Cardinals Dominate Huskies In 50-28 Win

ELGIN -- It took a while for the WP Cardinals to shake off that mountain breeze and warm up last Friday night, but they pulled it together and took home another "W" against the Elgin Huskies to improve their record to 3-0 with a 50-28 victory.

Cardinals kicked off deep into Husky territory to begin the first half. On the second down of the game, Elgin's Dylan Crouch broke away for a 40-yard run and was looking to score, but Zach Bartlow caught him on the 10-yard line.

WP's defense held them to fourth and one, but Crouch pushed through the line for six with 8:28 left in the first. Elgin's two point conversion was denied and the Huskies were the first to light the board, 6-0.

The Huskies took their chances with an onside kick, but the Cardinals jumped all over it and started their opening drive on their own 45 yard line.

Bartlow kicked things off with a 20-yard keeper, but momentum quickly changed when the Huskies picked him off and returned it to the WP 48 yard line and began its second drive.

The WP defense stepped it up and held the Huskies to three downs before they punted it away from their own 40 yard line.

Bartlow returned the punt 25 yards and began the offensive drive with a handoff to Billy Brown. The Husky defense was all over that and Bartlow moved to the air and found Justin Zugar for a gain of 13 and the Cardinals' first down.

Brown picked up another WP first down with a 40- yard dash, but was denied from the Huskies on his next carry.

Now second down and seven, Bartlow fakes a handoff and runs it in himself. The extra-point kick attempt is wide on the left side and the score is tied 6 all with 3:54 left in the first quarter.

The Huskies begin their next drive on their own 23- yard line. They completed a pass for 25 yards and a first down but the drive ends there.

The WP "boys of fall" held them to no gain for the next two downs, and followed that up with a swarm of big red birds sacking that quarterback forcing the Huskies to punt.

Bartlow returns the punt 35 yards to the Elgin 45 yard line and the second quarter began.

Brown bobbles a Bartlow hand off that the Huskies recover and return to their own 40 yard line. The defense obviously had enough, two back-to-back sacks for a big loss, took the Huskies back to their own 11-yard line.

The Huskies' only option was to punt, but Tucker Alleman broke through the Husky line and got a solid block on the kick, sending the ball rolling past the end zone for a two-point safety giving the Cardinals its first lead of the night, 8-6.

The WP special teams leveled the Huskies left and right on the kickoff return allowing Brown to return the ball 65 yards with 9:55 left in the second, increasing the Cardinals lead, 16-6.

Two more Cardinal touchdowns before the halftime buzzer blew gave the Cardinals a 30-6 lead.

WP began the second half with a Bartlow run to the Husky 15 yard line. After a loss of two yards, Bartlow lofted the ball over a defender's head to Brown, who cruised into the end zone while his linemen pave his way.

Justin Zuger got his piece of the action when he caught a Bartlow pass, broke two tackles, gained 20 yards, and was finally brought down at the 50-yard line earning his nickname from the announcer, "Z-Man".

WP continued to drive ahead finding the end zone with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Dustin Wooderchak, widening the Cardinals' lead 43-6 with 4:56 left in the third.

The Cardinals scored once more when Brown ran the kick off back 65 yards with 6:57 left in the fourth.

Elgin would score their remaining 22 points with WP's second string that always enjoys getting some varsity experience. The WP's "boys of fall" held off those Huskies and took home a 50-28 victory.

"We had four turnovers from our first team and against a really good team, that can cost you a "W", said WP Head coach Jeff Bartlow. "We've got to come out crisp and come out on fire this next week."

The WP Cardinals play Friday Sept. 23 in Waitsburg, kickoff is at 7 p.m.