Bulldogs see improvements as season ends at 3-5

IOWA FALLS – It showed just how much the Bulldog football team has grown this season in their 28-18 Class 2A playoff loss to Iowa Falls-Alden on Friday, Oct. 16.

Just four weeks previous, coach Andy Bruemmer’s team dropped a 39-20 district game to the Cadets.

It didn’t look like the same team.

“We kept fighting and fighting,” Bruemmer said, “and the guys, that’s what I love about this team, I don’t think I saw them give up all year. They just kept going and tonight we were down two touchdowns and we had a dive at the end to get the score.”

Bruemmer indicated the final touchdown of the 2020 season, an eight-yard pass from Cal Heeren to Zayden Erdman with seven seconds remaining that was knocked free after he gained possession over the goal line.

“It was amazing,” Bruemmer said, “that catch by Zayden Erdman, one of the smallest kids out on the field and he grabs a great ball, has control over the end zone, gets hit, comes out. The rule is, he has control, so it’s a touchdown.

“It just shows the grit that he has and the whole team is that way.”

The Bulldogs trailed 14-0 before an IF-A turnover, a Tate Schmitt fumble recovery, led to a score on a Mario De La Cruz catch from Heeren. In the third quarter, De La Cruz picked up a Samuel Off fumble and returned it 26 yards as the visitors came within two at 14-12 with 7:18 left in the third. The two-point conversion pass attempt failed to keep the Bulldogs in a deficit.

David Cornejo also stripped Karson Sharar of the ball, but the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on that turnover.

The Cadets added two more scores to lead 28-12 at the start of the fourth quarter with one of two touchdown runs by Sharar and one of two pass receptions by Blake Janssen before the final tally by the Bulldogs made it final.

After it was over, hugs were given all around to the outgoing seniors.

“I’m not going to worry about the score tonight,” Bruemmer said of what he told those who are graduating from the program. “They just kept fighting and going and would not give up and that’s the best thing about this group of kids. We didn’t have the most talent in the world, but we had great kids who worked hard and the seniors are something special.”

A lot of talent does remain from a team that has seen more success than it has in the previous three years combined.

“We’ll have a competition at every single spot,” Bruemmer said. “The future starts next week, getting in the weight room and getting themselves prepared for the next year, next season, whether it is basketball or wrestling, if they do that; and if they don’t then start looking at the weight room, making themselves bigger and stronger.”

A lot of the skill positions and a few linemen will work to improve on 2020 next Fall.

“Heartbreak that we came up short,” Bruemmer said, “and we’ve got to get to work for next year.”

H-D              0       6       6       6        -     18

IF-A             7       7       7       7        -     28

TEAM STATISTICS

                                            H-D            IF-A

First downs                           NA             NA

Rushes-yards                   22-42       55-249

Passing                               201            151

Comp-att-int                  19-28-1      10-19-0

Punts-avg.                          2-36        4-40.8

Fumbles-lost                         4-3             1-1

Penalties-yards                     NA             NA

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – H-D, Logan Pfeffer 9-32-0, Bryan Flores 5-26-0, Cal Heeren 8-(16)-0. IF-A, Karson Sharar 35-219-2, Samuel Off 11-29-0, Gabe Hadwiger 4-5-0, Blake Janssen 5-(4)-0. PASSING – H-D, Heeren 19-28-201-2-1. IF-A, Off 9-18-119-2-0, Blake Janssen 1-1-32-0-0. RECEIVING – H-D, Tate Schmitt 4-73-0, Mario De La Cruz 6-45-1, Max O’Dell 3-30-0, Benji Sauke 2-27-0, Zayden Erdman 2-15-1, Marco Guerrero 1-10-0, Jordan Severs 1-1-0. TACKLES – H-D, De La Cruz 12-17-2, Schmitt 7-10.5-5, Guerrero 5-6-0, David Cornejo 1-5-0, Kale Folkerts 2-5-0, Pfeffer 3-4-1, Alex Koch 2-4-0, Payton McNealy 1-3.5-1, Bryan Flores 2-3-0. IF-A, Gage Pohlman 5-6-0, Nic Warrington 5-6-1, Mead Tomash 4-4.5-0, Gavin Cutler 4-4-1, Sharar 2-3.5-0, Rafe Bessman 3-3.5-0, Off 3-3-0, Mason Kent 3-3-0. SACKS – H-D, Schmitt. IF-A, Warrington, Camden Stalzer, Cutler. FUMBLE RECOVERIES – H-D, De La Cruz 1-26-1, Cornejo 1-4-0, Schmitt 1-0-0. IF-A, Tomash 1-0-0. INTERCEPTIONS – H-D, None. IF-A, Janssen 1-0-0.