End of game Wausau West vs D.C. Everest football
WAUSAU, WI (EVERYTHING EVERGREENS-93.9 THE GAME) – One outstanding player really can make a difference. Colton Geurink, Wausau West’s star running back, was a difference maker in Friday night.
It wasn’t just his 205 rushing yards. His presence on the field shaped nearly every play when West had the ball. First and goal from the 1, the defense focused on him when his quarterback Jack Bahrens plunged into the end zone. On the ensuing 2-point try, the defense swarmed to Geurink after the snap as his quarterback bootlegged to the far pylon. Those two plays, with 1:37 left in the game, completed West’s comeback and launched the Warriors to a 3-0 start.
There were times when D.C. Everest’s defense stopped Geurink up the middle, but it always took multiple players to get him down. Focusing on him opened up other parts of West’s offense. Three times he was used as a blocking back on the edge, twice for big yardage. Geurink also showed his balance and skill on another long play where he stumbled after getting into the open field, steadied himself with his right hand without going down, and gained another 20 yards. He was the best player on the field, and probably the best offensive player the Evergreens will see all season.
And yet it seemed like a game that Everest lost than West won. The Evergreens offense regressed noticeably in the second half, scoring no points and turning the ball over four times. Every time it seemed as though something good was about to happen, something bad happened. There were two particularly deflating moments. First, Everest went on 4th down and inches while backed up in their own end of the field. They converted, only to throw an interception on an under-thrown ball the very next play. Later in the half Everest recovered a West fumble at the 20-yard-line. The Evergreens gave the ball back two plays later, fumbling in the end zone, on a play that was going to be brought back on a holding penalty.
Several games remaining on Everest’s schedule now look like toss-ups. SPASH and Marshfield are likely to finish the season with winning records. Everest is capable of beating both of them if they play well. They’ll lose to both if they play like they did in the second half. And next week’s game against Appleton West poses its own challenges: first time on the road against a team that got off to a good start, that’s also looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss.
This team has arrived at a crossroads. This week of practice and next Friday’s game will tell us a lot about what the rest of the season will be like.
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