Patriot Football Season Comes to an End
On Thursday, October 23, the Clarkson-Leigh Patriots made a six-hour long trip to Bridgeport, Nebraska to play the Bridgeport Bulldogs in the first round of the 8-man class D1 playoffs. The Patriots were the 27 seed in the playoffs with the Bulldogs being the #6 seed. Clarkson-Leigh entered this game at 4-4 while Bridgeport came in at 7-1.
The Patriots’ started the game very sluggish, fumbling multiple times in the first quarter. The Bulldogs capitalized on these opportunities, outsourcing the Patriots 22-0 in the first quarter. The Bulldogs continued to score, tallying on 14 more points in the second quarter. The Patriots got on the board just one time in the first half with a deep touchdown reception by Tucker Matthies with the score being 36-6 at halftime.
In the second half, the Patriots stuck with Bridgeport. They outscored the Bulldogs 8-6 in the third quarter and 12-6 in the fourth quarter. The Patriots' strong second half was strongly attributed to Luke Eisenmann’s two receiving touchdowns. Despite their second-half fire, the Patriots had dug themselves too big of a hole to come out of. The final score was 26-48.
The Patriots finished the season at 4-5, graduating 8 seniors.
Senior Luke Eisenmann said, “We had a fun season with a lot of ups and downs. I felt like we grew a lot together over the course of the season. I am grateful for Patriot football that has taught me many lessons that I can carry with me throughout my life.”
Game Stats:
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Clarkson/Leigh 0 6 8 12 26
Bridgeport 22 14 6 6 48
Rushing: Attempts, Total Yards: Wyatt Crosley—19, 56; Jeryn Struebing–1, 1; Tucker Matthies—-18, 73; Blake Loseke—5, 13
Passing: Completions, Total Yards: Crosley—6, 151
Receiving: Receptions, Total Yards: Luke Eisenmann—3, 62; Matthies—3, 89
Touchdowns: Crosley—1; Matthies—1; Eisenmann–2
Tackles: Levi Gall—7, Loseke—6, Brett Wemhoff—1, Hunter Gall—4, Tyce Larson—1, Luke Eisenmann—7, Jacob Kroeger—4, Matthies—1, Corey Steffensmeier—3, Easton Brabec—2, Crosley–1