Carson City-Crystal at Fowler – – Football – – The Bleacher Denizen – – August 26, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Well, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the Bleacher Denizen has headed north to Fowler to blog their football game for the first post of the 2022-23 school year. Perhaps I shouldn’t compare myself to the valiant Phoenix. It’s possible that the Glow Worm like from this video on my You Tube Channel is a bit more of an apt description in my case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbyez-hYtDY

The Fowler Eagles and Carson City-Crystal Eagles are both playing their first game of the season and hoping to win the Weber Eagle trophy to take back to their school. Last year, CCC won the trophy and took it home.

If the Bleacher Denizen has done his math correctly, this probably means each team is 0-0 to start the game! Alas, it also means that Eagles are fighting each other; in the sky, that could cause some serious problems. On the field, I hope it means that these teams will put on a great game!

I’d also like to extend some hopes and prayers in the direction of Basketball All-State Guard Emma Riley, who severely injured her ankle in a volleyball game yesterday. We are all pulling for you to get through this, Emma!!

The Fowler band started off the festivities by doing a fine job with the Fowler Fight Song and the National Anthem.

Carson City-Crystal (to be called CCC most of the rest of the time to save wear and tear on your aging Bleacher Denizen’s typing fingers) won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.

Fowler’s Carter Lance booted the opening kickoff to the 16 yard line. Connor Erskin fielded the ball and returned it twenty-nine yards out to the 45 yard line where he was tackled by Carter Lance.

Cade Bolen’s first down run to the left gained four yards for CCC before he was stopped by Zach Halfmann and Evan Curtiss. Tristan Smith stopped the CCC second down run for a one yard loss. Zach Halfmann covered on the incomplete third down CCC pass.

On fourth down, Mason Smith punted the ball to the Fowler 15 yard line where Jacob Halfmann fielded it. Connor Erskin tackled him before he could advance the ball and Fowler had a first down on their own 15 yard line.

Nolan Stump plowed into the middle for a two yard first down gain. On second down, Chris Avery stopped Nolan Stump’s run up the middle for a two yard gain. CCC forced Fowler Quarterback Jacob Halfmann out of the pocket, but he ran for a twenty-three yard gain before Ethan Mills forced him out of bounds.

Fowler had a first down on its own 42 yard line.

Jacob Halfmann went around the left end and was forced out of bounds by Landon VanderVlucht and Michael Husted after a seven yard gain. Nolan Stump gained five yards on second down to advance the ball into CCC territory before Michael Husted took him down.

Fowler had a first down on the CCC 46 yard line.

Nolan Stump took the ball up the middle for a five yard first down gain. Jace Staff and Michael Husted made the tackle for CCC. A penalty on Fowler moved them back five yards. CCC knocked down Fowler’s second down pass. Your Bleacher Denizen’s fading eyes may have failed him; I’m not sure whether Jace Staff or Logan Hopkins knocked that pass down, but it was a fine play in either case!

Jacob Halfmann fought his way through several tackles for a thirteen yard third down gain before Cade Bolen stopped him. Fowler earned a first down at the CCC 33 yards line.

Jacob Halfmann completed a pass to a teammate (Alas, your Bleacher Denizen’s notes failed him- -I have #6 in my notes, but no Fowler varsity player wears that number. My apologies to the pass receiver.) for a twenty-three yard gain. Gavin Reeder made the tackle for CCC and Fowler had a first down at the CCC 10 yard line.

Oren Anderson, Logan Hopkins and Michael Husted teamed up to stop Fowler’s first down run for a one yard loss. The CCC line stopped Nolan Stump’s second down run after a five yard gain. A penalty on CCC moved Fowler up to the 3 yard line. Nolan Stump forced his way into the end zone for a three yard touchdown for the first points of the game.

Hudson Schlak hiked the ball, Jacob Halfmann held the ball and Carter Lance kicked the ball through the upright for a successful extra point to give Fowler a 7-0 lead with 5:33 remaining in the first quarter.

Carter Lance kicked the ball to the 15 yard line where Connor Erskin fielded it and returned if for about five yards before Jon Ruiz and Nolan Stump teamed up to stop him. A penalty was called on CCC; they started their series with a first down on their own 10 yard line.

Mason Smith completed a pass to Gavin Reeder down the left side for a 25 yard gain; a penalty moved the ball back to the 20 yard line. CCC still had gained enough to earn a first down.

