(Atlantic) Kuemper scored 27-points in the second half and topped Atlantic 37-22 in a non-district football game at Atlantic on Friday night.
The Knights piled up 376 yards of offense. D.J. Vonnahme completed 16-of-26 passes for 249-yards and four touchdowns. Trevor Rial caught five passes for 53-yards and two touchdowns.
The Trojans compiled 358 yards of offense. Caden Andersen went 20-33 passing for 220-yards and two touchdowns. Colton Rasmussen caught four passes for 110 yards and one touchdown, and Dante Hedrington carried the ball 19-times for 108 yards to lead the Trojans’ ground attack.
Kuemper picked off an errant Trojan pass at the Trojans’ 33-yard line early in the first quarter. The visitors drove to the home team’s 16-yard line and opted to kick a field goal on a fourth and eight. Tommy Knight came through with a 33-yard boot, and the Knights led 3-0 with 7:41 left.
The Trojans answered with a 17-play 67-yard drive, capped off by a nine-yard pass from Andersen to Carter Pellett. Haden Thompson kicked the extra point, and Atlantic grabbed a 7-3 lead with .22 seconds left in the first period.
Both teams exchanged possessions in the second quarter until the Trojans got their hands on the ball when the Knights failed to convert on a fourth and three at the Trojans’ 24-yard line. With 2:33 left to play, Atlantic mounted a nine-play 66-yard drive, mixing the pass and the run. With 21-seconds left, Dante Hedrington scored from four yards out, and the Trojans converted for two and led 15-10 at the break.
The Trojans’ picked up where they left off to end the first half. Early in the third quarter, Andersen targeted Colton Rasmussen on a 79-yard pass and led 22-10. However, the Knights wouldn’t have it and scored 27-straight points, including a late-game pick-six to salt the game away 37-22.
Vonnahme hooked up with Benjamin Gerken on a 37-yard pass and Carson Kanne on a 31-yard strike to give the Knights a 24-22 lead at the end of three quarters. Midway through the fourth quarter, Vonnahme found Trevor Rial in the corner of the end zone for a 31-22 advantage. The visitors put the icing on the cake with 2:48 to play when Chris Mohr intercepted a Trojan pass and turned it into a pick-six.
The Knights won the turnover battle with two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Atlantic picked off one Kuemper pass in the second half. Kuemper converted on 3 of 14 third-down plays and 3-5 fourth-down situations. Atlantic went 3-6 on third down and one for two on fourth down conversions. Kuemper was penalized five times for 45-yards, Atlantic six times for 40-yards.
The Trojans travel to Shenandoah next Friday night. Kuemper entertains Greene County at Carroll Stadium.
