Pewamo-Westphalia at Fowler – – Football – – The Bleacher Denizen – – October 4, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, there will be a showdown between the top two football teams in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference. The Fowler Eagles will host the Pirates from Pewamo-Westphalia. Both teams are a perfect 5-0 overall on the season and entering this game, they share the lead in the CMAC with 4-0 records.

Before the game, Fowler’s band, helped out by the seventh and eight grade band as well as some Fowler Band Alumni marched on to the field and played the fight song. After that, 1978 Fowler Graduate, Darryl Schmitz sang the National Anthem accompanied by the band.

It is now time to review the results of this game through the occasionally open lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who did not have much of a career when he attempted to play football in the days of yore. He was showing some promise as a running back, but everything fell apart when the football powers that be ruled that he could no longer use a jet pack to help him burst through the line.

Because your aging, creaky Bleacher Denizen has aging, creaky fingers, we will frequently be abbreviating Pewamo-Westphalia to P-W.

To open the game, Kevin Hafner, a freshman, kicked off for P-W. Ford Phillips returned the kick out to the twenty-six yard line and Fowler began its first possession from there.

Ford Phillips gained two yards on a first down run up the middle. The P-W line stopped Fowler’s second down pitch play for no gain. Reece Thelen covered for P-W on Fowler’s incomplete third down pass. On fourth down, Jacob Halfmann booted a forty-six yard punt that was downed by his teammate, Ford Phillips on the P-W 26 yard line.

A false start penalty pushed the Pirates back five yards. Cole Hufnagel stopped the P-W first down run for a one yard gain. Alex Halfmann got into the Pirate backfield on second down and chased the quarterback out of the pocket; the play resulted in a one yard loss for P-W. Luke Paxton gained two yards on a third down run before the Eagle line engulfed him. On fourth down, Carter Wirth punted the ball thirty-seven yards and his teammate Brayton Thelen downed the ball on Fowler’s 48 yard line.

Fowler fumbled on first down, but recovered the ball; they managed to gain one yard on the play. Ford Phillips took the ball up the middle on second down for an eight yard gain. An illegal shift penalty moved Fowler back five yards. Reece Thelen covered for P-W on Fowler’s incomplete third down pass. Jacob Halfmann punted on fourth down. Luke Nurenberg fielded the ball on the P-W 13 yard line; he returned it nine yards before he was tackled by Ford Phillips. P-W had a first down on its own 22 yard line.

Fowler’s line stopped the P-W first down run for no gain. On second down, Brayton Thelen took a pitch to the left and broke several tackles on his way to a thirteen yard gain before Brady Feldpausch led a flock of Eagles to tackle him; the Pirates earned a first down.

Ty Thelen, the P-W Quarterback, went to the right for a six yard first down gain. Brayton Thelen went up the middle for a nine yard gain; Asher Koenigsknecht made the tackle for Fowler. The Pirates had a first down on the 50 yard line.

Ty Thelen went to the right and broke several tackles on his way to a twenty-nine yard gain. Nate Spicer got the tackle for Fowler.

Brayton Thelen went to the right for a seven yard gain. Nate Spicer got into the Pirate backfield on second down and forced a five yard loss. The Fowler line stopped Ty Thelen’s third down run for a two yard gain. Kevin Hafner kicked a thirty-four yard field goal to give P-W a 3-0 lead with 1:59 to play in the opening quarter.

Kevin Hafner kicked the ball off to Fowler’s five yard line where Ford Phillips fielded it and gained fifteen yards. Fowler began its series on its own 20 yard line.

Jacob Halfmann took the ball to the left for a fourteen yard gain and a first down.

Jack Briley stopped Fowler’s first down run for no gain. Jacob Halfmann passed to Asher Koenigsknecht on the right for a fifteen yard gain and a first down on Fowler’s 49 yard line.

On the final play of the first quarter, Kiefer Trimmer stopped Fowler’s first down run for no gain.

After one quarter, Pewamo-Westphalia led 3-0. Fowler had the ball; it was second down with ten yards to go on their own 49 yard line.

After the referees made the grueling two yard trek from the 49 yard line to the other 49 yard line and placed the ball, it was time to open the second quarter.

The Pirate line stopped Fowler’s second down run for no gain and the third down run for a one yard gain. Jacob Halfmann punted on fourth down; Nate Spicer downed the ball on the Pirate 15 yard line.

Fowler’s line stopped the P-W first down run for no gain and the second down run for a one yard gain. Brady Feldpausch covered for Fowler on P-W’s long, incomplete third down pass. Carter Wirth punted on fourth down; his fifty-three yard punt went out of bounds on Fowler’s 31 yard line; the Eagles started their next series there.

Jacob Halfmann passed to Brady Feldpausch on the left side for a thirty-six yard gain.

On the next play, Jacob Halfmann ran the ball to the left for a thirty-three yard touchdown.

