Indians End Bloodhounds Quick Start
#38 Cole Kraber gets excited after making a key tackle against Fort Madison.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa Indians ended the Fort Madison Bloodhounds two game win streak Friday night, with a final score of 58-14.
After the first quarter, the Indians were up 23-6 on three touchdowns, the first being a pass from senior Seth Howard to senior Tanner DeKock.
Howard then connected to junior Cole Henry for the second score of the quarter, and the Indians were up 16-6 over the Bloodhounds, who had an early safety.
The final score of the quarter came on a Seth Howard touchdown from 34 yards out.
The Indians poured on 21 more points in the second quarter, with Howard once again racing to the end zone from 15 yards out.
Howard then found the end zone on a 7-yard dash with 7:36 remaining in the half.
Cole Henry nabbed his second touchdown reception of the evening from 9 yards out, scoring with just 20 seconds remaining in the half.
The continuous clock played its role in the second half of play, and Oskaloosa’s Casey Hill dashed into the endzone from 4 yards out for the third quarter’s only score.
Tyler Miller made a 32-yard journey to the end zone with 10:24 remaining in the game for the final score of the evening.
The Indians only had the ball just over 16 minutes during the entire game, while Fort Madison failed to capitalize on their almost 35 minutes of possession time.
The Indians had 21 first downs, compared to 16 for the visitors.
On the ground, the Indians ran up 224 yards, with an additional 290 yards in the air. Fort Madison had just 53 yards rushing, and 240 yards in the air.
Defensively, Keaton DeKock and Cole Kraber each had seven tackles, with four Indians claiming five tackles each, including; Alex DeJong, Nikolas Dyksta, Jaden Van Roekel, and Casey Hill.
For the second game in a row, Alex DeJong had two interceptions.
Oskaloosa Head Coach Jake Jenkins spoke about the team’s win, which was the start of district play. Oskaloosa is now 2-1 on the season, and 1-0 in district play.
“I’m very excited being 1-0 in the district,” added Jenkins of the win over the Bloodhounds. Jenkins spoke highly of the improvement the visitors have made over last year’s meeting.
Mount Pleasant is up next week for the Indians on the road, and Jenkins says they are a better team than Fort Madison.
To be better, Jenkins says “fixing stupid penalties” is a top priority as they prepare for the road trip.
“We have so many guys banged up right now” and that in some cases, the team is already reaching deep into the roster to fill those positions.
“We’re going to talk about it Monday,” said Jenkins of the numerous flags thrown during the game. “I think we’re going to speak volumes through the hills we’re going to run. We’re going to do a lot of running for that, just as a reminder.”
“We have to think when we’re tired, and we have to respond better,” added Jenkins of the many mistakes made by the Indians squad. “We need to get our heads in the game.”
“I’m never disappointed with a victory. I’m just disappointed with the lack of focus and with the flags. I’m very happy with the district win.”
