Aaron is #11.
The newly minted "C Squad" (freshmen) Tiger football team had a busy opening week, playing two games in three days. The Tigers dropped their first game to the very big and talented Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs, 21-6, at Schaefer Field.
The bulldogs drew first blood in the first quarter with eight points and added seven more in the second quarter on an interception for a touchdown. The Bulldogs led 15-0 at the half and scored six more half-way through the third quarter stretching their lead to 21-0.
The Tiger offense came to life in the second half when Quarterback Aaron Simmons connected on a perfect pass play to wide receiver Will Gisler for a twenty-plus yard touchdown. The PAT failed. The Tigers airmailed another long touchdown in the second half but that score was negated by a holding penalty. The athletic Bulldogs were able to intercept three Tiger passes but only one yielded points. The top tiger rusher was Nate Muller with fifty-two yards. Simmons threw for fifty-four yards, forty-nine of those going to Gisler.
The Tiger defense had it's hands full with the much bigger Bulldogs but held it's own for much of the game. The leading Tiger tacklers were Jack Howell, Matt Aldrich, Gisler, Simmons and Muller. Howell posted two quarterback sacks while Simmons had one. Luke Wilde and Eric Nosbisch had a fumble recovery, each.
P-E-M Bulldogs - 21 Stewartville Tigers - 6
The C-Squad Tiger football team bounced back from a tough loss earlier in the week to defeat the Goodhue Wildcats, 33-18, in Goodhue.
The Tigers struck first when Nate Muller scampered into the end zone on a nifty, forty-eight yard run behind good blocking from the offensive line. The PAT was not successful.
Tiger Defensive Back Justin Thompson then snuffed out a Wildcat drive with an athletic interception and return of an errant Wildcat pass.
The Tigers picked up a safety when the Wildcat punter couldn't handle a bad snap and the ball sailed out of the end zone making the score 8-0.
Will Gisler, Tiger Wide Receiver, got into the scoring act when he took a pass from Quarterback Aaron Simmons in for the score from twenty-five yards out. The PAT was not successful.
Tiger defender Sean Engel dashed any hope of a first half, Wildcat score when he made a difficult interception late in the second quarter. The half ended with the Tigers leading by a score of 14-0.
The Wildcats were able to put together a nice drive early in the third quarter that resulted in a touchdown but the Tigers snuffed out the PAT. Later in the third quarter a Wildcat drive was stopped cold when Tiger defensive lineman Kyle Sivesind pounced on a fumble on their thirty-five yard line. The fumble recovery set up a seventeen yard strike from Simmons to Gisler for a touchdown. The PAT failed but the Tigers pushed their lead to 20-6.
Early in the fourth quarter the Wildcats took advantage of a Tiger fumble and scored a touchdown but failed to convert on the PAT.
The Tigers quickly countered when Muller streaked through a gaping hole on the right side of the line and dipped and dodged his way into the end for the score from thirty five yards out. Simmons drilled the PAT kick through the uprights putting the Tigers up by fifteen halfway through the fourth quarter.
On the very next Wildcat possession Tiger Defensive Back Issac Kidd deftly intercepted a pass on the flat and stopped the Goodhue advance.
The Kidd interception set up the next Tiger score when Muller took a handoff from thirty-one yards out and scored his third rushing touchdown of the game. The PAT was not successful.
The Wildcats were able to tally one more late score but it came too late to effect the outcome of the game.
The Tiger defense "stepped up" against a game and determined Wildcat offense, according to Tiger Head Coach, Charlie Aitken. In addition to the three interceptions the team tackled very well. The leading tacklers were Linebackers Matt Aldrich and Jack Howell with eight unassisted tackles and fifteen assisted tackles between them. Ben Vaupel had the only tiger sack of the game. The most dramatic defensive play of the game came half-way through the fourth quarter when Tiger DB Justin Thompson chased down and tackled a Wildcat rusher on his way to the end zone preventing a sure touchdown.
Muller was the leading rusher of the game with 147 yards and three TD's. Engel ran for 28 yards. Simmons passed for 111 yards and two TD's, both to Gisler who had five receptions.
Stewartville Tigers - 33 Goodhue Wildcats - 18
Aaron kicking a PAT vs Goodhue.
