Timberwolves handle Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg co-op 36-13
By A.J. Gates
Every year high school football teams lose key players to graduation, but for River Ridge coach Wade Winkers, the loss of eight all-conference selections from last year’s team left him wondering what this season was going to look like.
With a 36-13 season-opening victory over host Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg last Friday night, Winkers got a glimpse of what his new squad has to offer, and he liked what he saw.
“I’ll be very honest, I didn’t know what to expect going in there,” Winkers said of Friday night’s season opener. “I really thought we were going to struggle to get a victory, honestly, just because of the lack of experience that we have in a lot of places.”
“It’s not that they’re young, it’s just that we have new starters in bigger roles, and I wasn’t sure how it would all come together,” he added. “Our scrimmage a week earlier was kind of a tale of two halves, where we looked really good against one team, and kind of got smacked in the face by another.”
Winkers’ Timberwolves got smacked in the face to start Friday night’s contest too, as the Knights put together a 60-yard scoring drive on their first possession to take an early 7-0 lead.
The response River Ridge had to the early score was one that greatly pleased their coach and helped to reduce the concerns he had coming into the game.
On just their second offensive play of the night, the Timberwolves got a 45-yard touchdown run from junior fullback Braden Skaife, pulling River Ridge to within 7-6 after a failed two-point conversion pass.
“I thought we responded well after that first touchdown that we gave up,” said Winkers. “I think our guys got that confidence that they needed, especially up front.”
That confidence led to three more scores in the first half, as River Ridge took a 28-7 lead into the intermission.
Senior quarterback Brandon Davis had a 61-yard TD run in the closing seconds of the first quarter, and added a 32-yard TD pass and an 18-yard TD run in the second. His touchdown pass went to junior split end Cael Koenig.
“Benton had some really big guys, and we knew that they were going to, so we tried to use our speed on the outside a little bit to our advantage,” Winkers explained.
The Knight’s opened the second-half scoring with an eight-yard TD pass to pull within 28-13, but River Ridge responded with a 10-yard TD run by senior Reese Drew late in the third quarter.
Neither team was able to add to their score in the fourth quarter, as River Ridge held on for the victory.
“I’m happy with the way our guys responded and happy with the result obviously, not really knowing what we were going to get,” Winkers said. “Wins are wins, we’re going to take them.”
The Timberwolves concluded the contest with 309 total yards to their opponent’s 187, gaining 248 yards on 33 rushing attempts.
Leading the River Ridge ground game with 128 yards and two touchdowns on a team-high eight attempts was Davis, while Skaife added 60 yards and one score on five rushing attempts.
Through the air, Davis also completed 5-of-6 passing attempts for 61 yards and one TD, and even led the defense from his linebacker spot with 8.5 total tackles, seven solo and three for loss.
“It’s nice to have a returner who has been playing on varsity for three years,” said Winkers of Davis. “I think he proved that he was the best player on the field Friday. He was everywhere on both sides of the ball. He’s a pretty special player for us to have.”
Cael Koenig had a team-high two receptions for 40 yards and one score, while senior halfback Brock Bunge contributed with 27 yards rushing on six carries and caught two passes for 11 yards.
This Friday night the Timberwolves will host Fennimore, who this past Friday night defeated Iowa-Grant, 46-8.
