Staff writer
Peabody-Burns High School football earned a postseason appearance Thursday at home with a defeat of the Goessel Bluebirds, 54-6. The team played Osborne on Tuesday in the bi-district round of the playoffs.
Abe Eldridge fielded the opening Bluebird kickoff. The Warriors offense started their first drive at their own 29-yard line.
A first-down penalty pushed the Warriors back five yards. Storm Pickens gained back the lost five yards on the next down. Derek Price gained three on a second-down rush to the left side. Hunter Pickens kept the drive going with a third-down quarterback keeper that gained a first down at the Goessel 39-yard line.
Storm Pickens took a first-down run to the right of the field, down the sideline to the end zone for the touchdown. Storm Pickens added the two-point conversion on a pitch from Hunter Pickens to the left of the Goessel defense. PBHS took the lead, 8-0, with 10 minutes, 24 seconds on the clock in the first quarter.
Price kicked off to the Bluebirds. The Goessel return man was taken down at the Bluebirds 12 with a team tackle from Spencer Moffett and Trevor Foth.
The Bluebirds offense gained five yards on four downs. The Warriors defense forced a punt, and the PBHS offense took over at its own 35-yard line.
The next series for the Warriors included a second-down touchdown that was called back due to a holding penalty. Storm Pickens ran the ball on two more downs, but PBHS turned the ball over on downs at the Warrior 38 on a failed fake punt.
Goessel offense completed a 22-yard pass on first down. Eldridge stopped the ball carrier for no gain on the next down. A holding penalty moved the Bluebirds back to set up second-and-25 at the Warriors 30. Goessel went to the air on the next down, but the pass fell incomplete. Storm Pickens came up with an interception on third down and the Warriors offense got the ball at the Bluebirds 36.
The next PBHS offensive series included runs by Eldridge and Storm Pickens and an incomplete pass. A Price punt that rolled out of bounds near the Bluebirds end zone pinned Goessel at their own 6-yard line.
A first-down Goessel fumble that was recovered by Lucas Larsen put the Warriors offense back on the field at the Bluebirds 5-yard line.
Storm Pickens gained four on first down. PBHS scored on second-and-goal from the 1 on a Hunter Pickens quarterback keeper through the middle. A holding penalty negated the first conversion attempt. Goessel stopped the second conversion pass play, but PBHS had the 14-0 lead with 3:39 left in the first period.
The Bluebirds went to the air on the next drive with three pass attempts that fell incomplete. Storm Pickens dropped back for the Bluebird punt and returned the ball 49 yards around the right side of the Bluebird punt team for the third PBHS score of the contest. Hunter Pickens tacked on two points with a run to the left side of the end zone. The Warrior increased their lead, 22-0, with 2:39 on the clock in the first quarter.
PBHS defense held the Bluebirds scoreless for the remainder of the quarter. Moffett, Jacob Gillet, Eldridge, and Hunter Pickens all recorded defensive stops. Hunter Pickens intercepted a Goessel pass late in the period and PBHS had the ball to start the second quarter. The Warriors hovered at midfield on the series, but turned the ball over on a fourth-down fake punt.
Goessel put together a scoring drive that covered 48 yards. The Bluebirds scored with 9:44 on the clock. Eldridge and Foth stopped the conversion play, but Goessel got on the scoreboard with 6.
The Bluebird kickoff was fielded by Foth. After a first-down holding penalty, PBHS scored again on a first-and-20 from the Warrior 36-yard line. Storm Pickens recorded a 44-yard run down the right sideline. The conversion pass fell short, but PBHS led, 28-6, with 9:21 on the clock in the second.
Goessel continued to try the passing game throughout the remainder of the half. Plays from Gillet, Hunter Pickens, Price, Larsen, Storm Pickens, Moffett, Brody Kyle, and Foth kept the Bluebirds out of the end zone.
The Warriors offense scored four more time in the last minutes of the first half. The first score was set up by an interception from Hunter Pickens at the Warrior 22-yard line. Storm Pickens, Eldridge, and Hunter Pickens all carried on the drive. On a fourth-and-4 at midfield, Storm Pickens went for the middle of the Goessel defense, emerged from the pile, and ran 42 yards for the score. No points were added on the conversion, but PBHS had the lead, 34-6, with 5:42 on the clock.
On the next series for the PBHS defense, Larsen had a big hit that dislodged the football, and Brent Jones recovered the fumble at the Bluebird 2-yard line. PBHS took over deep in Goessel territory. Eldridge wasted no time and plowed through on first-and-goal. PBHS increased their first-half lead, 40-6.
The next Warriors score came with three minutes left in the contest. Storm Pickens again traveled the left sideline for the 52-yard score. The conversion failed. PBHS led, 46-6.
PBHS defense scored the last touchdown of the contest. Eldridge blocked a Goessel punt that Joseph Lopez recovered in the end zone. Storm Pickens tacked on two with a run and the Warrior led 54-6 with less than two minutes in the half.
The game ended at the half due to the KSHSAA 45-point rule. PBHS defeated Goessel, 54-6.
Storm Pickens rushed 12 times for 191 yards and four touchdowns. Eldridge carried four times for seven yards and a score. Hunter Pickens ran four times for four yards and scored a touchdown. Lopez scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery.
Hunter Pickens was three-for-seven in the passing game for 17 yards. Austin Savage caught one pass for eight yards. Storm Pickens caught one pass for five yards, and Price caught one ball for four yards.
Larsen, Lopez, and Jones each recovered a fumble.
Moffett led the defense with 3.5 tackles. Storm Pickens and Foth each recorded three stops, and Larsen and Gillet each had 2.5. Hunter Pickens, Kyle, Eldridge, and Price recorded two tackles each. Lopez and Jones each had .5 tackles.