Fleming downs Peetz 68-19 in annual rivalry game
Brady Kuntz ties career kick return TD record
For the fourth week in a row, the Fleming Wildcats looked ever y bit like the defending state champions. Unfortunately for the Peetz Bulldogs, it was their second week in a row that they found themselves on the losing side of things.
Fleming rushed for 314 yards as a team, scoring touchdowns passing, rushing, and on special teams. It all resulted in a 68-19 victory for the Wildcats over the Bulldogs.
Six players
scored touchdowns for Fleming (4-0). Quarterback Kade Comstock led the team with 3, one passing, one rushing, and one on a punt return. Senior Chris Goss led the team in offensive yardage with 103 (49 rushing, 54 receiving). It was also a par ticularly special night for Brady Kuntz, who tied the 24-year-old state record for kickoffs returned for a touchdown. Kuntz tied the career mark of 10 with a 60-yard kick return touchdown as time expired in the game.
“Brady’s been a real special player for us,” said Fleming head coach John King. “I didn’t think they’d kick to him tonight but they did. Him and the kids just work hard in every aspect…it just shows that over the years he and the other kids have executed really well.”
For the Bulldogs (2-2), it was their second consecutive loss after a 2-0 start to the season. There were some bright spots, however. Peetz did score 19 points against a Fleming defense that had only allowed 20 points all season heading into the night. With only 8 teams advancing to the playoffs this year, however, the Bulldogs will have to be nearly perfect the rest of the way.
“I’m proud of the kids,” said head coach Scott Sorensen. “They played hard, we were just playing a superior team. They’re the defending state champions because they’re good. I had a lot of freshman in there who learned a lot today and I think we’re better today than we were yesterday. That’s an improvement.”
Fleming got out to a 24-0 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a trio of usual suspects. Nolan Japp (47-yard touchdown run), Comstock (55-yard punt return TD and 14-yard passing TD to Stan Tryboski), and Goss (23-yard TD run) were all over the field in the first quarter, with Comstock adding an interception on defense for good measure.
Peetz put up a fight in the second quarter. Joe Fehringer recorded an interception of Comstock and the Bulldogs managed to score on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Chance Segelke to Nolan Hill. However, Fleming added two scores of their own with a 28-yard touchdown run by Comstock and a 47-yard run by Charles Hobbs to make it a 38-7 game in favor of Fleming at halftime.
Peetz continued to fight in the third quarter. Nolan Hill picked up the only sack of the night by either team and Aiden Curtis managed to score on a 5-yard touchdown run.
The Wildcats continued to show why they’re the No. 1 team in the 6-man coaches poll, however. Blake Feather scored on a 22-yard fourth down touchdown run while Maddix Welch added an 11-yard touchdown run to trigger the running clock late in the third.
With the Wildcats leading 52-13 at the start, the four th quar ter went quick. Welch scored on a 24-yard touchdown run for Fleming before Peetz’s Colton Howell broke loose for a 68-yard touchdown run himself. Peetz then kicked the ball off to Kuntz, who scored on a 60-yard TD return to give the game its final score.