By Paul Lecker
Sports Reporter

COLBY – Michael Bargender tossed a pair of touchdown passes in the second half to lift the Stratford football team to a 20-13 nonconference victory over Colby on Saturday at Colby High School.

Bargender broke a 7-7 halftime tie with a 45-yard TD pass to Jake Reif in the third quarter.

After Colby’s McCoy Soppa scored his second touchdown of the game to bring the Hornets to within a point, Bargender finished off the victory with a 19-yard scoring strike to Hunter Kauffman in the fourth.

Bargender finished with 136 yards passing, hitting Kauffman seven times for 91 yards.

Kam Bornbach scored Stratford’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run in the first quarter that gave the Tigers (1-1) a brief lead until Soppa tied with a score in the second quarter.

Andy Hogden had 87 yards rushing and Soppa added 49 for Colby (0-2).

Stratford opens its Marawood Conference schedule Friday at Tiger Stadium against Marathon. Stratford and Marathon, along with Edgar, tied for last year’s Marawood title.

Tigers 20, Hornets 13
Stratford 7 0 6 7 – 20
Colby 0 7 6 0 – 13
First Quarter
S – Kam Bornbach 1 run (Jake Zuelke kick).
Second Quarter
C – McCoy Soppa 5 run (Tanner Gaetz kick).
Third Quarter
S – Jake Reif 45 pass from Michael Bargender (Zuelke kick).
C – Soppa 2 run (PAT failed).
Fourth Quarter
S – Hunter Kauffman 19 pass from Bargender (PAT failed).
Individual Statistics
Rushing: S, Jake Zuelke 7-51, Jake Reif 8-39, Kam Bornbach 16-37. C, Andy Hogden 19-87, McCoy Soppa 11-49, Zack Meyer 3-19, Ty Raatz 1-5, Sean Parker 2-3, Nolan Derrico 1-1, Trevor Stuttgen 1-minus 7, Ryan Lynn 3-minus 9.
Passing: S, Bargender 8-11-136-1. C, Lynn 3-6-38-0, Derrico 1-5-10-0, Stuttgen 1-2-13-0.
Receiving: S, Hunter Kauffman 7-91, Reif 1-45. C, Meyer 3-42, Raatz 1-11, Hogden 1-8.
Records: Stratford 1-1; Colby 0-2.

(Hub City Times Sports Reporter Paul Lecker is also the publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com).