Warriors whip Bennington
Staff writer
The 2007 season home-opener Friday was a big victory for Peabody-Burns High School, as it defeated Bennington, 56-7.
Now at 2-0, the team will be on the road Friday with a trip to Canton-Galva.
The Warriors' offense opened the contest with a drive that started at its own 40-yard line.
Trevor Hamm and Elliott Spechtenhauser ran the first two downs.
On third-and-six, Spechtenhauser broke loose for a 23-yard gain and a first down to the Bulldog 32.
Ben Eldridge, Hamm, and Spechtenhauser continued to move the ball and set up first-and-10 at the Bulldog 16.
On third-and-four, quarterback Nathan Bishop connected with wide receiver Adam Benson for the first Warrior score.
The extra point was no good, but PBHS took an early 6-0 lead with seven minutes, 28 seconds to go in the first quarter.
On the kick off, Will Pratt put the ball in the end zone for a touchback.
The Warrior defense held the Bulldogs with stops by Pratt, Spechtenhauser, Bishop, Sean Corona, Brandon Pickens, Hamm, Thomas McGee, and Benson.
The drive ended with a punt at the Warrior 45-yard line.
The next Warrior scoring drive was set up by a Hamm punt return, and started on the Warrior 40 with 10 minutes left in the half.
Eldridge, Hamm, Bishop, and Spechtenhauser all moved the ball on the ground to set up first-and-goal.
Bishop threw for the second score of the night with a five-yard strike to Pickens. PBHS led 12-0 after the missed extra points.
Solid Warrior defense led by a Nick Abramowich sack, put the offense back to work with just more than five minutes to play in the first half.
The home team started the drive at its own 43-yard line. Spechtenhauser moved the ball nine yards on first down.
A pass from Bishop to Benson moved the sticks 34 yards to set up first-and-10 at the Bulldog 11.
Penalties negated three positive offensive plays, but on second-and-11, Bishop hit Pickens for a third passing score. Pratt found the uprights, and PBHS led 19-0 with 3:10 to play in the half.
The Warrior offense was not finished in the half, after recovering an on-sides kick at the Bulldog 33.
Under heavy pressure two plays later, Bishop hit Pickens for a 32-yard gain down to the one-yard line.
On the next play the quarterback lunged in for the score.
Pratt's kick made it 26-0 at the half.
The only Bulldog score came on the first drive of the second half.
Bennington moved the ball from its own 24-yard line with a touchdown with 7:22 remaining in the third quarter.
The next Warrior drive started at its own 30. Spechtenhauser and Hamm rushed on the drive. Benson moved the chains with a big catch at the Bulldog 25-yard line.
Bishop and Benson connected once again on second-and-10 at the 25, and Benson finished with a score.
Pratt's kick made the score 33-7 with three minutes left in the third.
A good punt return by Hamm set up the next Warrior scoring opportunity.
On first down, Spechtenhauser moved the chains down the 11 with a big gain on the left side.
Eldridge took the ball up the middle on the next play and scored for the Warriors. The extra point made the score 40-7.
Bishop then scored on keeper with nine minutes left to increase the score to 48-7.
The final score of the contest came with the junior varsity on the field.
Jacob Simmonds handed to Travis Pohlman, Jordon Foth, Daniel Brassfield, and Henry Hammann, as they combined for 60 yards on the ground.
Brassfield earned the score with a one-yard run with 2:12 left in the game.
Pohlman ran the two-point conversion, and the Warriors improve to 2-0.
Second half defensive plays were made by Pickens, Spechtenhauser, Anthony Jones, Benson, Pratt, Bishop, McGee, Loucks, Corona, Hamm, Abramowich, Simmonds, Abe Eldridge, Daulton Teaford, Howie Levite, Joseph Lopez, Lukas Bambach, and Foth.
In the passing game, Bishop was 9-12 for 165 yards and four touchdowns.
Benson caught six passes for 121 yards and two scores. Pickens had three for 44 yards and the other two touchdowns.
Hamm led the rushing game with 16 carries for 125 yards. Spechtenhauser had 11 for 93, Pohlman two for 29, and Hammann two for 24.
Bishop had two touchdowns on the ground to go with 11 yards, Ben Eldridge scored once and had nine yards, while Brassfield had a touchdown and four yards. Foth had two carries for one yard.
Pratt and Spechtenhauser led the defense with 6.5 tackles each. Hamm recorded five tackles and Benson had 4.5.
Other tackles included McGee (3.5), Bishop (2.5), Pickens (2.5), Abramowich (2), B. Eldridge (2), A. Jones (1.5), Hammann (1.5), Corona (1), Levite (1), and Teaford (1).
