Jason Arndt, jarndt@shawanoleader.com
Gillett Secondary School’s Monte Noffke continued his scorching run in the Tigers’ 49-7 victory against visiting Tigerton/Marion on Thursday.
The senior halfback scored two rushing touchdowns to give him seven TDs in the first two games.
The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Noffke scored five touchdowns in the season-opening 62-0 win Friday at Lakeland Union High School in Minocqua.
“I think that added strength has allowed him to break away. He is going to be the workhorse this year,” said Gillett coach Rick Kamps.
Noffke scored twice in the second quarter on 3-yard runs. He finished with 84 yards on nine carries, raising his rushing total to 263 in two games.
Senior Alex Zeitler led the Tigers’ passing attack with four completions for 91 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown toss to senior Akeem Bates early in the second quarter.
Zeitler also demonstrated the ability to be agile out of the pocket, with an 18-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Tigerton/Marion coach Mark Fredy knew the Thundercats would be challenged by Gillett (2-0) and Noffke.
“I remember him from last year and he was very elusive,” Fredy said.
Despite the Thundercats’ loss, Fredy said his team has made progress since the 53-0, season-opening loss to Manawa.
“We made some strides, we are not where we need to be, but we will continue to get better as the year goes on,” he said.
Tigerton/Marion (0-2) marched down to the red zone late in the game but coughed up a fumble, leading to an 80-yard touchdown by senior defensive back Evan Bubolz.
The Thundercats scored their sole touchdown late in the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by the team’s leading rusher Donald Beechy. Beechy had 87 yards on 17 carries.
“I thought our kids came out and played well, and offensively, we were able to move the ball more than what we were able to compared to last week,” Fredy said.