Turnovers help Mustangs pull away from Wildcats

A couple of Blair-Taylor turnovers in the third quarter turned what had been a competitive game into a lopsided loss last week.

While they missed opportunities earlier in the game, the Wildcats had a chance to make the game interesting before a couple of turnovers put Melrose-Mindoro in scoring position and the home team capitalized to break the game open. The Mustangs scored three touchdowns in the third quarter as they went on for a 41-14 win.

The loss put B-T at 0-3 on the season with all three losses coming by at least 25 points. They’re slated to take on a resurgent Whitehall team this week, the Norse (1-2) are coming off of a 47-6 win over Augusta. The Wildcats head to Augusta in two weeks. 

Mel-Min 41 B-T 14

A score before halftime had B-T in the game, but a couple of big mistakes in the third quarter were too much to overcome.

The Mustangs had the first two touchdowns in the game. The first was a one-yard plunge by Brayden Lockington with 1:37 left in the first quarter. The point after made the score 7-0.

It seemed as if B-T would respond as they drove inside the Mel-Min five-yard line. They moved backwards from there, however. They faced fourth-and-goal from the six before a false start pushed them back further and an incomplete pass ended the drive.

The Mustangs flipped the field as Jackson Blaken broke free for a 44-yard run on Mel-Min’s first play. Blaken ended that drive with an eight-yard touchdown run. The point after was no good.

B-T finished its next drive to make the game competitive. The team struggled as it got close as Jackson Shramek lost four yards on a third-and-three pitch. On fourth-seven from the 18, Tavian Shramek found Ethan Kniseley open in the end zone, the former quarterback made an over-the-shoulder catch to put B-T on the board with 1:39 left in the half.

The Mustangs received the kickoff to open the second half and marched down the field before Lockington ran it in from five yards out, making the score 20-6.

Looking to answer, the Wildcats had a first down at their own 36. Tavian Shramek lofted a pass up, but it was intercepted by Mel-Min and returned to the five. 

B-T’s defense had a chance for a stop, but the drive ended with a touchdown run on fourth-and-two. The point after made the score 27-6 with 5:55 left in the third. 

Another big mistake put the Mustangs in position for another score as a snap sailed over Shramek’s head and was recovered by Mel-Min at the 14. Two plays later they scored again and the point after made the score 34-6 with 5:07 remaining in the third.

Mel-Min added another touchdown and point after early in the fourth. B-T got on the board again late as Kniseley scored from 10 yards out on a pitch then caught the two-point conversion to make the score 41-14 with 2:38 left in the game.

Kniseley proved to be an offensive weapon for the Wildcats, catching five passes for 92 yards, rushing for 86 more and completing two passes for 33 yards.

B-T over the ball again as it finished with 168 passing yards and 152 rushing yards, but struggled to find the end zone. Tavian Shramek completed nine-of-14 passes for 135 yards, but threw two interceptions. 

B-T

Rushing (att./yds.) — Kniseley 6/86 J. Shramek 13/59 T. Shramek 7/7

Receiving (rec./yds.) — Kniseley 5/92 Dummer 3/41 Kelly 1/23 J. Shramek 1/10 Wagner 1/3

Passing (comp./att./yds.) — T. Shramek 9/14/135 Kniseley 2/2/33

Tackles (solo/total) — Lien 5/8 Dummer 4/6 T. Shramek 2/4 Trapp 0/3 Kelly 2/2 Turner 6/8 Wagner 2/3 J. Shramek 1/1 Kniseley 2/3 Bautista 0/1 Jahr 2/3 Kling 3/6 Paulson 4/9 Taylor 1/1 Truschko 1/1 Nehring 1/2 Thompson 0/1