courtesy of Shawana Coxcourtesy of Shawana Coxcourtesy of Shawana Cox

Home opener is a loss

In the rain and with a score to settle, the Willow Springs Bears faced off against the Marionville Comets on Friday. Last year, the Bears lost to the state-ranked Comets 38-0. This year was also a loss, but the Bears did manage to score a touchdown on the seemingly invincible Comets and gave up only 28 points. 
In the first half, the Comets pushed through Willow’s line and kicked the ball to the Bears’ 25-yard line. A flagged play and its penalty of 5 yards plus the efforts of Willow’s defense halted the Comets’ progress at 30 yards.
The rain proved to be an issue for Marionville. Both the field and the ball seemed slick. One Comet play lost 4 yards after their QB slipped and fell.
The majority of the game saw Willow put up a fierce defense, stonewalling many plays entirely and forcing the Comets to call timeouts and brainstorm ways to get through. 
On offense, Ryan Koehler, Taylor Rothermich, and Nate McDaniel were at the forefront of the game, passing the ball for small gains on the field. One such play saw Rothermich punch through the scrimmage and make 2 yards straight through the middle before getting crushed and suffering a busted nose.
Small advances like Gennidiy Dudko taking it 3 yards and McDaniel running it down all worked to wear down the Comet's defense.
This combination of passing and running between the three took McDaniel within five yards of a touchdown, only to lose the ball on a turnover. 
Taylor Rothermich pushed the ball through the last few yards for the Bears’ only touchdown. The PAT was blocked, and the game had a final score of 6-28 
Head Coach Travis Payne liked what his team accomplished in this game.
“The system worked,” he said. “We wore them out, and we did what we wanted to do. Our interior guys were dominating at times. Koehler on defense was just outstanding out there; they couldn't do anything. We just had too many turnovers this game.”
Willow goes on the offensive this Friday at 7:00 taking on the Cabool Bulldogs for an away game. The Bears will be seeking to avenge the 15-16 homecoming loss they suffered last year.
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Howell County News

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