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It is always nice to get a little help from your friends.
Sy Staver got that help Friday at Southwestern and his friends were the offensive line.
The line gave him protection in passing situations and allowed him time to complete 15 of 23 attempts for a whopping 262 yards and two touchdowns.
Then the line opened holes which Staver ran through enough to total 102 yards on 21 carries and two scores.
Mineral Point pulled away from a 7-6 deficit to roll over Southwestern 41-13 in a SWAL match-up last Friday.
Staver and Alec Schmitz made the first touchdown go when Schmitz grabbed a pass and took it in from 28 yards out.
Jacob Pollock then answered for the Wildcats with a nine yard run and Jay Jay Onusukwu added the conversion. That made it 7-6 Southwestern.
But the Pointers methodically took over the game and had a 20-7 halftime lead. Schmitz scored on a 19 yard reception to give the Pointers the lead and Turner Poad ran in the conversion.
Staver added the second score of the quarter on a one yard keeper.
The Pointers stuck in two more scores in the third frame. Staver got in on another one yarder and Poad stepped in also from the one. Staver nailed Schmitz with the conversion.
Poad closed out the scoring with an eight yard run in the fourth quarter and Joey Gorgen kicked the conversion.
Pollock scored again for Southwestern before the game ended.
Schmitz ended up with six catches for 67 yards to keep the Pointers moving.
Pointer coach Andy Palzkill saw the teams trade scores early then wanted to make sure the team was on the same page. So he called a time out.
"Initially, we were a little sluggish and, in my opinion, we were confused by a slight change in their defensive front," Palzkill said. "I called a time-out on the second series to clarify what was going on. We were able to make some adjustments and really just got back to following our offensive blocking rules."
That helped do the trick.
"I felt that the key was for our kids to be confident in their ability and play football fast," Palzkill added. "Our offensive line was the key for us because they pass protected well and then really settled in allowing our running game to get moving. We need to continue to improve on our first steps which will allow us to get off the ball faster on offense and defense."
With the line play dominating, Staver was able to settle into the quarterback roll.
"Sy had great patience in the passing game against Southwestern," Palzkill said. "Many of our route concepts involved crossing patterns and he was able to buy time with his feet to allow those routes to develop. He also did a great job of reading their flat linebacker and dumping to ball to Turner Poad quickly on the flair out of the backfield. He took what the defense gave him and that is all we ask our quarterback to do."
"Sy gives us a great added dimension with his speed and athletic ability in the running game," Palzkill continued. "My goal is to get our best athletes in space against our opponents and we were able to get Sy into space well on Friday night which made things tough for Southwestern's defense."
With the game flowing nicely the Pointers were able to execute both the run and the pass.
"We feel we are a very balanced offense in that we have multiple players who can make plays for us," said Palzkill. "Sy, Turner, and Alec are among those players who we work hard to get touches every Friday night. They compliment one another and keep defenses honest. We do not ask anybody to do anything extra-ordinary. If our athletes can relax and play their game, then they will make plays for us. I feel that Sy, Turner, and Alec are to the point that they understand exactly how we are trying to attack our opponents and they do a great job of being detail-oriented in carrying out their roles."
While the offense was rolling the defense was doing their job of stopping the Wildcats.
"Our defense has progressed nicely and they have learned a great deal about football the past two years," said Palzkill. "Coach Leonard has brought a great deal of knowledge and is doing an outstanding job of teaching our athletes defensive football. We need to continue to stress to fundamentals of defensive football and keep putting our players to make plays defensively."
Palzkill said their were many contributions in the game.
"Many of our athletes on the perimeter made the difference for us initially against Southwestern," he said. "In particular, Alec was able to run great routes and get open for our first two scores. After that, our offensive line gaining confidence and taking over the line of scrimmage allowed us to gain a lead and get the victory."
And there were others who stood out, too.
"We had some athletes really catch our eye last week," Palzkill said. "Ross Siegenthaler really ran hard for us in the second half and it was great to have Scott Pittz back on the field for us at quarterback in the fourth quarter. Scott is a big part of our football team in many ways and we are very happy to have him healthy and ready to contribute as we move into conference play."
Next up are the Bulldogs.
"We play Boscobel this week at home," Palzkill said. "Our focus will be cleaning up and improving our fundamentals on both sides of the ball. We will have to play well in order to win football games and paying attention to our technique is the most important area for us to improve as a football team."