Schulenburg Falls to Weimar in District Football Battle
The Schulenburg Shorthorns fell to Weimar 23-30 in a thriller of a game Friday night.
Wildcats led for most of the night in the biggest rivalry game of the year for both teams. A lucky break on a botched Weimar punt in the fourth quarter gave the Shorthorns a chance. Schulenburg executed a brilliant comeback in the fourth quarter to take the lead. But then their defense faltered, allowing Weimar to score on a wide-open pass to the end zone with 49 seconds left in the game. The Shorthorns couldn’t find the magic a second time before time expired.
“The kids battled,” said Schulenburg Head Coach Luke Hobbs. “They fought till the end. That’s exactly what everyone wants a rivalry game to be. Hats off to Weimar. They did a good job. They scored last.”
The home stands erupted in cheers on the kickoff when Schulenburg’s Byron Johnson returned the ball 47 yards to Weimar’s 29. The Wildcats held the Shorthorns to a fourth and one from the 20 yard line. Shorthorn quarterback Aaron Janecek gained five yards on a keeper to convert the first down. Two plays later Janecek attempted his first pass of the night, a screen to a wide-open Zane Brenek on the left side of the field, who had a clear path to the end zone. But the ball slipped out of Janecek’s hands.
After the play, Janecek ran to the sideline for a towel to dry his hands. For some reason, the field was wet that evening despite no rain and clear skies. Weimar again held Schulenburg to a fourth down, this time with four yards to go from the nine yard line. Schulenburg opted for a field goal. Brycen Schramek’s kick was good, and the Horns got on the board 3-0 with 9:25 left in the first quarter.
“I don’t know where I heard this, but usually the first team that settles for a field goal loses,” Hobbs said. “For some reason, that kind of comes true. It did tonight.”
The Schulenburg defense forced Weimar to punt from midfield on their next possession. The Shorthorns got the ball back on their 17, Weimar held the Horns to three downs an a punt. Weimar got the ball back on their own 45. The Wildcats found their rhythm on the ensuing drive.
Weimar quarterback Hux-ton Kloesel, who passed only eight times in the game, led the ground attack, pickup up more than half the yards they needed on four carries. Junior running back Zach Norrell punched into the end zone on a sweep right from the nine yard line. Weimar’s point after was no good, but the Schulenburg lined up offsides. With the ball moved closer to the goal line, the Wildcats opted for a two point attempt. Wyatt Lacina converted with a run to the right, and the Wildcats went up 3-8.
Schulenburg returned the favor on their next drive. The Horns started out from their own 28 after the kickoff. Powered mostly by Janecek’s arm and legs, the Shorthorn offense matched into Wildcat territory. On second and three from the Weimar 7 yard line, Janecek rolled left looking for a receiver. He opted instead to run it in himself. The Shorthorns tried a two-point attempt of their own but failed. The Shorthorns had the lead 9-8 with 6:47 left in the half.
Weimar scored again on their following possession, aided by a huge pass from Kloesel to tight end Jonathon Alamilla across the middle. Alamilla brought to ball across midfield to the Shorthorn 30. A holding call against Weimar pushed the ball back to the 40. Two plays later, Norrell punched his second ticket of the night with a 36yard carry into the end zone. An unsportsmanlike call against Weimar pushed the point-after attempt back to the 18 yard line. Weimar went for two points with a run by Norrell but he was tackled short of the goal line. Weimar retook the lead 9-14.
The two teams traded possessions after the half until Weimar scored again with 7:52 left in the game, this time on a quarterback sneak by Kloesel from the five yard line. The two-point conversion was good with a sweep to the right by Lacina. Weimar lengthened their lead 9-22.
Janecek returned the kickoff 21 yards to the Schulenburg 42. Again, Janecek’s arm and feet carried the Horns downfield. On third and two from the Weimar 39, Janecek pitched to running back Rodney Walton, who then tossed a beautiful spiral to Johnson. Johnson caught the ball and came down at the 17 yard line. Four more runs by Janecek brought the Horns into the endzone. Schramek kicked a good point after, and the Horns shortened Weimar’s lead to 16-22.
The Shorthorn defense forced Weimar to three downs and a punt on the next possession. Then the Horns caught a lucky break on fourth and four near midfield. The Weimar punter booted the ball into one of the Wildcat upbacks. The ball bounced back into Weimar territory and Schulenburg took over on the 24 yard line. Janecek connected with Johnson in the endzone on the next play. A Schramek point after was good. The Shorthorn stands erupted as Schulenburg went up 23-22 with 1:39 left in the game.
Schramek boomed the ensuing kickoff down to the nine yard line, but Weimar’s Norrell ran it back to almost midfield. With good field position, Weimar implemented their twominute drill. Kloesel attempted two passes that dropped incomplete before scrambling down to the 30 yard line on third and ten with less than 90 seconds in the game. Two plays later, Kloesel connected with Dalton Turlington for a 24-yard touchdown pass. A quarterback sneak on the twopoint attempt made the score 23-30 with 49 seconds left.
After the kickoff, Schulenburg got the ball on their own 18. The Horns got to midfield on seven plays before time expired.
“We still have to keep preparing just like if we would have won,” Hobbs said after the game. “There’s still district to be played. We can still have a great season. We can’t look back. That’s what we’ve been telling our kids all along Don’t look back, look forward. That’s what we’re going to do tomorrow.”
Schulenburg will face perhaps their toughest competitor this Friday on the road against No. 10-ranked Holland. The Shorthorns are now 3-1 and district and 4-4 overall. Holland remains undefeated after beating Hearne 35-7 last week.