Carter Heston caught two touchdown passes from Jake Fisher, and Bailey Wieland kicked a pair of two-point conversions and a field goal to lead the visiting Junior Blue Dukes Blue team to a 19-6 victory over Mequon-Thiensville (aka Homestead).
Bay received the opening kickoff, but were forced to punt. Mequon-Thiensville picked up some yardage, but were turned back on fourth down by a strong Patrick Collins tackle. Early in the second quarter, Macklin Kortebein scampered up the middle for a first down, and quarterback Jake Fisher earned another first down on a keeper. On second down, just over the midfield marker on Mequon's side of the field, Fisher launched on a rainbow down the right sideline. Wide receiver Carter Heston had gotten behind his defender. Heston calmly pulled the ball in and raced to the end zone. Wieland kicked the 2-point conversion. 8-0, Bay.
Mequon returned to its grind-it-out running game, but Bay's swarming defense turned up the intensity. Defensive end Alec Lindfors blew up a third-down run by taking out two blockers, and Collins swooped in behind him to make the tackle. After a short punt, Bay took over in Mequon territory. Bay picked up a first down on a pass to Kortebein, and gained more yards on a pass to Wieland and a bootleg by Fisher. Fisher then launched another rainbow to the right corner of the end zone to Heston, who had worked his way behind his defender again. Wieland kicked the two-point conversion. After the kickoff, Collins sacked a Mequon ball carrier for a loss to end the half. Bay 16, Mequon-Thiensville 0.
Mequon received the second-half kickoff, but accomplished little. On fourth down, the punter bobbled the snap, and a swarm of Blue Dukes, led by Andrew James, wrestled him to the ground. But Mequon was equally stout on D, and the ball went back to the home team after four downs, then back to Bay.
Kortebein broke off a long run to bring Bay within hailing distance of the goal line. Early in the 4th quarter, after a third-down pass attempt had fallen incomplete, Bailey Wieland kicked the first field goal in the Junior Blue Dukes annals of this class, about a 20-yarder. 19-0, Bay.
A well-executed fake by Mequon's quarterback bought the time to find an open receiver, who brought the home team close to the goal line. A speedy runner got outside containment to score a touchdown, but the conversion kick attempt failed. 19-6, Bay.
Wieland deftly covered up Mequon's attempted onside kick. Running back Josiah Erving picked up positive yards on a pair of runs, then quarterback Anthony Enea ripped off a long gain on a bootleg for a first down. Bay was close enough to the goal line to press the issue if it wanted, but Enea took a knee to close out the contest at 19-6.
Thanks to John Brewster for providing the video I watched to construct this account of the game. As usual, any mistakes I've made in summarizing it are strictly my fault, no one else's.
