Pointers fall to Cuba City despite good aerial game

By Ronica Thousand

Hoping to end a two-game skid, Mineral Point hosted Cuba City, a team still chasing its first victory. From the opening kickoff, it was the Cubans who set the tone.

The Cubans quickly moved the ball near Mineral Point’s 29-yard line on the opening possession, but a third-and-long stop forced the punt team onto the field. Mineral Point took over at its own 7, but the Cubans’ defense responded with a quick three-and-out to keep the Pointers pinned.

After a dead-ball penalty, Cuba City regained possession at its own 48. From there, senior Ethan Griffin made the play of the quarter—juking multiple defenders before sprinting to the end zone for the game’s first touchdown.

Mineral Point looked to respond, and Thorin Vamstad gave them the spark they needed with an excellent kickoff return that put the Pointers deep in Cuban territory. On the very next series, quarterback Liam Carey dropped back and found Brett Bossert wide open in the end zone to tie the score at 7–7.

With three minutes left in the first quarter, the Pointer defense gave the home crowd life, forcing a Cuban three-and-out. Carey once again looked to Bossert, connecting for a 25-yard gain to set up Mineral Point at the Cuba City 35 as the first quarter ended.

Early in the second, Carey went right back to his favorite target. A short lateral to Bossert turned into a dazzling run as the senior weaved past defenders for his second touchdown. Bossert finished the night with more than 120 receiving yards, serving as the focal point of the Pointer offense.

Cuba City answered quickly. Kieler connected with Runde to set up first-and-goal, and Griffin powered across for his second score. The game was tied once again.

After trading empty possessions, the Pointers regained momentum. Carey capped a red-zone drive with a keeper, trotting in from close range to give Mineral Point the lead.

But Griffin wasn’t done. Continually moving the chains for Cuba City, he topped a long drive that ended with Trevor Vannatta crossing into the end zone. Busch, perfect on extra points all night, tied it at 21 with just over two minutes remaining in the half.

Mineral Point threatened before the break, but disaster struck. Carey lost the football, and Cuba City’s Bradley Rowe pounced on it. The Cubans wasted no time, converting on third-and-long as Kieler found Runde inside the 5. Moments later, Kieler hit Vannatta for a touchdown with seconds left on the clock. Kieler, who completed 14 of 17 passes on the night, gave Cuba City a 28–21 advantage heading into halftime.

Coming out of the locker room, Senior Brett Bossert stated, “We were feeling good coming into the second half despite late mistakes in the first.”

The Cubans carried their momentum into the second half. On the opening drive of the third quarter, Kieler found Runde again for a 50-yard completion, and Griffin finished it off with a wide-open run to the end zone to extend the lead to 35–21.

After that touchdown, Brett Bossert stated, “It was honestly demoralizing when you know you're the better team on the field.”

Mineral Point nearly clawed back late in the quarter, driving deep into Cuban territory and running the clock under a minute. But the Pointers stalled on a fourth-and-2 try, coming up empty as the game shifted into the fourth.

With Griffin sidelined, Rowe stepped in at running back and kept the Cuban offense rolling. His bruising runs wore down the defense, and he capped a long march with another touchdown to push the margin further.

Down three scores, the Pointers tried to keep their hopes alive, but a failed fourth-and-long from midfield with under six minutes to play sealed their fate.

With the JV units beginning to rotate in, Cuba City still had one last answer—Wyatt Yoose plunged up the middle on second-and-goal for the final touchdown of the night.

When the clock hit zero, the Cubans had made their statement. Behind Griffin’s big night on the ground, despite Bossert’s effort through the air, and Kieler’s near-perfect passing, Cuba City walked out of Ron Murphy Field with its first victory of the season, stunning Mineral Point 49–21