By Hub City Times staff

SPENCER – The Spencer/Columbus Rockets suffered their first loss of the current high school football season on Oct. 5, losing to Eau Claire Regis 23-6 at Ted Fritsch Field in Spencer.

The Rockets lost despite outgaining the Ramblers 282-270. S/C also ran eight more plays than Regis, but Eau Claire scored in three of four quarters, and the Rockets could only find the end zone once.

The Ramblers scored on the opening possession of the game, after returning the opening kickoff to the S/C 25-yard line. The Ramblers took eight plays to score, capping off the drive on a two-yard scoring run by Tristan Root. Jack Nicolai added the two-point conversion.

Neither team could sustain drives after that, and the Ramblers led 8-0 at halftime.

The next score came with 5:19 left in the third quarter, when Cade Osborn scored on an 11-yard run. Quarterback Isaac Michels hit Root for the two-point conversion, and Eau Claire led 16-0.

The Rockets hung tough, though, and went on a nine-play 70-yard drive, and cut the Regis lead to 10 when Carson Hildebrandt scored on a 10-yard touchdown run near the end of the third quarter, for his ninth rushing score of the season.

After back-to-back three-and-out series by both teams, Regis scored on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Michels to Root, and the Ramblers led 23-6 with 9:51 left in the game.

The Rockets had a seven-play drive that stalled out, Regis then four-and-out, and Spencer/Columbus again had a seven-play drive stall. Michels then had a few kneel-downs to end the game, and Regis improved to 8-0 on the season and beat the Rockets for the ninth time since 2008.

S/C Quarterback Jarred Mandel led the Rockets in rushing, carrying the ball 16 times for 84 yards. Hildebrandt had 11 carries for 47 yards and a score. Austin Bacon added eight rushes for 46 yards. Mandel was 10-of-15 passing for 93 yards and one interception.

Spencer/Columbus dropped to 7-1. The Rockets wrap up the regular season at Altoona Oct. 12.