APPLETON, WI (EVERYTHING EVERGREENS-93.9FM THE GAME) – It wasn’t an easy or a pretty win. There were costly injuries and too many penalties. But the losing streak is over, and the team left Appleton with a chance to get its season back on-track.
The key moment came on the play after Everest’s quarterback Beau Svoke was injured late in the second quarter. Junior Jack Bobinski came in, and his first pass fluttered towards the left sideline. It was intercepted, run back 28-yards for a touchdown, and suddenly Everest’s lead was cut to 14-10. Everest added a touchdown just before halftime, and went to the locker room with an 11-point lead.
And there the game sat for the entire 3rd quarter. Everest opened the half with a fumble near mid-field that was reminiscent of last week’s struggles. Appleton West possessed the ball three times with chances to make it a one-score game, but got no closer. Everest finally secured the victory after Ty Strehlow converted a fake punt into a first down. One play later Nick Cotter ran 9-yards for a touchdown early in the 4th to put the game out of reach. The Evergreens scored once more, and came home with a 35-10 victory of the Terrors.
The Evergreens made things harder than it had to be. Twice during the game Everest’s defense appeared to have a third down stop only to allow West to keep the ball. West was able to scramble for a first down on a bad snap on a punt on the first possession of the game. Their offense came back on the field, drove to the 1 yard line, before being stopped by two defensive goal-line stands and a false start penalty. The drive led to a field goal. Everest’s defense was also left on the field in the 3rd quarter, when a drive continued after a 3rd down incompletion on a roughing the passer penalty. The continued drive didn’t produce any points for Appleton. The Evergreens committed 9 penalties, 8 were holds or personal fouls.
Appleton West is a younger team that’s still a year away from playing its best football. Their quarterback, featured runner, and best receiver are all juniors. Their two best offensive lineman are also underclassmen. They’ll be a handful when these teams play next year. West’s defense got tired late in the game, and the rushing yards came easier for Everest in the 4th quarter. Everest won the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
Injuries appeared to be costly. Svoke was hurt on a play where he was scrambling, and then was hit on a personal foul after he was out-of-bounds. He needed help to get off the field, and didn’t walk under his own power for the rest of the game. He’ll be evaluated this weekend. Simon Witt was also hurt while making a defensive play in the second half. He was also unable to get to his feet after an apparent lower-body injury.
Everest’s next two games (Marshfield at home this Friday, and SPASH on the road in week six) are against traditional rivals with winning records. These are the games that will determine whether the Evergreens will have a successful season. The games will be meaningful because Everest managed to end its losing streak on the road last night. They’ll need to take another step forward in the second half of their season.
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