Nate Spicer made the long snap, Jacob Halfmann held the ball and Aaron Simon kicked the successful extra point to give Fowler a 7-3 lead with 8:55 to play in the second quarter.

Aaron Simon kicked the ball off to the P-W 20 yard line. Carter Wirth fielded the pickoff and returned it eleven yards before Ford Phillips tackled him. P-W started its offensive series on its own 31 yard line.

Asher Koenigsknecht covered for Fowler on P-W’s incomplete first down pass. Ty Thelen burst through the middle on second down for a twenty-one yard gain to earn a first down for the Pirates; Nate Spicer made the tackle for Fowler.

Trevor Spicer stopped the P-W first down run for no gain. Brayton Thelen took a second down pitch to the right for a two yard gain before he ran into Asher Koenigsknecht and Trevor Spicer. A false start penalty pushed the Pirates back five yards. Brayton Thelen took the ball to the left for a four yard third down gain. Carter Wirth punted for P-W; his thirty yard punt was downed by his teammate, Blake Thelen on the Fowler 17 yard line.

Ford Phillips took the ball up the middle for a four yard first down gain before Brayton Thelen tackled him. Jacob Halfmann passed to Trevor Spicer for a three yard second down gain. Ford Phillips rammed the ball up the middle for a fifteen yard third down gain before Hayden Smith tackled him to give the Eagles a first down on their own 37 yard line.

An illegal shift penalty moved Fowler back five yards. On the first down replay, Kevin Hafner covered for P-W on Fowler’s long, incomplete pass. Jacob Halfmann took the ball up the middle for an eight yard second down gain. Jacob Halfmann went to the left for a three yard third down gain; Logan Drysdale and Kevin Rebollar got the tackle for P-W. On fourth down, Jacob Halfmann punted. Luke Nurenberg fielded the ball on the Pirate 30 yard line, but slipped and P-W started its next series there.

Trevor Spicer teamed up with several other Eagles to stop the P-W first down run for no gain. A fumbled snap led to a five yard second down loss; Jonah Thelen got some help from some teammates on the tackle. Fowler put a lot of third down pressure on P-W Quarterback Ty Thelen; somehow he was able to complete a pass to Kevin Hafner for an eleven yard gain with an Eagle wrapped around his ankle. Carter Wirth punted on fourth down; Jacob Halfmann caught it at the Eagle 22 yard line and gained twenty yards before Blake Thelen tackled him.

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

Hayden Smith led a gang of Pirates in stopping Fowler’s first down run for now gain. Ford Phillips took the ball up the middle for a twelve yard second down to earn a first down; Caleb Blyth got the stop for P-W.

Ford Phillips twisted and spun his way to a twelve yard gain before Ty Thelen tackled him.

Fowler spiked a first down pass to stop the clock. On second down, Caleb Blyth intercepted an Eagle pass at the P-W 15 yard line.

On the final play of the first half, Ty Thelen ran for about five yards before the Eagles stopped him.

At halftime, Fowler had a 7-3 lead.

The Fowler band is directed by Jake Roorda and led on the field by drum major Elizabeth Smith.

They played their 2024 Halftime Show, “Top Gun”. The music included mashups of the Top Gun Anthem as well as “I Ain’t Worried”, “Great Balls of Fire”, “Danger Zone”, “Take My Breath Away” and “Mighty Wings.” The players did a fine job entertaining the crowd!!

Aaron Simon kicked off for Fowler to start out the second half. Logan Drysdale fielded the ball at the P-W 20 yard line and returned it twelve yards. P-W began their opening series of the second half on its own 32 yard line.

It appeared that a flag was thrown, but it turned out that the Pirates called a timeout.

Brayton Thelen gained three yards on a first down pitch before a flock of Eagles descended upon him. Ty Thelen took the ball up the right tackle for a ten yard second down gain and a first down.

Ty Thelen passed to Brayton Thelen for a two yard first down gain. Ty Thelen gained four yards on a second down run up the middle before Asher Koenigsknecht pulled him down. Brayton Thelen took a third down pitch up the left tackle and gained twenty-one yards before Asher Koenigsknecht tackled him. P-W had a first down on the Fowler 28 yard line.

On the next play, Joe Epkey recovered a fumble for Fowler. Fowler had a first down on its own 28 yard line.

Asher Koenigsknecht took the ball to the left for a five yard first down gain; Luke Paxton got the stop for the Pirates. Jacob Halfmann went up the middle on second down and dragged Pirate tacklers for twelve yards before Caleb Blyth finally stopped him. Fowler had a first down in P-W territory on the 39 yard line.

Ford Phillips went to the right for a twenty-seven yard gain to move Fowler to the P-W 12 yard line.

Jacob Halfmann gained three yards on a first down run up the right and gained three yards on a second down run into the middle. There was a massive battle at the line on third down; Fowler ended up losing three yards on the play. On fourth down, Jacob Halfmann completed a nine yard pass to Nate Spicer for a touchdown.

