Twice as nice for Mayer Lutheran

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop's second trip to Mayer Lutheran this season. The first time, it was opening night; the second time, the stakes were much higher. Neither game would go the way of the road Thunderbirds. The Mayer Lutheran Crusaders won back in September, 32-6. With a berth in the Section 2A finals at stake, the Crusaders took the rematch, too – winning 35-12.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Crusaders wasted no time taking control of the game. On the first play from scrimmage, <strong>Jack Grimsley</strong> caught a pass in the flat from quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='246007' first='Levi' last='Hahn']</strong>. Fifty yards later, Mayer was in business. Two plays later, Mayer's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='452174' first='Mason' last='Neitzel']</strong> plunged into the end zone for the game's first touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>GFW moved the ball on their first possession but facing a fourth and short at the Mayer 20, Hahn came off the edge to stuff an off-tackle run – preventing the first down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hahn connected with Grimsley again – this time in spectacular fashion. Hahn rolled to the right and threw back to the left. Grimsley was covered and even drew a pass interference flag but still caught the pass twenty yards. Grimsley would sprint through a huge hole that <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='295966' first='Marcus' last='Johnson']</strong> and <strong>Gavin Lofgren</strong> opened to get the ball down to the one yard line. Hahn would score on the next play to make it a two-score game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Our offensive line is big and can block. Whenever we go play action, a lot of times, it is open because people think we are just run, run, run. When we throw, it is for twenty, thirty yards."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offensive linemen Lofgren and <strong>Brayden Bury</strong> opened a big hole for Grimsley, and his speed did the rest. Sixty-six yards and an extra point later, the Crusaders had built a 21-0 lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We are all just clicking," Grimsley said. "We are starting to play our style of football."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":494587,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/10/Jack-Grimsley.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-494587"/><figcaption>Jack Grimsley</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>GFW is a physical running team, but Mayer had a great plan to stop the running game. More importantly, they had the athletes who could pull it off. Johnson, Lofgren, <strong>Carson Gutknecht</strong>, and Bury rotated in. With one guy on each guard, one guy on the center, and one guy waiting his turn on the sidelines, the four defensive linemen disrupted the inside trap game of the Thunderbirds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A mix of run and pass kept GWF's defense constantly on its' heals, and Neitzel would get the corner for an eight yard touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Down 28-0, GFW put together its first scoring drive via the big play. <strong>Dominic Rose</strong> completed a pass to <strong>Garret Schmidt </strong>for seventy yards. Schmidt ran a deep post pattern, and the pass got tipped by a defender. With nothing but green grass in front of him, Schmidt snagged the tipped ball and sprinted 70 yards inside the five yard line. Schmidt would finish what he started with a four yard touchdown run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Thunderbirds threatened to cut into the Crusaders' lead, but inside the red zone, GWF threw a jump ball toward the goal line, and <strong>Josiah Clark</strong> outjumped the GWF receiver. Clark came down with the ball at the one yard line. Although the offense couldn't get much going, they took valuable time off the clock, and their punt pushed the Thunderbirds thirty yards away from the goal line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>GFW would get into the end zone, but Grimsley would put the game away with a 52 yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to nail down their spot in the section final. The run would be the last points scored in the game – a game Mayer Lutheran would win 35-12.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->