Mason Smith was forced out of the pocked and gained one yard to the right side on first down. Hudson Schlak put a lot of pressure on him and Drew Armbrustmacher finally made the Fowler tackle. CCC made a nice run on second down, but a holding penalty brought the ball back to the 14 yard line. Fowler forced the CCC quarterback out of the pocket on third down. Zach Halfmann ended up tackling him at the line of scrimmage. On fourth down, Mason Smith passed to Gavin Reeder, who made a great play to keep his feet in bounds as he caught the ball to give CCC a first down in Fowler territory on the 49 yard line.

Landon VanderVlucht gained three yards for CCC on a first run up the middle before he ran into Tristan Smith. Tristan Smith covered for Fowler on CCC’s incomplete second down pass. Cooper Koenigsknecht burst into the CCC backfield on third down to force a four yard loss. Mason Smith’s fourth down punt was downed on Fowler’s 30 yard line by Landon VanderVlucht and Michael Husted.

Nolan Stump gained five yards for Fowler on a first down run up the middle. Michael Husted made the CCC tackle. ON the final play of the first quarter, Chris Avery got into the backfield and forced Fowler into a five yard loss.

The first quarter ended with Fowler holding a 7-0 lead. Fowler had a third down with ten yards to go situation on their own 30 yard line.

On the first play of the second quarter, Jacob Halfmann’s third down pass went to Zach Halfmann, who wrestled the ball away from a CCC defender, but was not able to gain any yardage. Jacob Halfmann’s fourth down punt went to the CCC 30 yard line, but a penalty forced a rekick. On the rekick, Jacob Halfmann’s punt was downed by Hudson Schlak and Zach Halfmann at the CCC 15 yard line.

Zach Halfmann stopped the CCC first down run around the right end for no gain. Carter Lance covered for Fowler on CCC’s incomplete second down pass. On third down, Zach Halfmann sacked the CCC quarterback for a ten yard loss. Mason Smith’s fourth down punt went to the 40 yard line. Zach Halfmann fielded the ball for Fowler and gained about five yards. Fowler had a first down on the CCC 35 yard line.

On the next play, Zach Halfmann burst through a hole made by Nate Halfman and Drew Armbrustmacher and ran for a thirty-five yard touchdown. Hudson Schlak snapped the ball, Jacob Halfmann held the ball and Carter Lance send the extra point kick through the uprights. With 9:05 to play in the first half, Fowler had a 14-0 lead.

Carter Lance booted his kickoff to the CCC 15 yard line where Cade Bolen caught it and returned it eighteen yards before Mitchell Wirth tackled him. CCC had a first down on its own 33 yard line.

Cooper Koenigsknecht stopped the CCC pitch to the left side for a one yard loss. The Eagle line pressured the CCC quarterback into throwing an incomplete second down pass. Carson Sillman covered on the incomplete CCC third down pass. Mason Smith’s fourth down punt was downed by Connor Erskin on the Fowler 34 yard line.

On Fowler’s first down run, Oren Anderson tackled the runner hard and the ball was fumbled out of bounds. Fowler lost eleven yards on the play. Nolan Stump dashed through the middle for a twenty-six yard second down play to give Fowler a first down on their own 47 line.

Zach Halfmann’s first down run to the left earned Fowler two yards before he was tackled by Oren Anderson. On second down, Nolan Stump found a hole on the right side and gained twenty-six yards to give Fowler a first down on the CCC 25 yard line.

Nolan Stump went through the middle for an eleven yard gain before he was halted by Oren Anderson. Fowler had a first down on the CCC 14 yard line.

Nolan Stump gained 11 yards to give Fowler a first down on the CCC 3 yard line. On the next play, Nolan Stump powered his way into the end zone for a three yard touchdown.

On the extra point, it was hard to see exactly which CCC defender blocked the extra point kick; I belive it was Grayson Ackels and Logan Hopkins. (My apologies if another CCC defender deserves the credit for this.)

With 5:02 to play in the first half, Fowler’s lead was at 20-0.

Carter Lance kicked the ball to the CCC 5 yard line where Cade Bolen fielded it and gained about nine yards before he slipped and fell. CCC had a first down on their own 14 yard line.