After Nate Spicer made the long snap, Jacob Halfmann held the ball and Aaron Smith kicked the successful extra point, Fowler had a 14-3 lead with 5:30 to play in the third quarter.

Aaron Simon kicked the ball off to the P-W 20 yard line where Carter Wirth grabbed it and returned it ten yards up the left side. P-W had a first down on its own 30 yard line.

Ty Thelen gained eight yards on a first down run before Brady Feldpausch and Jacob Halfmann stopped him. P-W appeared to make a nice gain on second down, but a penalty negated the play and cost the Pirates ten yards. Brayton Thelen took a pitch to the left on the second down replay; Nate Spicer stopped him after a two yard gain. Jacob Halfmann’s timely hit caused the P-W third down pass to fall incomplete. On fourth down, Carter Wirth punted the ball to the Fowler 19 yard line where his teammate, Blake Thelen downed it.

A penalty was assessed on the Pirates and the Eagles started their series on their own 32 yard line.

The P-W line stopped Fowler’s first down run for a one yard loss. On second down, the Pirates recovered a fumble. (I think it was Caleb Blyth who recovered it.) P-W had a first down on the Fowler 28 yard line.

Ty Thelen twisted and turned his way to a thirteen yard gain.

P-W gained one yard on a first down pitch to the left. On second down, Brayton Thelen took the ball to the right for a fourteen yard gain to give his Pirates a first down on the Eagle 2 yard line.

Jerome Thelen led a swarm of Eagles to stop P-W’s first down run for a one yard gain. On the next play, Ty Thelen bulled his way to a one yard touchdown run. Jerome Thelen ran the ball in for the successful two point conversion.

With 33.2 seconds remaining in quarter number three, P-W cut the Fowler lead to 14-11.

Kevin Hafner booted his kickoff into the end zone and Fowler started its series on its own 20 yard line.

Ford Phillips got through the line and gained sixteen yards for Fowler on the final play of the third quarter.

After three quarters Fowler held a 14-11 lead. The Eagles had a first down on their own 36 yard line.

Jacob Halfmann took the ball up the middle for a six yard first down run before Isaac Thelen and Brayton Thelen pulled him down. Luke Paxton and Kevin Rebollar teamed up to stop the Eagle second down pitch play for a one yard loss. Jackson Droste and Luke Nurenberg covered for P-W on Fowler’s incomplete third down pass. Jacob Halfmann booted a thirty-nine yard punt into the end zone.

P-W started its offensive series on its own 20 yard line with 9:21 left on the clock.

Brayton Thelen took the ball up the middle for a fifteen yard gain and a first down.

Ty Thelen sent to the left on first down for a three yard gain. Ty Thelen gained two yards on a second down plunge into the middle before Cole Hufnagel led a flock of Eagles in stopping the play. P-W picked up five yards and a first down on a pitch to Brayton Thelen; Trevor Spicer and Cole Hufnagel made the tackle for Fowler, but P-W had a first down on its own 45 yard line.

Fowler stopped P-W’s first down run up the middle for a one yard gain. Brayton Thelen took a pitch into the middle for a two yard second down gain. P-W lost five yards to an illegal procedure penalty. On the third down replay, Joe Epkey and Jerome Thelen teamed up to pressure the P-W quarterback into throwing an incomplete pass. On fourth down, Carter Wirth punted the ball thirty-five yards; it went out of bounds on Fowler’s 22 yard line, where the Eagles started their next series with 5:20 left in the game.

Jacob Thelen went up the middle for a three yard gain before Trent Piggott tackled him. On second down, Ford Phillips plowed into the line for a four yard gain before the a boatload of Pirates took him down. On third down, Jacob Halfmann completed an important clutch pass to Asher Koenigsknecht, who ran out of bounds at the Fowler 38 yard line to give the Eagles a crucial first down with 3:52 remaining in the game.

Ford Phillips gained one yard on a first down plunge into the line. On second down, Jacob Halfmann completed a critical pass to Asher Koenigsknecht for another crucial first down with 2:58 left. Logan Drysdale made the tackle for P-W. Fowler had a first down on the P-W 23 yard line.

Ford Phillips gained one yard on first down before Kiefer Trimmer and Carter Wirth tackled him. Jacob Halfmann gained two yards on his second down run up the middle. After Fowler called timeout with 1:58 left in the game, Alden Pung stopped the Eagle third down run up the middle for no gain.

P-W called its final timeout of the game and Fowler followed up with its own timeout. On fourth down, Jacob Halfmann completed another clutch pass, this time to Ben Kohagen to gain nine yards and more importantly, the game-clinching first down.

With just 1:35 left in the game and P-W having no time outs, Fowler took a knee on the final two plays of the game.

Fowler won this game 14-11 and moved into sole possession of first place in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference!!