October 16, 2015 at 10:11 a.m.
Pointers earn playoffs with Homecoming win
For the team itself, the win meant much more. It meant a berth in the post season, a goal every team starts with at the start of Week 1.
Now the Pointers go into the final week of the regular season with an outlook to help them make a post season run.
Coach Andy Palzkill knows how key making the playoffs is to the overall program.
"It is always important to be in the playoffs as it is a sign of a good football program," Palzkill said. "We also want to be in the position of not having it come down to the last game. It gives our coaching staff a chance to evaluate what we need to do to get better this week and those are the same things that will help us be better the following week as we prepare for our playoff opponent."
Lucas Sanchez scored three touchdowns. He started things for the Pointers with a 14 yard run in the first quarter. Freshman Curtis Cox kicked the conversion.
Boscobel answered witha three yard plunge by Casey Swenson. The missed extra point left the Pointers in the lead 7-6.
Sanchez weaved in from the six in the second quarter and Cox added the conversion.
Brian Waterman got in for the Bulldogs, traveling 17 yards to score. The run failed and the Pointers led 14-12 at the half.
The Pointers welcomed back Steven Blume from a long injury and called his number on a pass play for a score. He caught an 11 yard pass from Scott Pittz.
Lance Steffes then ran in from the six and with both Cox conversions the Pointers had a 28-12 lead mid third.
Tommy Monroe found a seam for a 63 yard run for the Bulldogs and cut the lead to 28-18. But Sanchez iced it with a 24 yard scamper and the Cox kick made it 35-18.
Sanchez finished with 151 yards on 19 attempts. Pittz completed six of 11 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown. Lance Steffes grabbed three passes for 43 yards.
While the Pointers did not kick it into high gear until the second half they were the picture of efficiency throughout.
"We scored on all but one of our first half possessions, "Palzkill said "But Boscobel was able to move the ball as well and had some sustained long drives including their scoring drives in the first half. They are much improved offensively and Monroe is a great athlete at quarterback for them."
"Defensively, we struggled with counter and speed option in the first half," Palzkill added.
But the Pointers got some big defensive play from one of their juniors.
"Boone Schmitz (5'9", 160 lb., linebacker) was able to settle in and did a great job stopping counter for the entire second half," Palzkill said. "He had multiple tackles for loss in the game."
Boscobel's problems with holding onto the football played into the second half difference.
"We were able to take advantage of three second half fumbles and were allowed outstanding field position with those turnovers," Palzkill said. "I was happy with our offensive performance in the second half as we were able to move the ball on the ground and control the clock. "
The Pointers were also able to exploit some of Boscobel's coverages
"We were able to take advantage of their coverage at times because we were running the ball well," Palzkill continued. "Play action pass gave a us a few big plays and we had other opportunities to make big plays in the passing game that we did not take advantage of in the game. Scott does a great job of putting the ball in a good place for our receivers. The passing game will need to be a part of our post-season as one or two big plays in the passing game make a big difference in close football games."
A highlight of the game was seeing Steven Blume return to action after a serious leg injury early in the season.
"Steven brings excellent leadership as well as his experience and ability as a football player," said Palzkill as he was glad to have his senior back. "We are very pleased that he is back and it was great to see him score on offense and play well defensively. He is always hard on himself, but after about a month of no action on the football field, it is impressive to see him step back in and makes plays for us. Steven was cleared on Thursday so he did not get any practice time with us this week. Our goal was to get him acclimated to the speed of the game again and then allow him to play himself back into game shape the next two weeks."
Palzkill said Steffes also gave the Pointers a lift when he got some time at quarterback.
"Lance has taken 50% of the snaps in practice for us in many periods. He has really done a good job of becoming a quarterback. He has good footwork in the running game and makes great reads. He has also improved his throwing mechanics and understands the passing game," Palzkill said about the backup quarterback play. "We have asked a lot of Lance to play wide receiver, tight end, fullback, and quarterback. His intelligence as a football player and his ability as an athlete allows us to be more versatile and diverse offensively. I was not surprised to see Lance play so well at the quarterback position, but I was happy to see him play confidently and make plays for us."
Palzkill was also pleased with how the Pointers came through on defense.
"Boone Schmitz, Riley Workman, and Lucas Sanchez really stepped up and played well at the linebacker positions," the coach said. "All year Jacob Parks and Joey Dolphin have played well at the nose and defensive tackle positions for us and Boscobel was unable to run up the middle. We have also had good play all year out of Lance Steffes, Dylan MacGilvra, Kyle Juedes, and Sawyer Wallace at defensive end. Kyle and Sawyer have earned playing time and we are confident in their ability to do the job for us on Friday night.
The Pointers close out their SWAL season Friday at Southwestern.
"We expect a Southwestern team that will play hard and give us their best effort," said Palzkill. "They have had a difficult season in terms of wins and losses, but we will prepare as usual to have our best possible performance. As I have said before, our goal is to get better each week and this is another week where we want to play well and gain momentum as we head into the post-season."
