Turnovers lead to Nekoosa touchdowns
By Greg Seubert
Apparently, a three-week layoff had an effect on the Weyauwega-Fremont football team.
The Indians hosted Nekoosa Oct. 23 in a matchup of Central Wisconsin Conference-Large teams and ended up on the short end of a 36-7 score.
Turnovers led to two of the Papermakers’ three first-half touchdowns.
Nekoosa took the opening kickoff and drove 61 yards, with Hunter Lochner scoring from 5 yards out and Cordero Ysquierdo adding the two-point conversion with 7:26 remaining in the first quarter.
The Papermakers had the ball again on the next play, as Max Meyerhofer fumbled the kickoff return to set Nekoosa up at the Weyauwega-Fremont 34-yard line. Ethan Hoogesteger capped the drive with a 1-yard quarterback keeper and the visitors had a 14-0 lead with just under four minutes to go in the first quarter.
Klayton Havlovic picked off a Quinn Dittmann pass to end the Indians’ next drive, but Jacob Doede gave the ball back to the Indians by intercepting a Hoogesteger pass.
Ysquierdo intercepted a Dittmann pass to give the Papermakers the ball at the Indians’ 38-yard line and scored from 3 yards out with 1:05 left in the first half. Lochner ran the two-point conversion for a 22-0 lead.
Neither team found the end zone in the third quarter, but the Papermakers added to their lead on the first play of the fourth quarter on Lochner’s 46-yard run.
The Indians scored on their next drive, as Dittmann completed a 2-yard pass to Parker Groskreutz with just under nine minutes to go.
Nekoosa added one more score on Lochner’s 16-yard run and Hoogesteger’s two-point conversion run with 6:25 remaining.
The Papermakers outgained the Indians 377-193. Lochner had a game-high 140 rushing yards to go with his three touchdowns, while Ysquierdo added 104 yards.
Meyerhofer led the Indians with 47 yards, but left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter and didn’t return.
Dittmann completed 13 of 28 passes for 129 yards.
Weyauwega-Fremont fell to 0-3 on the season, while Nekoosa improved to 1-3.
The Indians are scheduled to head to Spencer Friday, Oct. 30, for a CWC-Large matchup with Spencer/Columbus Catholic.
• In other games from Oct. 23 involving area teams, Shawano beat Waupaca 49-14, Iola-Scandinavia shut out Almond-Bancroft 55-0, Little Chute beat Hortonville 25-7, Mishicot topped Clintonville 20-8 and New London handed Winneconne a 24-21 defeat.