Tristan Smith pressured the CCC quarterback into throwing an incomplete first down pass. Tristan Smith knocked the CCC second down pass out of the air. On third down, CCC Quarterback Mason Smith left the pocket and scrambled for a seventeen yard gain to give CCC a first down on their own 17 yard line.

Drew Armbrustmacher and Nate Halfmann teamed up to stop the CCC first down run for a one yard loss. Mason Smith passed to Cade Bolen for a four yard second down gain before he was halted by a host of Eagles (obviously from the Fowler side.) Mason Smith’s third down pass to Gavin Reeder earned nine yards and a first down for CCC. Nolan Stump made the tackle for Fowler.

A pass interference penalty on the next play gave CCC a first down on the Fowler 41 yard line.

Hudson Schlak and Drew Armbrustmacher teamed up to knock the CCC first down pass out of the air. Hudson Schlak covered on CCC’s incomplete second down pass. Pressure from Evan Curtiss and Cooper Koenigsknecht forced CCC’s quarterback to get rid of the ball for an incomplete third down pass.

Mason Smith kicked an excellent punt; Cade Bolen raced down the field and managed to down the ball on Fowler’s 2 yard line; Fowler started its next series there.

The CCC line stopped Nolan Stump’s first down run for a three yard gain. Zach Halfmann went to the right for a four yard second down gain. A false start penalty pushed Fowler back five yards. On the final play of the first half, Nolan Stump took a pitch to the left for a five yard gain.

At halftime, Fowler held a 20-0 lead. Odds are that they will have this lead at the start of the third quarter as well.

Halftime started with the veterans who were being honored being invited down to have a picture taken with Fowler’s team.

The Fowler band is led on the field by drum Major Rebecca Smith and is directed by Jake Roorda. This year’s show features “The Spooky Show” which is three Halloween-themed pieces. The three songs are “Superstition”, “Friend of the Monster” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”

The band did a fine job performing these songs.

Fowler’s veterans were officially honored with some great thoughts from Announcer Jason Smith.

Then, your Bleacher Denizen was selected to draw the winning 50/50 ticket. Alas, he was not able to make sure he drew his own number, but a lucky Fowler fan took home $311!!!

CCC’s Mason Smith kicked off to open the second half. Zach Halfmann caught the ball at the 9 yard line and returned it twenty-one yards. A penalty on Fowler moved the ball back to the 8 yard line and Fowler started its first series of the second half there.

Oren Anderson stopped Fowler’s first down run for a one yard gain. Nolan Stump fought off some tacklers behind a block from Drew Armbrustmacher for a seven yard second down gain. Gavin Reeder stopped the Fowler third down run up the middle for no gain. Jacob Halfmann’s fourth down punt went out of bounds at the Fowler 28 yard line; CCC started its next series there.

Carter Lance made a timely hit on a CCC receiver to cause a first down incomplete pass. Zach Halfmann covered on the CCC second down incomplete pass. Dominic Thelen stopped CCC’s third down run in the backfield for a two yard loss. Jacob Halfmann and Carter Lance covered on CCC’s incomplete long fourth down pass. Fowler took over the ball on downs on its own 30 yard line.

Nolan Stump burst through the middle for a twenty yard gain. The next play, Jacob Halfmann tossed a screen pass to Tristan Smith, who gained thirty yards up the left sideline to give Fowler a first down on the CCC 20 yard line.

Cade Bolen, Logan Hopkins and Chris Avery teamed up to stop Fowler’s first down run for no gain. Jacob Halfmann gained seven yards on a second down run up the middle; Chris Avery made the tackle for CCC. Michael Husted, Cade Bolen, Kody Walker and Michael Husted teamed up to stop Fowler’s third down run for no gain. Nolan Stump fought and earned seven fourth down yards before Kody Walker stopped him. Fowler had a first down on the CCC 6 yard line.

Logan Hopkins got into the Fowler backfield and stopped their first down run for a five yard loss. Nolan Stump earned three yards on a second down run to the right before he was stopped by Connor Erskin. Nolan Stump went to the left to gain three third down yards before he ran into Chris Avery. Cade Bolen’s timely hit caused Fowler’s fourth down pass to fall incomplete.

CCC put up a valiant stand to keep Fowler from scoring. They took over the ball on downs on their own 5 yard line.

Mason Smith darted up the middle to gain thirty-three yards before Tristan Smith took him down.

