Friday Night Lights are back! ~Even though the Pioneers have played on two different Saturdays to start their season. The Pioneers are 1-1 after losing their first game with a score of 0-48 against a mature Bridger football team. The Pioneers then turned around, played North Toole, and beat them 51-7 this past Saturday night. Both games have been away, but the Pioneers bring home the action against Hot Springs this Friday. So come out and support these boys as they give it all they got on the field.
Karter Jurenka started the Pioneers off with a solid run against Bridger after going down by a quick 6 points. Wes Cox had some great passes to Quinn Rodewald and Eyon Sherburn in the first quarter, but unfortunately, some missed tackles and errors on the field put the Pioneers down by 24 in the first quarter.
Wes had another nice pass to Quinn for 15 yards after Bridger scored again to start the quarter. Karter and Wes also had some big tackles on defense. Ty Terry and Aidan Morsette also had some nice runs for some good yards for the Pioneers, but the Pioneers ended up going down 0-48 by the end of the 3rd quarter.
The fourth quarter was a running clock, so it went by very quickly, with not many opportunities for the Pioneers to get some points on the board. Dolan Sunchild and Warren Hartley had nice tackles. Jaxon Jones had some nice yards on a punt return, and Karter Jurenka had a nice 45-yard punt to pin Bridger deep in their territory. Quinn had a nice tackle before Bridger kneeled to run the time off the clock to end the game.
Following their game against Bridger, the Pioneers headed to Sunburst to play North Toole. Here, the team showed significant offensive improvements, with several Pioneers scoring and contributing to a much better game. Despite some technical issues with the video, the game’s highlights are a testament to the team’s progress:
Wes Cox ran for a 45-yard touchdown on the game’s first offensive play. Karter Jurenka scored on several touchdown runs, and Quinn had a nice throw for a touchdown pass to Aidan Morsette late in the game. Ryder Galbavy had a great game, blocking exceptionally well on offense.
When I asked Coach Taylor for his thoughts on the game, he was full of praise. He said, “The boys played great. It started with the junior high kids, who did really well in their first game. It’s always a joy to watch those young kids play. The high school boys had a good week of practice and played good team football. Having Ryder back on the offensive and defensive line was a big boost. Quinn Rodewald’s performance as quarterback was commendable, allowing Karter and Wes more offensive opportunities. It was a great defensive game from start to finish.” This positive feedback from the coach should reassure us of the team’s capabilities.
So come on out Friday and cheer those Pioneers on!
