Down to the Wire: Springfield vs. Martin County West
Jake Evans
On Friday, Springfield played for a chance to return to the State tournament, while MCW was playing for their first chance. The unbeaten Tigers struck first with a 9 yard pass from Decker Scheffler to Ivan Hovland. Springfield would add on a 23 yard field goal from Mark Peschges to round the first half at 10-0. In the second half, Springfield struck again with a well-executed flea flicker which resulted in a 44 yard touchdown pass from Scheffler to Jordan Toll. MCW finally got on the board in the third with a Jaxson Rohman 7 yard run, sparking a comeback. Raine Stade would make a catch and get stripped at the 1, teammate Miles Fitzgerald pounced on the ball to seal the score at 17-14. Late in the fourth quarter, Wyatt Geistfeld tossed a 16 yard dime to Zach Anderson for the lead at 21-17. Too much time was left on the clock, a little over two minutes, as Scheffler hit Nolan Hovland for a 6 yard touchdown with 15 seconds left on the clock. The Tiger defense held and Springfield made it back to the State Tournament.
Players Highlighted from Springfield:
Quarterback- Decker Scheffler throws a good ball to a talented group of receivers and is a running threat.
Running Back/Linebacker- Mason Rummel ran the ball hard and picked up good chunks of yardage each drive.
Running Back/Linebacker- Kadin Johnson was the speed back of the duo, but still dished out contact and was hard to bring down.
Offensive/Defensive Lineman- Curtis Tauer anchored the line on both sides.
Players Highlighted from MCW:
Quarterback- Wyatt Geistfeld ran the offense well to keep them in the game and get them the lead.
Running Back- Jaxson Rohman ran the ball hard with speed and power, gained positive yards on almost every play.
Defensive Back- Connor Simmonds played excellent defense making multiple tackles.
Linebacker- Payton Anderson flew around the field and played the run great.
Wide Receiver- Derek Dunlop was the reliable receiver and made the plays to keep the offense moving downfield.
Linebacker- Miles Fitzgerald was also a great tackler for the defense.
