October 26, 2012 at 9:13 a.m.
Play-off route runs through Potosi for Cardinals
Just two weeks ago the Cardinals went to Potosi and lost to the Chieftains 47-2. They are back at the same field tomorrow night for another shot but will be fighting for a different cause.
Two weeks ago the game had conference championship implications. A Highland win would give both teams a share of the Six Rivers crown.
This time the game is for extending the season and is a Level 2 play-off game. That means one and done for the loser and advancement for the winner.
Highland coach Shaun Reuter is looking forward to the second meeting of the two teams.
"We get to head back to Potosi on Friday night and hopefully play much better than we did last time," Reuter said. "We cannot afford to have five turnovers and expect to keep up with the extremely explosive offense that they have. As a coaching staff we will make a few adjustments and come ready to play. I know the boys are looking forward to another chance to play them."
Potosi exploded for a 54-24 win over North Crawford last Friday as they ran for 386 yards.
The Cardinals advanced with a 42-6 win over Ithaca that allowed Reuter and his staff to substitute freely the second half.
The Cardinals scored six times before Ithaca got their lone score on a pass play.
Blake Bomkamp grabbed a pair of scoring strikes from Blake Bodenstein. He scored the first touchdown of the game with a 13 yard catch then tallied touchdown number five with a 64 yard reception.
Nic Pierick scored in the second quarter on a 22 yard scamper and kicked five extra points.
Caleb Yager scored in the first quarter on a four yard plunge and added a seven yard scoring burst in a 29 point second frame. He also scored on a two point conversion run after Pierick scored. Yager was busy all night with 147 yards on 18 attempts.
Blake Bodenstein added a third touchdown through the air when he nailed Brandon McCoullough with a 10 yarder.
Bodenstein was five for eight passing and totaled 146 yards.
"Blake threw the ball extremely well on Friday night," Reuter said "We are going to have have success passing the ball in order to keep advancing in the playoffs. Against the better opponents we need to be more balanced so it was nice to see Blake have a good game."
Bomkamp grabbed two passes and scored on both of them.
"Blake Bomkamp had a real nice game with both of his catches going for touchdowns," Reuter said. "Both of them were short throws and he was able to make people miss and outrun them to the end zone."
Yager again turned in a strong running effort.
"Caleb was solid like he has been since week one," Reuter said.
The Cardinals effectively shut down the running game attempted by the Bulldogs.
"Defensively we did an excellent job of stopping the run," Reuter said. "Ithaca was missing three of the their backs which limited which plays they could run. Brad Wolfe had another real good game on defense with a couple of tackles for losses. Nic Pierick had an interception on their first drive of the game. Caleb Yager forced a fumble in the second quarter that Blake Bomkamp recovered. We were able to capitalize both times and turn them into scores."
The loss to the Chieftains October 12 may have been a motivator for the Cardinals.
"I think that the boys were a little embarrassed last week with the results at Potosi and came out and played a real solid first half," Reuter said. "That was about as sharp as we have looked offensively this season."
It was just an overall good game for the Cardinals.
"I was just real happy with our effort and focus to start the game," Reuter said. "It was good to see the seniors perform well on their last game at home. I liked the effort that our JV's had in the second half as well."
