TJ Cool brings down a P/C running back. Jonelle Degenhardt photo.
DeSoto quarterback Eli Bosinski rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown, threw for another score, and led the Pirates to a 36-0 shutout of Highland on Thursday night at Tyler Field in Ridge and Valley-8 Conference play.
DeSoto entered the game averaging 49.5 points and scored on its opening possession when Kanoa Rodgers ran 12 yards for a touchdown and an early 8-0 lead.
Highland appeared ready to respond on its first drive. Brady Nankey connected with William Fritsch over the middle to move the Cardinals into Pirate territory, then found Griffin Wineski on a slant to reach the DeSoto 25. Wineski added another catch inside the 10, setting up first-and-goal, but the Pirates’ defense held and forced a turnover on downs.
DeSoto broke the game open with the first of three big secondquarter plays. On second down, Bosinski kept the ball, found a gap, and raced 87 yards untouched for a touchdown that made it 16-0.
After Highland punted on its next possession, DeSoto scored again on a 34-yard run up the middle by running back Gibbson Schultz. The two-point conversion pushed the Pirates’ lead to 24-0.
DeSoto’s defense forced another Highland punt, and the Pirates struck for another big play when Bosinski threw a short pass to Rodgers, who turned it into a 53- yard touchdown and a 30-0 halftime lead.
“Defensively, we struggled with the big play, as they had several long runs that we missed tackles on. We will be taking time this week to refocus on our tackling fundamentals, as they have seemed to be getting a little sloppy over the past few weeks. We know we are a better defensive team than we showed on Thursday night and are confident that we will get back on track in the weeks ahead,” Highland Head Coach Jasen Scanlan said.
DeSoto had 420 total yards compared to Highland’s 137 with 326 coming from rushing the ball. Nankey led Highland running the ball carrying it 11 times for 45 yards. He was 4 for 9 throwing the ball with Wineski leading the Cardinals with three catches for 34 yards. Defensively, Bryce Bedward led Highland with eight tackles.
“DeSoto’s powerful rushing attack definitely lived up to their reputation on Thursday night, rushing for 326 yards and four touchdowns,” said Scanlan. “Offensively, we had some opportunities early in the game to score and put together a few solid drives. Unfortunately, we struggled to run the ball consistently, which put us in a lot of 3rd-and-long situations. Our passing game has shown improvement over the past few weeks, but when the defense knows you have to pass, it is much easier to defend the pass and much harder to protect the quarterback from the pass rush. We had a couple of drives stall out in their territory due to a lack of execution and some mental mistakes that really should not be happening this late in the season. Finishing drives on offense is still the puzzle we are trying to solve.”
Highland, 2-2 in conference play and 2-4 overall, will host Wonewoc-Center for Homecoming at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, September 26,
at Tyler Field, a matchup Coach Scanlan said he is looking forward to.
“We are excited to welcome the Wonewoc Wolves to Tyler Field for our annual Homecoming game on Saturday, September 26th at 2:00 pm. Homecoming week is always an exciting week, with a lot of fun activities, but also a lot of distractions. We will have to be focused on improving in the areas we have been struggling with over the past few weeks if we hope to celebrate a Homecoming victory.”
