GLADBROOK- For the second year in a row, Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s football season ended with a tough loss to Easton Valley at The Pit, this time by a score of 55-0 in the Round of 16 in the Eight Man playoffs.
Despite the lopsided final score, the previously undefeated Rebels (9-1) were right in the game for most of the first half but struggled to get anything going offensively.
“We really came out and were a physical team. We fought really hard,” G-R coach John Olson said. “We had a couple plays in the first half, maybe three, four or five plays where maybe we come out with a pass, maybe we squeak through a hole, and we didn’t come up with the play, for whatever reason. But we definitely tried every play in our playbook to make that happen.”
G-R, which finished with just 38 yards of total offense, went three and out on its opening drive, and Easton Valley (9-1) got all the way down to the two-yard line before an errant snap pushed them all the way back to the 24. Quarterback Conor Gruver was stopped at the eight on a fourth and goal, and the Rebels regained possession.
Isaac Clark fumbled on the ensuing G-R drive, and the Riverhawks recovered with a short field at the Rebels 10-yard line. Three plays later, senior Porter Fuegen scored from a yard out, and after a missed kick, Easton Valley led 6-0.
After a G-R three and out, a Riverhawk turnover on downs, and another Rebel three and out, Easton Valley struck again in the second quarter when running back Kolton Murphy broke multiple tackles to score from 20 yards out. A Carson Fuegen two-point catch made the score 14-0.
“With that touchdown or without that touchdown, we act the same way in the locker room… Maybe we get fired up. Maybe we can energize a little bit more, but our kids do a really good job of not getting too excited about a great play and not getting too low on a bad play,” Olson said.
Both teams traded unproductive drives until a partially blocked punt set the Rebels up at the Easton Valley 12-yard line thanks to a 30-yard Keagan Giesking return. Two plays later, however, Porter Fuegen intercepted a pass in the end zone, and the Riverhawks went into halftime ahead 14-0.
Easton Valley pulled away quickly in the second half thanks to long touchdowns from Porter Fuegen and Murphy and a 31-yard pass to Carson Fuegen, establishing a commanding 41-0 lead by the end of the third.
Porter Fuegen added his fourth and final rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Murphy, who finished with 211 yards rushing, added one more to round out the scoring for Easton Valley.
The Rebels finished with negative yards passing and just 39 yards rushing, and Giesking led the way with 22 carries for 26 yards. The Riverhawks, on the other hand, dominated on the ground with 311 yards rushing and another 137 yards through the air, as Fuegen and Murphy combined for seven touchdowns.
Giesking also anchored the Rebel defense with 11 total tackles. The Rebels ended their season 9-1, and Friday’s game was the last hurrah for seniors Giesking, Danny Gleissner, Connor Engel, Cole Engel, Auston Wittgreve and Casey Knaack.
“We were 9-0 before this game, and there’s only one other team at G-R that was ever 9-0. No matter what the schedule, no matter who you play, there was only one other team here who was 9-0,” Olson said. “We’ve had some pretty successful teams here, and we’re proud of that.”
