The West Holt Huskies fell to 2-6 after a tough loss to Battle Creek in the ice-cold wind and rain on Friday, Oct. 13 at Battle Creek.
The Huskies entered the contest as heavy underdogs, as Battle Creek was ranked second in the state in class C-2, with their only loss of the season coming to a Norfolk Catholic squad that’s heavily favorited to win the state title.
With the wind rocking and the rain drizzling down, neither team was sure if they were going to be able to get much going through the air, which left both teams to a lot of work on the ground.
For Battle Creek, the Braves were able to find their success on the ground early, scoring four touchdown runs in the first quarter to make it 28-0. The Huskies were able to punch one in the end zone in the second quarter to make it a 28-6 ballgame, following a failed two-point-conversion.
But the Huskies wouldn’t keep their momentum long, as the Braves scored 14 unanswered points to make it 42-6 entering the fourth quarter.
The Huskies wouldn’t lay down, however, and would split the scoring with the Braves in the fourth quarter. This made the final score 48-14 in favor of Battle Creek.
Offensively, the Huskies didn’t get much going through the air, with Lincoln Konrad going just 5/14 for 71 yard and one interception, largely thanks to the slippery conditions due to the wind and rain.
On the ground is where both teams found success. For the Huskies it was Mason Crumrine and Marek Dvorak sharing the wealth on the ground. Each went for 58 yards on 16 total carries between the two, with Crumrine finding the end zone once. Konrad also put-up solid numbers on the ground, having seven carries for 54 yards and one touchdown, including a 45-yard pickup.
Defensively, the Huskies shared the load, with a total of 14 different Huskies getting credited for tackles in the contest. Leading the pack was Konrad with eight total tackles, followed by Caleb Davis and Lane Keogh with six each, Crumrine, Dvorak, and Nick Hansen with five, Ryan Hawkins with four, Kellen Monasterio with three, Vinny Blackford with two, and the group of Brody Galyen, Jamison Slaymaker, Ezra Sholes, and Beau Duhachek, each with one. Also racking up four total tackles was Kruz Jelinek, who earned the only tackle for the loss of the night for the West Holt defense.
The Huskies have found a slump, not having not won a game in the month of October, West Holt has one more opportunity to end the season on a good note with a contest against the 3-5 Ponca Indians on Friday, Oct. 20. The Indians come to West Holt on a five-game losing streak after winning their first three games of the season. The Huskies will be looking not only to end their season on a high note, but avenge last season’s 28-24 loss to Ponca on the road.