bears at home.

Bonduel had a fumbled exchange on its second play of the game, which led to a Jayden Sivertson 55-yard fumble recovery for a score, his first of TDs on the night. Sivertson would rush for a 41-yard score later in the first quarter, and then a 41-yard halfback pass to Jonathan Block in the third quarter gave the Thunderbirds its final score of the game against the stingy Bonduel defense.

“We battled tooth and nail to get yards here today, and we were able to get some big plays,” Iola-Scandinavia head coach Scott Erickson said. “And that was the difference in this game — the big plays.”

The Bears fumbled on their first two possessions of the game and again in the fourth quarter, leading to 14 points off turnovers for the Thunderbirds.

Bonduel failed to convert a fourth and 4 at the 28-yard line with just over seven minutes remaining in the game while trying to close the gap on the 13-point deficit, giving Iola-Scandinavia a chance to run down the clock.

“If we want to be a great football team, we have to do what we can control, and that’s not have penalties, not turn the ball over, the little things we stress every day,” Bonduel head coach James Westrich said. “If we want to be a great team, you can’t beat yourselves, and we did that a lot tonight.”

The Thunderbirds would impose their will on the final drive, moving the ball 47 yards, but using the duration of the clock to prevent the Bears from getting the ball back.

The Bears had a chance to come back, facing a fourth and five at the 22-yard line with nearly eight minutes left in the game, quarterback Parker Bohm found Brandon Olsen in the endzone, but Olsen’s left foot landed out of bounds, giving the ball back to the Thunderbirds.

“We didn’t make the plays we needed to, and we had too many mistakes,” Westrich said.

Bonduel’s second fumble of the night would come on its second possession of the game in the red zone, but Sivertson would gift the ball back to the Bears by throwing an interception to Wyatt Erb at the Iola-Scandinavia 22-yard line. The Bears would turn that into their first score of the game just three plays later when Eli Mastey when 12 yards for the TD.

The Bears would fumble for the third time late in the third quarter, which led to Iola-Scandinavia putting its final points on the board.

The Bears (3-1, 1-1 Central Wisconsin Conference-8) used their passing attack, which showed promise throughout the first half to pull back ahead after the long Siverston score. A Thunderbird defender jumped a short route, leaving Olsen wide open down the left sideline. Bohm would hit him in stride for the 67-yard touchdown with 2:40 remaining in the first quarter for a 14-13 lead.

Iola-Scandinavia (4-0, 2-0 CWC-8) had a chance to extend its lead prior to halftime, but Kyle Jobke pushed a 37-yard field goal wide right as the Thunderbirds held to the 20-14 advantage.

Mastey would finish the game with 78 rushing yards, while Jacob Banker tallied 62. Olsen had three catches for 115 yards on the night, and Bohm completed five passes for 149 yards in total.

The Thunderbirds were led on the ground by Sivertson, who had 81 yards, and Bryce Huettner, who recorded 67 yards.

Iola-Scandinavia 27, Bonduel 14

Team 1 2 3 4 F

Iola-Scandinavia 13 7 7 0 27

Bonduel 14 0 0 0 14

First quarter

I-S: Jayden Siverston 55-yard fumble recovery (PAT blocked) 6-0 (9:49).

B: Eli Mastey 12-yard run (PAT good) 6-7 (4:57).

I-S: Sivertson 41-yard run (PAT good) 13-7 (3:59).

B: Brandon Olsen 67-yard reception from Parker Bohm (PAT good) 13-14 (2:40).

Second quarter

I-S: Sivertson 2-yard run (PAT good) 20-14 (6:23).

Third quarter

I-S: Jonathan Bauer 41-yard reception from Bryce Huettner (PAT good) 27-14.

Fourth quarter

No scoring