Plainsmen battle for gridiron win over Bulldogs

by Diane Stamm

Grant tribune-sentinel

Taking on a team with only one eight-man game under its belt, Perkins County Head Football Coach Tanner Collins said there were a lot of unknowns heading into Friday’s match up with Bridgeport.

The Bulldogs had faced Class D1 number one North Platte St. Pat’s in their season opening Week 0 game and lost 51-14.

On the PCS side, Collins said there were many new faces the coaches had to count on.

“We didn’t know how they would handle adversity. These guys showed us they are disciplined and have a lot of guts! So many times they could have thrown in the towel but they bounced back every time,” Collins said.

Adversity didn’t come early on. Perkins County marched right down the field on the Bulldogs and scored on the game’s opening drive when quarterback Dawson Tjaden snuck in on a one-yard run. With the extra point, PCS led 8-0.

The Plainsmen forced a three and out from the Bulldogs, but wasn’t able to put any points on the board when a tipped ball was intercepted to end the drive.

Bridgeport quickly made PCS pay, scoring a touchdown on its first play from scrimmage. The Bulldogs weren’t able to add the extra point.

The teams traded possessions through the rest of the first quarter and into the second. With 9:40 left in the quarter, the Bulldogs took the lead on a 20-yard run and the extra point kick.

With time winding down in the half, PCS took over at the Bridgeport 32-yard line following a Bulldog punt. Two plays later the Plainsmen found the end zone on a pass from Tjaden to a wide open Tony Lyon. Perkins County went into halftime with a 14-13 lead.

Bridgeport couldn’t put points on the board on its opening drive on the second half, but used a punt to pin the Plainsmen deep in their own territory. The lead switched hands once more with a sack in the end zone for a safety.

Trailing 14-15, PCS couldn’t find the end zone, but the Plainsmen defense stayed tough. Two turnovers were too much to withstand for the defense, however, and Perkins County soon trailed 14-22.

PCS found its offensive groove as time wound down in the third quarter. Casey Hanson broke off a 45-yard run for a touchdown to pull the Plainsmen to within two, 20-22.

After a defensive stop, Hanson and Ethan Sihm continued to be workhorses for the Perkins County offense on a time-consuming drive, but it was Tjaden who found the end zone to give PCS the lead. Tjaden’s one-yard touchdown run gave the Plainsmen a 26-22 advantage and the win.

Collins said he didn’t call a great game, but his players bailed him out.

“It was amazing to see some young guys step up in big moments. We have a lot of mistakes to clean up but for the first game of the season I couldn’t be more proud and excited for the future,” Collins added.

Hanson finished the game with 86 yards rushing and Sihm added 30 yards.

Tjaden completed 10-of-15 passes, including three to Ryder Potts for 44 yards.

Defensively, Mason Toner had four tackles for loss.

Up next

The Plainsmen will face Dundy County Stratton Friday. The Tigers beat Sedgwick County, Colorado 54-14 in their season opener.

Collins expects a tough match up with the Tigers.

“Dundy County will be very tough like always. I hope to have a good week of practice and clean some things up so we can play with them and make it interesting at the end,” he said.

Stats at a glance

Team Totals PCS BHS

Total Plays 60 48

Total Yards 200 197

Passing Yards 97 53

Rushing Yards 103 144

First Downs 16 9

Third Down Eff. 6-13 1-10

Fourth Down Eff. 0-1 0-2

Turnovers 4 1

Fumbles Lost 2 1

Interceptions Thrown 2 0

Penalties/Yds 8/25 4/5

Tackles (total-assists-TFL)—Ethan Sihm, 8-7-1; Mason Toner, 4-4-4; Landon Noyes, 3-3-1; Oscar Boldt, 2-3-1; Nolan Foster, 1-2-0; Tony Lyon, 1-10; Ryder Potts, 1-1-0; Jackson Wykert, 1-0-0; Casey Hanson, 0-3-0; Juan Perez, 0-3-0; Rest of team, 1-1-1.

Rushing (attempts-yards-TD)—Hanson, 12-86-1; Sihm, 12-30-0; Lyon, 1- -3-0; Tjaden, 14- -10-2.

Passing (completions-attempts-yards-TD-INT)—Tjaden, 10-15-97-1-2.

Receiving (receptions-yards-TD)— Potts, 3-44-0; Lyon, 4-23-1; Foster, 1-15-0; Hanson, 1-9-0; Sihm, 1-6-0.

Score by quarters:

PCS 8 6 6 6—26

Bridgeport 6 7 9 0—22