Mason Smith flipped a pass to Gavin Reeder, who gained nine yards up the left sideline before Zach Halfmann stopped him. On the next play, Landon VanderVlucht rammed the ball through the middle to gain two yards; Zach Halfmann made the tackle for Fowler. CCC had a first down on their own 49 yard line.

Tristan Smith covered on CCC’s incomplete long first down pass. On second down, pressure from Drew Armbrustmacher forced CCC Quarterback Mason Smith out of the pocket. Mason Smith evaded several tackles to extend the play before Zach Halfmann knocked his pass down. Mason Smith was chased out of the pocket on third down and gained four yards before Hudson Schlak took him down. On fourth down, Fowler’s Jacob Halfmann had to dash down the field to successfully defend on CCC’s long, but incomplete fourth down pass.

Fowler had a first down on their own 47 yard line.

On the final play of the fourth quarter, Nolan Stump ran up the middle to gain fourteen yards to give Fowler a first down on the CCC 39 yard line.

With three quarters in the books, Fowler held a 20-0 lead.

To open the fourth quarter, Oren Anderson stopped the Fowler first down run for a two yard loss. CCC stopped Fowler’s second down run up the middle for no gain. Jacob Halfmann gained four yards on a third down run to the left. CCC’s Grayson Ackels made a fair catch of Jacob Halfmann’s fourth down punt. A CCC penalty moved the ball back to the CCC 3 yard line where they started their next series.

Hudson Schlak and Zach Halfmann teamed up to stop the CCC first down run for a two yard loss. Pressure from Tristan Smith caused CCC to throw an incomplete second down pass. Cooper Koenigsknecht made a tackle in the end zone to give Fowler a safety.

With 8:40 to play in the final quarter, Fowler had a 22-0 lead.

Because of the safety, Mason Smith kicked the ball off to Fowler from the 20 yard line. Zach Halfmann caught the ball around the 45 yard line and dashed to the end zone for an apparent touchdown, but a penalty moved the ball back to the Fowler 36 yard line, where Fowler started its next series.

Nolan Stump went up the middle for a two yard gain before Jace Staff stopped him. Zach Halfmann took a pitch for a nice second down gain before he ran into Ethan Halfman and Michael Husted, but a penalty negated the play and pushed Fowler back five yards. Jacob Halfmann’s third down pass to Zach Halfmann on the right sideline gained fourteen yards and gave Fowler a first down on their own 47 yard line. Gavin Reeder made the tackle for CCC.

Jacob Halfmann went to the right for a ten yard gain to move the ball into CCC territory. Cade Bolen made the stop for CCC. Fowler had a first down on the CCC 43 yard line.

Nolan Stump pounded his way through the middle while carrying several tacklers on his way to a thirty-one yard gain before Connor Erskin finally took him down. Fowler had a first down on the CCC 12 yard line.

Connor Erskin defended on Fowler’s first down incomplete pass into the end zone. On the next play, Nolan Stump dragged some tacklers into the end zone for a twelve yard touchdown.

Hudson Schlak hiked the ball, Jacob Halfmann held the ball and Carter Lance kicked the ball through the goal posts to give Fowler a 29-0 lead with 5:26 to play in the game.

Cade Bolen fielded Carter Lance’s kickoff around the 30 yard line and gained about twenty yards before Carter Lance took him down. CCC had a first down on the 50 yard line.

Zach Halfmann defended on the CCC first and second down incomplete passes. Mason Smith passed to Connor Erskin on the left side for a five yard third down gain; Tristan Smith made the tackle for Fowler. Mason Smith passed to Grayson Ackels for a six yard fourth down gain on the right side. Zach Halfmann made the tackle for Fowler. CCC had a first down on the Fowler 39 yard line.

Cade Bolen’s first down run around the right side gained four yards for CCC. Carter Lance covered on CCC’s incomplete second down pass. Nolan Stump and Drew Armbrustmacher got into the CCC backfield to force an eight yard third down loss. On fourth down, Mitchell Wirth intercepted CCC’s pass and returned the ball to the Fowler 49 yard line.

Chris Avery and Ray Jacobo stopped Fowler’s first down run for a one yard gain. Jon Ruiz ran through the middle for a twenty-one yard Fowler gain.

On the final play of the game, Fowler took a knee.

Fowler wins its season opener and the Weber Eagle trophy was presented to them after the game!