Luepke runs for 132 yards, scores five TDs

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

SPENCER — The Spencer/Columbus football team scored on four of its first nine offensive plays and added an interception return for a touchdown to open up a huge lead in the first quarter as it rolled to a 44-21 victory over Fall Creek in its home opener Thursday night at Spencer High School.

After a 53-yard kickoff return by Hunter Luepke to open the game, it took just two plays for the Rockets to score. Jacob Miller ran for 22 yards on the first play, and Luepke ran 11 yards for a touchdown to put Spencer/Columbus up 6-0.

That was just the beginning. Spencer/Columbus had its longest drive of the opening quarter on its next possession, a whopping three-play drive that covered 66 yards. Luepke took a swing pass from Jarred Mandel and raced 43 yards for a touchdown to make it 13-0.

The Rockets fumbled on their next possession but scored on their final two offensive plays of the quarter. Luepke had a 71-yard touchdown, bolting right and going down the sideline virtually untouched.

Spencer/Columbus defenders Joe Sari (52) and Logan Zschernitz (65) sack Fall Creek quarterback J.J. Pritzl during the first quarter of the Rockets’ 44-21 win Thursday at Spencer High School.

Ethan Meece returned an interception 32 yards for a score, and after another interception by Andres Rodriguez, Luepke raced 9 yards for another touchdown on the next play to put S/C up 31-0 with 1:51 to go in the opening quarter.

“Our guys came out and played with some fire,” Spencer/Columbus coach Jason Gorst said. “I thought we sustained blocks really well on offense, averaged a lot of yards per play, and on defense we swarmed to the ball all game.”

Luepke hit pay dirt for the fifth time later in the second quarter, capping a seven-play, 65-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, and the Rockets (2-0 overall and Cloverbelt Conference) led 37-0 at halftime.

Spencer/Columbus struck quickly again on its first possession of the second half as sophomore Hayden Bauman ran 37 yards for a touchdown on the Rockets’ second play of the third quarter.

Luepke finished with 132 yards rushing on just eight carries as the Rockets gained 258 yards on the ground in all.

“I think things were blocked really well; he (Luepke) was running and cutting off the blocks very well; and the offense was very, very efficient early in the game,” Gorst said.

Fall Creek (0-2 overall and Cloverbelt Conference) scored three unanswered touchdowns late as it kept its starters in against the Spencer/Columbus reserves.

Spencer/Columbus plays at Stanley-Boyd next Friday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WOSQ-FM 92.3 and wdlbwosq.com.

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

Rockets 44, Crickets 21

Fall Creek 0 0 7 14 – 21

Spencer/Columbus 31 6 7 0 – 44

First Quarter

SC – Hunter Luepke 11 run (kick missed), 11:34.
SC – Luepke 43 pass from Jarred Mandel (Luepke kick), 8:21.
SC – Luepke 71 run (kick missed), 3:43.
SC – Ethan Meece 32 interception return (kick missed), 2:12.
SC – Luepke 9 run (kick missed), 1:51.

Second Quarter

SC – Luepke 3 run (kick missed), 1:42.

Third Quarter

SC – Hayden Bauman 37 run (Colton Schillinger kick), 5:36.
FC – Ethan Ritger 43 run (Nolan Hellegers pass from J.J. Pritzl), 4:12.

Fourth Quarter

FC – Reece Frase 11 run (Pritzl kick), 11:02.
FC – Frase 19 run (kick missed), 6:35.

Team Statistics

First downs: Fall Creek 8; Spencer/Columbus 10.

Rushing (att-yards): FC 38-112; SC 29-258.

Passing (comp-att-yards-int): FC 4-15-53-3; SC 2-5-53-0.

Total yards: FC 165; SC 311.

Penalties (no.-yards): FC 8-50; SC 5-45.

Fumbles (total-lost): FC 1-0; SC 5-2.

Punting (att-avg.): FC 4-32.3; SC none.

Individual Statistics

Rushing: FC, Ethan Ritger 17-91, Reece Frase 5-29, Joey Kinderman 5-14, Nolan Hellegers 2-minus 4, J.J. Pritzl 9-minus 18. SC, Hunter Luepke 8-132, Jacob Miller 7-60, Carson Hildebrandt 2-39, Hayden Bauman 1-37, Jarred Mandel 3-5, Andres Rodriguez 1-minus 2, Bubba Post 3-minus 2, Austin Bacon 1-minus 4, Colton Schillinger 3-minus 5.

Passing: FC, Pritzl 4-15-53-3. SC, Mandel 2-5-53-0.

Receiving: FC, Hellegers 2-34, Kinderman 1-17, Ritger 1-2. SC, Luepke 1-43, Miller 1-10.

Interceptions (defense): SC, Bauman, Ethan Meece, Rodriguez.

Fumble recoveries (defense): FC, Cameron Fahrman, Bryce Williamson.

Punting: FC, Joseph Weggen 4-32.3.

Records: Fall Creek 0-2 overall and Cloverbelt Conference; Spencer/Columbus 2-0 overall and Cloverbelt Conference.