SPASH rebounds to rout Marshfield
MARSHFIELD - Stevens Point Area Senior High defenders kneeled in the south end zone at Beell Stadium hands interlocked with big smiles all over their faces Friday night.
It was in sharp contrast to the sour expressions etched across each and every player and coach after the scoreboard struck 0:00 a week earlier when Wisconsin Rapids put up 41 points against them.
Marshfield had the misfortune of running into a group of Panthers in a foul mood and determined to bring a nasty attitude on the defensive side of the football.
With little room to run and less space for receivers to roam, the Tigers were limited to 71 yards of total offense by a SPASH unit seeking redemption in a 42-0 Valley Football Association South Division blowout win.
In a fitting coup de grace to a dominant performance, Panthers junior linebacker Alec Borchardt returned a fumble 51 yards for a touchdown to account for the final points.
"(The shutout) was awesome for us. We were really mad, so we used that fire from last week to put up a goose egg this week," SPASH senior linebacker Grant Roth said. "It was just about playing aggressive and keeping our heads on straight and doing our jobs."
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The loss was the third straight and dropped the Tigers to 2-5 overall. In those five setbacks, Marshfield has mustered just 28 points.
SPASH's front seven made it nearly impossible for the Tigers to sustain any sort of consistency on the ground. Workhorse running back Braden Bohman was bottled up for a measly 39 yards on 20 carries.
Meanwhile, Marshfield's quarterback rotation Jared Johnsrud and Ryan Krueger had an even tougher time trying to get things done through the air. When they had enough time to scan the field, the Panthers cornerbacks and safeties smothered the receivers.
The bottom line was the Tigers just couldn't hold their own in the trenches all night.
"We've just got to get some momentum going in our offensive line, and do something there" Marshfield coach Dennis Goettl said. "We run for five yards and can't break anything. We have no explosive plays. It's tough. Jimmys and Joes man.
"Shucks man, in the past we beat them and it was battles and rivalries. It's just that the pendulum is swinging."
SPASH got back on the right track after a wake-up call in the battle for the Ol' River Jug.
Senior quarterback Beau Rosenthal showed the Panthers have some weapons in the passing attack. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 143 yards in the first half alone.More importantly, He connected with Joey Hauser and Gus Turner-Zicks on scoring passes of 3 and 17, respectively.
Rosenthal finished with 192 yards through the air and three touchdowns. He added an 11-yard hook up with Brandon Patoka, who also found the end zone from a yard out. Turner-Zick contributed a 24-yard TD scamper in an efficient ground attack. Colton Kizewski gained 62 yards on seven attempts to lead the way.
"It was a good bounce back game and we had a lot of good things go our way. We had a lot of good playmakers out here tonight," Panthers coach Pete McAdams said. "It was awesome defensively, and to get a scoop and score is exciting. I'm just happy for the kids right now.
"It's a young Marshfield that's struggling in the win column right now. This is a good football program here and they'll get things turned around."
Scott A. Williams can be reached at 715-345-2282, or by email at ssswilliam@stevenspoint.gannett.com. Find him on Twitter as @SPJScottWill