The Wolves varsity football team lost a high-scoring contest to the Amherst Falcons on Friday, Sept. 17, by a final score of 42-53.
Manawa got on the board first with an eight-yard run from Jestin Heimbruch, and Logan Hass ran for the two-point conversion.
Amherst’s Willie Doll then scored two of his seven touchdowns to give the Falcons a 20-16 lead at halftime. J. Heimbruch scored again for the Wolves on a 41-yard pass play from David Sell to keep the Wolves within striking distance.
Doll then ripped the Wolves for four more touchdowns, with Manawa only answering with one touchdown of their own on a J. Heimbruch 78-yard kickoff return.
Kyler Heimbruch caught a 49-yard pass from Da. Sell, and Da. Sell later added a five-yard run as the Wolves once again closed in on the Falcons, only to see Doll score his seventh touchdown. Da. Sell connected with Donny Sell on a 43-yard pass to complete the scoring in the game, as Manawa ran out of time and couldn’t quite catch the Falcons.
“We’re continuing to learn, and this is another learning lesson,” said Coach Bob Sell. “Our game plan was to contain Doll but we couldn’t bring him down. He is a good running back.
“I don’t doubt our players’ efforts, but we need to execute the plays when we have a chance,” Sell stated. “When you score 42 points, you don’t expect to get beat. We will continue to make changes until we find the right fit. We are not counting ourselves out yet, because early in the season any team can beat any other team. Our next game is against Wittenberg. Both teams will be hungry for a win. We know we can throw the ball and will do it if we have to, but the bottom line is stopping the sieve on defense.”