Indians Claim Victory Over Chariton
The Oskaloosa Indians overwhelmed the Chariton Chargers Friday night at the Lacey Stadium
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa Indians hit the field hungry for a win, after coming off three straight losses, and Chariton proved to be no match for the driven Indians.
Chariton jumped out first when Charger Matt Schultz ran in from 3 yards out for the TD with 8:51 on the clock in the first period. The PAT kick by Alex Wright was good, completing the 4 play, 21 yard drive.
Oskaloosa’s Nate Van Veldhuizen was Oskaloosa’s answer to the Chargers score by pushing the ball in the final yard for the TD. PAT kick by Jonah Renter was good, and the score was tied up 7-7. The Indians marched down the field in 11 plays for a total of 64 yards.
Oskaloosa was motivated and once again turned to Van Veldhuizen, who carried it in from 2 yards out for the TD. This gave Osky the lead for the first time all year. The PAT kick by Renter was no good, Indians were up 13-7 with 8:16 on the clock in the second quarter.
The confidence was growing as Tyce Sarver ran for 12 yards and the TD with 4:11 on the clock in the second. The PAT run by Jared Pace came up short, and the 3 play, 19 yard drive gave the Indians a 19-7 lead over the Chargers.
With time running down in the half, Jared Pace found the end zone from 8 yards out. The PAT kick by Renter was good, and Oskaloosa was in command 26-7 at half time.
The second half started off with the Indians remaining in control. Jesse Van Dalen passes to Tyce Sarver to complete the 24 yard score with 5:16 remaining in the third quarter. Jonah Renter nails the PAT kick and the Indians are up 33-7. The Indians moved the ball 61 yards over 5 plays.
The final Indian score of the evening came on the 13 yard Pace TD with 2:52 remaining in the third. Renter once again nails the PAT and the Indians marched out to a 40-7 lead on the 4 play, 28 yard drive.
The Charger’s Stephen McCurdy added to the visitors score by dashing 69 yards down field on the first play of the drive with just 1:01 on the clock in the fourth. The PAT by Alex Wright made the score 40-14 in favor of the Indians.
The final score of the evening came just seconds after the Chargers had scored. Chariton’s Christian Bengtson passes to TJ Hockanson to complete a 3 play, 45 yard drive with 36 seconds remaining. Wright misses the PAT and the final score was 40-20, Indians.
After the game, Coach Schilb said that they have been working hard on defensive and offensive line techniques. He expected to see improvement, and the players delivered.
Schilb talked about getting the win, especially at home and the momentum it brings to the team. “Very important. Just from the standpoint of your emotions and feeling good about getting up and going back to work the next day.”
“Our kids played very well I thought, we did what we had to do…. When you accomplish those game goals, then you get the wins.”
A shake up in positions took place over the week, and Schilb thought it helped to bring about some of the positive results.
Schilb said one injury that might have some significance going forward was to Ryder Curtiss. He suffered a knee sprain, “I hope he’s able to bounce back for next week,” Schilb said. “He’s a devastating blocker in our tight end spot.”
