Schulenburg Wins Battle of Fayette County

Football fans in Southern Fayette County filled the stands in Flatonia for a crosscounty rivalry game between the Schulenburg Shorthorns and the Bulldogs.

Schulenburg prevailed 2843 in a game that was much closer than the score indicates. Schulenburg led by only a touchdown at halftime, and both teams held each other scoreless in the third quarter.

“It was a great football game,” said Flatonia Head Coach Brent Mascheck. “I can’t take anything away from Schulenburg. They played a great football game. We made some mistakes that cost us the game. In this district, that’s what happens.”

Schulenburg’s victory over Flatonia puts them in good position for a spot in the playoffs.

“It’s awesome for these guys who went 0-10 last year to see the reward of their hard work this year,” said Schulenburg Head Coach Luke Hobbs.

Aaron Janacek completed 11 of his 16 passes for 131 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also led the Horns in rushing with 178 yards on 26 attempts with another three touchdowns, averaging 6.85 yards a carry.

“Aaron Janecek is the best quarterback in the district,” Hobbs said. “Aaron Janecek is a special football player. He’s a kid who started the year without a whole lot of confidence. I told him before the game, ‘You’re the best football player out here, so go out there and prove it.’ He did. I’m proud of him. If you have a quarterback like him, you have a chance every time.”

The Bulldogs running game tested the Shorthorn defense throughout the game, especially in the first half. Running backs Keegan Green, Beck Zimmerman and Kobe Burton put up 313 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The lightning-fast Green and Zimmerman averaged 8.63 and 7.18 yards respectively. Burton, who’s listed as 6’1” and 285 lbs., rushed for 53 yards on 11 carries.

Schulenburg set the tone early in the game with two touchdowns in the first quarter. The Shorthorns received the opening kickoff at their own 32 and started their drive with a nice nine yard run by Bryce Stoever. Janecek fumbled and recovered the ball on the next play, but then marched down the field on a series of carries. He completed a nine yard pass to Rodney Walton before finding Byron Johnson in the endzone. The extra point by Brycen Schramek was good, making the score 0-7 at 8:15 in the first quarter.

Flatonia fumbled the kickoff return and Schulenburg recovered it on Flatonia’s 40 yard line. The Bulldogs sacked Janecek on the next play. The Horns responded with a 23 yard pass from Janecek to Jayse Janda, setting them up at the Bulldog 22 yard line. Janecek ran the ball four more times and found the endzone. Another Schramek extra point made the score 0-14 with 6:11 left in the first quarter.

Flatonia started the next drive from their own 30. The Bulldogs drove the ball down with a ground attack from Burton, Zimmerman and Green. Burton scored on a barrelling run through the middle from the 12 yard line. The extra point was good, and Flatonia got on the board 7-14 with 2:35 left in the quarter.

Schulenburg and Flatonia both scored on their next possessions. Sophomore tight end Tavondrick Ellison scored for the Shorthorns on a 11 yard pass from Janacek with 10:07 left in the half. Schramek managed the extra point despite a low snap, brining the score to 7-21. Flatonia responded with a three first down runs in four plays. Zimmerman scored on a sweep to the right. The extra point made it 14-21.

Flatonia received the kickoff after halftime from their own 36. They marched the ball across midfield with three first downs. But the Shorthorn defense held them on 4th and six from the Schulenburg 30. The Shorthorns and Bulldogs traded possessions without a score during the rest of the third quarter.

“Down by seven going into the second half, we felt like we were ready to go,” Mascheck said. “We felt like we had something going, but it didn’t happen.”

The fourth quarter began with Schulenburg in possession. A series of Janecek runs plus a 15 yard reception by Zane Brenek got them down to the two yard line. Janecek punched the ball in on a quarterback sneak. Referees forced Schulenburg’s Dean Bradley to come out of the game when his helmet came loose during the play. Bradley, who also serves as deep snapper on special teams, could not return for the extra point unless Schulenburg called a timeout. The play clock expired and Schulenburg took a delay penalty.

“We took five (yards) and said, ‘Let’s make something happen,’” Hobbs said after the game.

Schulenburg lined up to pass on the two-point conversion. With no one open, Janecek converted on a scramble, bringing the score to 14-29 with 9:45 left in the game.

Flatonia got the ball on their own 37 after the kickoff. By that point, Schulenburg’s defense had taken a toll on the Bulldog’s running game. But on 4th and 3 from their own 44, Green found some open field on a 13 yard sweep to the left.

Flatonia quarterback Cale Janecka orchestrated his best passing performance of the game on the next five plays, completing passes to Green, Zimmerman and junior receiver Kade Giese in quick succession. On third and three from the Shorthorn 17, Janecka found Burton open on the left flank. The big man caught the pass on a run and marched into the endzone, proving the game was not over for the Bulldogs. The extra point made brought the game to 21-29 with 7:51 left in the game.

Flatonia kicked the ball out of bounds on the kickoff, allowing the Shorthorns to start the drive from their 30. They scored on the first play. After breaking the huddle and lining up, the Shorthorns called an audible and shuffled their formation.

“They played their strength away, so we ran the opposite way,” Hobbs said after the game.

Janecek ran a sweep to the left, and thanks to some good blocking by the Shorthorns, picked up a 70 yard touchdown. The extra point made it 21-36 with 7:35 left in the game.

Flatonia dried their passing game again after returning the kickoff to their own 21. On third and 10 after two incompletions, Janecka threw an interception. Schulenburg freshman Owen Brenek caught it at the 43 and ran down to the 28 before getting tackled.

“Here’s the thing, Owen Brenek is a freshman,” Hobbs said. “He stepped up and played tight end tonight, he’s never played there all year. He gets a huge interception. He’s probably has seven tackles. The kid’s a freaking stud.”

The Shorthorns converted the interception into another touchdown on the ensuing drive. Schulenburg ran the ball three times before Janecek tossed another touchdown pass to Byron Johnson from the nine yard line. The extra point brought the score to 21-43.

Flatonia didn’t give up, though. The Bulldogs started their final drive from their 23 yard line. A series of sweeps by Zimmerman and Green pushed the ball into Shorthorn territory. But it took too much time off the clock. Janecka completed a touchdown pass to Green in the endzone, but there was only 2:17 left in the game. The extra point made the score 28-43.

Flatonia tried an onside kick, but the ball did not go 10 yards. Schulenburg got the ball at midfield. Flatonia still had two timeouts left. They burned both of them in hopes of stopping Schulenburg on downs. Janecek gained the final first down on an 11 yard sweep, and the Horns lined up in the victory formation to end the game.

“It was a great second half,” Hobbs said. “We were a little flat after the end of the half. We got after them and challenged them, and they responded. We only have three seniors playing right now, and their leadership is absolutely amazing.”

The Shorthorns are now 3-0 in district and 4-3 overall. Flatonia falls to 2-2 in district and 5-3 overall.

“Kudos to Schulenburg,” Mascheck said after the game. “We’ve got a bye next week, which we desperately need, because we’re kind of banged up right now. We need to rest up, heal, and get ready for the last two games. If we win those, we’re in the playoffs.”

Schulenburg faces their biggest rival next week against Weimar at home.