In their home and season opener, the 8th grade Junior Blue Dukes Gray team used a big first-quarter of offense and an opportunistic defense to defeat the visiting Cudahy Bulldogs, 19-13.
On the game's opening drive, a 12-yard run by Macklin Kortebein and long pass completions from quarterback Jake Fischer to Carter Heston and Nick Higgins left the Bay team with first and goal at the 4. Kortebein ran up the middle for the TD; Higgins kicked the 2-point conversion. 8-0, Bay.
A promising drive for Cudahy was snuffed out deep in Bay territory when Junior Blue Dukes player Paul Wilson recovered a fumble. Unfortunately, a later Bay fumble gave the ball back to Cudahy at their own 43. Bay defender Tony Schulz dropped a Cudahy runner for a big loss. Cudahy got a second chance because of a Bay penalty on a Cudahy punt, but Bay's Charlie Cohen recovered a fumble to give Bay the ball at its own 45. Four strong runs by Kortebein, threaded with a long Higgins run and a Fisher pass to Wieland put Bay back in first and goal territory. Receiver Carter Heston made a beautiful one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone for a Bay TD. Higgins kicked the two-point conversion. 16-0, Bay.
Bay held Cudahy and forced a punt, which Kortebein returned to the 2-yard goal. Hurt by a penalty, Bay was not able to punch it in, so Higgins kicked a 32-yard field goal for 3 points. 19-0, Bay, at halftime.
In the third quarter, a miscue led to Cudahy's first score. A pitch from the Bay QB to a running back was tipped by a defender, who recovered it in the end zone for a score. A run for the point after touchdown failed. 19-6, Bay.
With less than a minute in the game, Cudahy completed a 31-yard pass for a TD, and passed successfully for a one-point conversion, making the score 19-13, Bay. Cudahy recovered its onside kick attempt with 41 seconds left, but on the next play Jake Fisher intercepted a pass to effectively end the game.
In addition to the other turnovers mentioned, Chris Siebert recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in the game.
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