(Cedar Falls, IA) — The season came to an end for Audubon on Wednesday morning as top ranked Bishop Garrigan won in the semifinals 60-36 at the UNI-Dome.
Five turnovers proved too much to overcome for the Wheelers — four of those turnovers turned into golden scoring chances for the Golden Bears.
Garrigan ran only four plays on the opening drive of the game and had to punt but Matthew Joyce uncorked a great boot and rolled to a stop at the Wheelers own 3 yard line. On the very next play, Audubon QB Aiden Kjergaard coughed up the football and BG recovered at the 3. Ethan Marso took it into the end zone on a 1 yard TD to make it 6-0.
Audubon would move down the field on their next possession — it was a 10 play drive and Kjergaard finished it with a 5 yard TD run and a 2 point conversion gave the Wheelers an 8-6 lead.
The Golden Bears answered with a running drive of their own — QB Tate Foertsch had a 20 yard run and at the start of the 2nd quarter Marso got a 2 yard TD plunge to retake a 14-8 lead.
The Wheelers got it back on their own 30 yard line — Carson Wessel converted a 4th and 1 near midfield and that set up Kjergaard who finally got away from the BG defense and raced down the sideline for a 44 yard TD run and that tied the game at 14-14.
Garrigan would try a 4th and 4 at their own 35 yard line but the pass was incomplete and Audubon got great field position. The Wheelers got a first down on 4th and 3 when BG jumped offsides but a few plays later on 4th and 4, Kjergaard tried to shuffle a pass to Weber and Madden Miller read it perfectly for an interception and returned it all the way to the Audubon 26 yard line. Seven plays later Foertsch ran 10 yards into the end zone on a sweep to give BG a 22-14 lead.
With about a minute left in the half, Audubon faced a 3rd down and 4 but the snap went over Kjergaard’s head and he stumbled trying to pick it up and the Bears fell on it at the 6 yard line. Foertsch found Miller for a 6 yard TD pass and Garrigan led 30-14 at the half.
Audubon needed a strong drive to open the third quarter but instead they got a another turnover when Kjergaard had the ball stripped and Garrigan went to the air quickly — Foertsch hit Joyce for a 38 yard TD pass to make it 38-14.
Jorgen Nowatzke returned the kickoff 73 yards for a TD to keep the Wheelers in the game at 38-20 but Garrigan started a time consuming drive all on the ground that ended with a Foertsch 2 yard TD run and it was 44-20 Bears.
Audubon started at their own four yard line and kept it on the ground themselves and Mason Kasperbauer and Kjergaard — Wessel finished it with a 4 yard TD to make it 44-28.
However, Audubon’s defense was gassed and BG kept pounding right at the Wheelers. Foertsch added a 1 yard TD run and on the kickoff, a bad bounce deflected off a Wheelers player and BG recovered it and turned into a 33 yard TD pass from Foertsch to Weston Rosenmeyer. Kjergaard added a short TD run late to finish off the scoring.
Audubon Stats
Aiden Kjergaard 27 carries, 151 yards, 3 TD; 5-9 passing, 42 yards, 1 INT
Mason Kasperbauer 9 carries, 59 yards
Austin Christensen 11 tackles
Bishop Garrigan Stats
Ethan Marso 29 carries, 112 yards, 2 TD
Tate Foertsch 15 carries, 73 yards, 3 TD; 4-5 passing, 80 yards, 3 TD
Box Score, Click HERE
