Home Sports Football Broncos Celebrate Homecoming – Stun #6 Sandhills-Thedford

Broncos Celebrate Homecoming – Stun #6 Sandhills-Thedford

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Adversity is something that the Stuart Bronco football team is used to. Battling through injuries, inexperience, and a tough district are just a couple of the challenges. The greatest part about sports is when you can show people what you are made of and come out victorious even against top teams. The Broncos were picked to lose to #6 Sandhills-Thedford when they stepped onto their home turf on a beautiful Saturday “Knight”. The outcome was an encouraging and satisfying one.

Stuart has struggled with getting running lanes this year, but the offensive line continues to grow and improve vastly as each game continues. The line showed their improvement pretty quickly opening up a huge gap as quarterback Tate Schmaderer raced for a 60 yard touchdown on the 2nd play of the game. The Broncos defense dug in their cleats and forced Sandhills-Thedford to punt early a couple of times before finally breaking into the end zone to tie it up at 6. The second quarter featured a couple of great drives by the Broncos. Bronco running back Conner Paxton bounced back in a big way and dragged defenders for extra yards all night wearing down the Sandhills defense. He busted into the end zone for a 4 yard catch and busted a 38 yard grab for paydirt. Stuart took a 22-6 advantage on a 2 point catch by Micah Dexter. Sandhills-Thedford quickly answered as sophomore Riggin Anderson sprinted 52 yards for the lone second quarter score for the Knights. The score was 22-14 in the Broncos favor heading into halftime. Buckle Up.

Stuart held steady against the Knights powerful offensive lineHalftime is an extremely important time in the game. It is important to keep focus and stay loose for the final stretch. Sandhills-Thedford and running back Colby Collier came out with determination. The Bronco defense had helped keep Collier and star quarterback Jacey Nutter in check for most of the first half. It’s a tough thing to stop a team that averages 45 points a game. The Knights came out with two quick touchdowns and slugged their way to a 28-22 lead. The young Broncos needed to refocus and they surged back with senior running back Micah Dexter heading into the end zone. Big blocks by Guard Kale Krysl, Center Andrew Olson, and Left Guard Isaac Steinhauser helped lead the Broncos to 320 yards on the ground. The game was tied up at 28 until Sandhills put together another good drive and found the end zone for a 34 to 28 leading into the 4th quarter.

12 minutes to decide a winner. The most important quarter and nobody knows more about the 4th quarter then the Bronco football team. Victorious in two 4th quarter games already proved them battle-tested. The Bronco offense continued to pound down the much strong Sandhills defense as Micah Dexter slid into the end zone for a game-tying touchdown. Conner Paxton came through again in the clutch on a huge two point conversion as the Broncos slipped ahead 36-34 with 9 minutes remaining. A quick stop by the resurgent Broncos defense put the Knights in a tough spot. With only 2 minutes left, the Broncos drove all the way down to their own 1 yard line, but came up short. Big passes by Nutter put the Broncos in a tough position. Tremendous stops by Andrew Olson and Trey Thornburg helped the Broncos stop the Knights from scoring and taking the lead. Great coverage by junior corner Franklin Fessler and senior Tate Schmaderer forced a big Sandhills receiver to only catch one pass on the night.

The Broncos (3-0) will move onto face the Wausa Vikings in their next battle. The Knights and Broncos may match up again later on in the D2 playoffs as both teams continue their seasons. Stuart also welcomed back junior noseguard Christopher VanMeter who had been recovering from a knee injury. Staying healthy will be a key factor as the Broncos continue to turn heads and pile up victories.

If you have an athlete or team that you want to be recognized send us their information.  We’d love to do a story about them.

 


Tate Schmaderer, Student Writer
Stuart High School

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