This story is sponsored by: WDLB-AM 1450 and WOSQ-FM 92.3 radio
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
SPENCER – Just two offensive plays into the game, the Spencer/Columbus Catholic football team found the end zone.
Noah Zastrow’s 52-yard touchdown run set a tone that wouldn’t change as the Rockets dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and rolled to a 48-0 shutout of Colby in a Cloverbelt Conference matchup Friday night at Spencer High School.
Calvin Lenz threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and Hunter Luepke had 137 yards rushing and a touchdown to lead the Rockets’ attack.
Spencer/Columbus improves to 4-0 overall and in the Cloverbelt after outgaining Colby (1-3, 1-2 Cloverbelt) 478-98.
“Both the offensive and defensive lines controlled the line of scrimmage,” Spencer/Columbus coach Jason Gorst said. “There was a lot of execution on both sides of the ball. Right now, Max Johnson and Elijah Welsh, the two guards in our offense, are as impressive as you can get. They are hard on themselves and continue to try to get better.”
S/C scored touchdowns on seven of its first eight possessions, and none of the scoring drives took more than seven plays.
Luepke had a 61-yard TD run late in the first quarter, and Lenz threw all three of his touchdown passes in the second quarter. Lenz hit Ryan Busse for 18 yards, Austin Post for 20 yards, and Hunter Hildebrandt for 12 yards.
Welsh intercepted a pass and then turned to tailback, where he ran twice to cover the final 14 yards, the second run a 1-yard touchdown.
Lenz had a 1-yard touchdown run to cap a seven-play, 75-yard drive to start the second half, and cap the scoring.
“Our running backs played a heck of a game, we passed the ball well, but basically it all comes down to our offensive line,” Lenz said. “Those guys bust their butts and set everything up, sealing the edge. They make our running backs look good. They are good athletes, but our line is doing an outstanding job.”
Spencer/Columbus plays at Cadott on Sept. 18 before a big matchup on Sept. 26 at Eau Claire Regis. Regis looks to be the biggest threat to S/C and its quest for a conference title. However, Gorst isn’t taking anything for granted.
“There’s a lot of tough games left on the schedule and there are a lot of things that we need to continue to improve on,” Gorst said.
Rockets 48, Hornets 0
Colby 0 0 0 0 – 0
Spencer/Columbus 14 28 6 0 – 48
First Quarter
SC – Noah Zastrow 52 run (run failed), 11:13.
SC – Hunter Luepke 61 run (Luepke run), 3:47.
Second Quarter
SC – Ryan Busse 18 pass from Calvin Lenz (Luepke run), 10:18.
SC – Austin Post 20 pass from Lenz (Luepke kick), 8:22.
SC – Elijah Welsh 1 run (kick blocked), 6:59.
SC – Hunter Hildebrandt 12 pass from Lenz (Luepke kick), 1:16.
Third Quarter
SC – Lenz 1 run (kick blocked), 3:09.
Team Statistics
First downs: Colby 6; Spencer/Columbus 12.
Rushing (att-yards): Colby 37-85; Spencer/Columbus 35-377.
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): Colby 2-11-13-1; Spencer/Columbus 5-8-101-0.
Penalties (no.-yards): Colby none; Spencer/Columbus 4-23.
Fumbles (total-lost): Colby 2-0; Spencer/Columbus none.
Punting (no.-avg.): Colby 4-38.8; Spencer/Columbus 2-21.5.
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Colby, Tyton Raatz 11-32, Dylan Leffel 7-28, Dereck Hanson 1-12, Mathew Karl 1-9, Kane Stassburger 3-6, Christian Botello 3-5, Logan Uhlig 1-4, Trevor Stuttgen 1-2, Brandon Lea 2-2, Nate Meyer 1-minus 2, Nolan Derrico 5-minus 3, Christian Raasch 1-minus 10. SC, Hunter Luepke 8-137, Noah Zastrow 8-91, Calvin Lenz 6-48, Jonny Tomke 3-41, Jon Bauer 3-19, Hunter Hildebrandt 2-19, Elijah Welsh 2-14, Adam Walter 2-1, Collin Nieman 1-minus 3.
Passing: Colby, N. Derrico 1-5-13-1, Stuttgen 1-3-2-0, Lea 0-3-0-0. SC, Lenz 5-8-101-0.
Receiving: C, Leffel 1-13, Raatz 1-2. SC, Hildebrandt 2-24, Tim Bauer 1-39, Austin Post 1-20, Ryan Busse 1-18.
Interceptions (defense): SC, Welsh.
Punting: C, Raatz 4-38.8. SC, Caden Schillinger 2-21.5.
Records: Colby 1-3, 1-2 Cloverbelt Conference; Spencer/Columbus 4-0 overall and Cloverbelt Conference.