Backfield duo combines for six touchdowns in Tigers’ home win

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

MARSHFIELD — The backfield tandem of brothers Braden and Brant Bohman proved to be a winning combination for the Marshfield football team in its 2016 season opener.

The duo had 314 offensive yards and scored six of the Tigers’ seven touchdowns as Marshfield rolled to a 48-13 win over Wausau East Friday night in a nonconference game at Beell Stadium.

Senior Braden Bohman had 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half, and he returned the opening kickoff of the second half 85 yards for another score. Brant Bohman, a sophomore, ran for a team-high 136 yards on just five carries, scored two rushing touchdowns, and caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

“When you’ve got guys that can hit the corner and run for 30, 50, 60 yards, that’s nice to do,” Marshfield coach Denny Goettl said. “We’ve got to be able to pound it. We’ve got a young quarterback and got him some throws, and his pocket presence was OK.”

Braden Bohman had a 25-yard run on Marshfield’s first offensive play of the season, and two plays later he scored from 16 yards out to give the Tigers the early lead.

Wausau East responded with a score as Thomas Dunbar caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Alex Becker after Marshfield muffed a punt that extended the East possession.

From there, it was all Marshfield.

Braden Bohman capped off a seven-play, 56-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run with 1:14 to go in the first quarter.

Brant Bohman had a 41-yard touchdown run midway through the second, and quarterback Jared Johnsrud had a 2-yard sneak for a score that helped the Tigers build a 28-7 lead heading into halftime.

“It’s really great to come out and blow out a team like this,” Braden Bohman said. “We got our offense going and everything working. (The offensive line) was making two or three yards of push right off the bat every time. That helps a lot.”

Braden Bohman ran back the second half opening kick return for a score, and East followed by putting together a 64-yard scoring drive that ended with a Becker-to-Dunbar 11-yard touchdown pass.

East was held to 20 total yards the rest of the way ,and Marshfield scored two more times on Brant Bohman’s 50-yard scoring catch from Johnsrud and a 68-yard rush on the first play following an East punt.

“I was excited the way the defense played,” Goettl said. “Their back (East’s Chad Simon) is a big dude. Our kids did well. We’re teaching tackling in the legs, keep your head up. You couldn’t tackle that kid up top, or he would run you over. All you could do is get low and knock his legs out, and we did that. I was happy with the way we tackled tonight.”

Marshfield will play at D.C. Everest in its final nonconference contest next Friday at Stiehm Stadium. The game will start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on WDLB-AM 1450 and wdlbwosq.com.

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

Tigers 48, Lumberjacks 13

Wausau East 7 0 6 0 – 13

Marshfield 14 14 20 0 – 48

First Quarter

M – Braden Bohman 16 run (Ryan Krueger kick), 10:18.
WE – Thomas Dunbar 5 pass from Alex Becker (Jordyn Schalow kick), 4:06.
M – Braden Bohman 15 run (Krueger kick), 1:14.

Second Quarter

M – Brant Bohman 41 run (Krueger kick), 6:52.
M – Jared Johnsrud 2 run (Krueger kick), 3:01.

Third Quarter

M – Braden Bohman 85 kick return (run failed), 11:48.
WE – Dunbar 11 pass from Becker (kick missed), 9:26.
M – Brant Bohman 50 pass from Johnsrud (Krueger kick), 6:39.
M – Brant Bohman 68 run (Krueger kick), 4:14.

Team Statistics

First downs: Wausau East 9; Marshfield 13.

Rushing (att-yards): WE 34-65; M 31-334.

Passing (comp-att-yards-int): WE 6-14-81-0; M 7-9-131-0.

Fumbles (total-lost): WE 7-0; M 1-1.

Penalties (total-yards): WE 6-40; M 9-84.

Punting (No.-avg.): WE 8-34.4; M 1-16.0.

Individual Statistics

Rushing: WE, Chad Simon 19-76, Caleb Moses 4-24, Tyler Tate 1-3, Alex Becker 10-minus 38. M, Brant Bohman 5-136, Braden Bohman 12-128, Caden Pearce 5-24, Blaine Neinast 4-23, Michael Damrau 2-11, Jace Langmayer 1-10, Jared Johnsrud 1-2, Ryan Krueger 1-0.

Passing: WE, Becker 6-14-81-0. M, Johnsrud 6-8-126-0, Krueger 1-1-5-0.

Receiving: WE, Thomas Dunbar 6-81. M, Andy Goettl 4-62, Brant Bohman 1-50, Damrau 1-14, Mason Coffren 1-5.

Punting: WE, Jordyn Schalow 8-34.4. M, Krueger 1-16.0.

Fumble recoveries (defense): WE, Ryan Daniel.

Records: Wausau East 0-1; Marshfield 1-0.