Football: Menominee Indian stifled in loss to A-B

Turnovers prove costly for hosts
By: 
Morgan Rode
Sports Editor

KESHENA — The battle of the Eagles did not go in the favor of Menominee Indian, as Almond-Bancroft eased to a 42-0 Central Wisconsin Conference-Small Division victory on Friday.

Almond-Bancroft got off to a quick start, scoring on a long touchdown pass just four offensive plays into the game.

Things didn’t go as smoothly for Menominee Indian on its opening possession, as a holding penalty on second down put the hosts in a tough spot. Menominee Indian dropped a pass on third down before an incomplete pass on fourth down.

Almond-Bancroft then pushed the ball down the field behind its running game before a costly fourth-down pass interference penalty by Menominee Indian extended the drive. The visitors eventually capped the drive with a rushing score.

Menominee Indian picked up a first down on its next drive but eventually turned the ball over on a backwards pass. Almond-Bancroft ended the next drive with another rushing score to go ahead 21-0.

A turnover ended Menominee Indian’s next possession as well, as a high snap on fourth down turned into a long defensive touchdown after a fumble recovery by Almond-Bancroft.

After a Menominee Indian punt, the hosts finally got the big play on defense that they were searching for, as senior Raymond Fish read a screen play perfectly, intercepted the pass and started sprinting toward the end zone.

As Almond-Bancroft players closed in to make the tackle, Fish tried to tuck the football away in the opposite arm he’d been carrying the ball in, and the visitors punched it out and fell on top of the ball to regain possession. To top the play off, Menominee Indian was flagged after the whistle blew, putting Almond-Bancroft back just 20 yards from where they started the play prior.

The tough break is one of several Menominee Indian has encountered over the past two weeks. After a season-opening nonconference win, Menominee Indian has been outscored 101-0 in two CWC-Small games since.

“Offensively, we are very inconsistent right now,” said Menominee Indian coach Chris Clache. “We’re not putting together drives, we’re not finishing drives, not finishing blocks. Defensively, we are a lot more advanced in that area, but we spend so much time on defense that it gets hard to stop anything.”

Almond-Bancroft took advantage of the host’s fumble, scoring to go up 35-0.

Menominee Indian had a promising drive going in the final minute of the half after back-to-back nice runs from senior Pasen Waupoose, but a fumble wiped out the scoring opportunity.

The hosts turned in a much better performance in the second half, with the defense making plays in the backfield and the offense getting into a bit of a rhythm.

Senior Tiger Dixon made a couple of tackles behind the line of scrimmage on defense before connecting with freshman Andre Corn and Waupoose on the offensive end.

Dixon completed 11 passes in the game for 89 yards. Corn was on the receiving end of eight of those passes, totaling 51 receiving yards. Corn also finished with 11 tackles.

Waupoose rushed for 41 yards on just 11 carries, proving to be a tough customer to bring down. He also had eight tackles.

Menominee Indian will look to rebound next week in another CWC-Small battle with Wild Rose on Friday.

Almond-Bancroft 14 21 0 7

Menominee Indian 0 0 0 0

First quarter

AB: Elijah Kollock 43-yard pass from Daniel Baumgarter (Kenny Gaspar-Diaz kick), 10:10

AB: Baumgarter 10-yard run (Gaspar-Diaz kick), 3:00

Second quarter

AB: Matthew Lukas 14-yard run (Gaspar-Diaz kick), 9:27

AB: Jackson Beggs 45-yard fumble return (Gaspar-Diaz kick), 6:31

AB: Beggs 9-yard run (Gaspar-Diaz kick), 1:59

Fourth quarter

AB: Preston Knutson 4-yard run (Gaspar-Diaz kick), 5:26

sports@newmedia-wi.com