For the first time in 20 years, the Paynesville Area High School football team managed to to beat the Albany Huskies. The Bulldogs did it in a convincing manner as they outscored the Huskies, ranked seventh in state, 28-6 in Paynesville Friday night before a huge Parents' Night crowd.The game started the same way that most Paynesville-Albany football games have in the past few years. The Bulldogs were stopped on their first possession and had their punt blocked on their own 25-yard line, where Albany recovered. After a penalty on the Bulldogs, the Huskies scored on the next play on a fullback trap to make the score 6-0 in favor of Albany.
At this point, most people were thinking this game might be a repeat of last year's game that saw the Bulldogs lose 60-6 to the Huskies.
Fullback Joe Hiltner pulls away from a Albany Huskie defender.
But the senior leadership showed for the Paynesville team, as they came back and drove 76 yards in 14 plays with Jeff Voss scoring the tying touchdown on a nine-yard run.
This drive was a preview of what was to come as the Bulldogs' offensive line completely dominated the line of scrimmage. The line consists of seniors Eric Habben, Steve Flint, Matt Brauchler, Josh Bork, Adam Miller, Scott Braun, Chris Sogge, Karl Ainsley, and Eric Hartfiel. These Dawgs drove the Albany defense off the line of scrimmage on just about every play. "This was the best effort by an offensive line that I have seen since I have been coaching in Paynesville," said coach Kyle Nehowig.
The next Albany possession consisted of three plays and a punt. The Paynesville offense took over and went on a 16-play, 77-yard drive capped off by a two-yard quarterback sneak by Josh Roemeling. After an unsuccessful two-point conversion try, the score stood at Paynesville 12, Albany 6.
The Bulldogs drove one more time before the half and ran out of time with the ball on the Huskies' 36-yard line.
The Bulldogs' offense dominated the first half, as they ran 48 plays and gained 232 yards while the defense held the Huskies to 11 plays and 41 total yards.
Leading the Bulldogs' defense were Chris Sogge, Steve Flint, and Joe Nosbush.
The start of the third quarter saw the Bulldogs' defense pick up where they left off as Albany gained one yard in three plays. The offense then scored on a 36-yard halfback pass from Ben Bork to T. J. Schultz. The score stood at 20-6 for Paynesville after the two-point conversion run by Bork.
The Bulldogs put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter with an option play where Roemeling made a great pitch to Voss, who ran 80 yards for a touchdown. Their lead reached 22 points when Bork converted another two-point run.
The rest of the quarter saw Albany trying to play catch up without any luck, as the Bulldogs intercepted three passes, two by Ben Bork and one by Chris Rohe.
The Bulldogs offense controlled the ball and ran out the clock to end the game.
The Bulldogs played one of the best games they have played in recent history as they completely dominated Albany on both sides of the ball, outgaining the Huskies 476 yards to 140 yards in total offense and 18 to 4 in first downs.
After last week's disappointing loss to Cathedral, Nehowig was glad to see the players play this kind of game. "The players really responded to the challenge of playing Albany, and I hope this shows them the potential they have for this season if they continue to work hard," he said.
| Albany-- | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- 6 |
| Paynesville-- | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | -- 28 |
Scoring summary
Alb-Rob Grutsch 25 run (pass failed);
Pay--Jeff Voss 14 run ( pass failed);
Pay--Roemeling 2 run (run failed);
Pay--T.J. Schultz 36 pass from Ben Bork (Bork run);
Pay-Voss 80 run (Bork run).
Individual statistics
Rushing (attempts-yards-TDs): Jeff Voss 28-230-2; Ben Bork 21-116; Josh Roemeling 14-42-1; Joe Hiltner 10-33;
Passing (completions-attempts-yards-TDs): Roemeling 2-5-18; Bork 1-1-36-1;
Receiving (receptions-yards-TDs): T.J. Schultz 1-36-1; Hiltner 1-11; Voss 1-7;
Interceptions: Bork, 2; Chris Rohe, 1;
Tackles (solo-assists): Joe Nosbush 6-7; Steve Flint 3-3; Rohe 2-5.