Breckenridge at Portland St. Patrick – – 8 Man Football – – The Bleacher Denizen – – September 16, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen’s week by week journey takes him to Portland High, where the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick will host the Huskies from Breckenridge in an eight man football game!

The Shamrocks enter the game with a 3-0 record while the visiting Huskies are at 2-1.

As we wait for the game to start, we extend some Good Vibrations from my You Tube Channel (via the Beach Boys) to both teams!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3482fQh0Rdo

Let’s take a look at this game thought the occasionally clear lenses of your Aging Bleacher Denizen, whose football career was irreparably damaged when the powers that be refused to allow him to wear a rocket pack so he could cover the offensive team’s speedy receivers.

The game opened with the Huskies kicking off to the Shamrocks. Huskie Kicker Slayter Miller kicked the ball off to the St. Patrick 27 yard line where Landon Simpson dove on the ball. St. Patrick had a first down on their own 27 yard line.

Breckenridge’s Jaxon Laubscher stopped St. Patrick’s opening run for a three yard loss. Maxx Eastman covered on the Shamrock incomplete second down pass and Jaxon Laubscher covered on the incomplete third down pass. Brady Leonard’s fourth down punt went to the Breckenridge 40 yard line. Ryan Wolfgang fielded the punt and returned it fourteen yards before Devin Cook made the tackle for the Shamrocks. Breckenridge had a first down on the St. Patrick 46 yard line.

Payton Russman stopped the Breckenridge first down run around the right end for no gain. Payton Russman got into the backfield and stopped the Huskie second down run for a four yard loss. Shawn Frawley also assisted on the second down tackle. Payton Russman sacked the Huskie passer for a nine yard loss on third down. Andrew Zuniga punted for the Huskies on fourth down. His punt went out of bounds at the St. Patrick 32 yard line; the Shamrocks started their next series there.

Maxx Eastman covered for Breckenridge on the Shamrock incomplete first down pass. After the Shamrocks were set back five yards because of a false start penalty, Collin Sitts got into the backfield to stop the Shamrock second down run for a four yard loss. Shamrock Quarterback Brayden Simon went to the right for an eleven yard gain before he ran into Ryan Wolfgang and Andrew Zuniga. St. Patrick needed eight more yards for a first down, so Brady Leonard was brought in to punt. Payton Russman downed Brady Leonard’s punt at the Breckenridge 32 yard line.

Jaxon Laubscher darted up the middle for a twenty-seven yard gain; Brady Leonard made the tackle for the Shamrocks.

Jaxon Laubscher gained seven yards on a first down run up the middle before Lucas Simon chased him down and tackled him. Shawn Frawley and Landon Simpson got into the Huskie backfield on second down and sacked the Quarterback for a six yard loss. Payton Russman and Joel Enz teamed up to stop the Huskie third down run for a one yard gain. Jaxon Laubscher’s fourth down pass to Ryan Wolfgang gained sixteen yards before Landon Simpson and Brady Leonard teamed up to make the stop. Breckenridge had a first down on the St. Patrick 23 yard line.

Jaxon Laubscher alertly dived on a bad snap to prevent a Huskie first down turnover although they lost eleven yards on the play. On the next play, Jaxon Laubscher lofted a thirty-four yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wolfgang.

On the Point After play, Jaxon Laubscher completed a pass to Collin Sitts, but Joel Enz knocked him out of bounds before he could get to the end zone for the two points. With 4:14 remaining in the first quarter, Breckenridge had a 6-0 lead.

Slayter Miller kicked the ball to the St. Patrick 28 yard line where Landon Simpson fielded it and gained eight yards. St. Patrick started its series on its own 26 yard line.

A first down penalty cost the Shamrocks five yards. Brayden Simon went around the right end on the first down replay for a five yard gain before he ran into Andrew Zuniga and Camden Smith. Collin Sitts stopped the Shamrock second down run for a one yard gain. On third down, Brayden Simon launched a sixty-three yard touchdown pass to Payton Russman, who had to break a tackle just before he got to the end zone.

The Shamrock extra point kick was no good. With 2:49 remaining in the first quarter, the game was tied at 6-6.

Tyler Groothuis kicked the ball off to about the 17 yard line where Ryan Wolfgang caught it and gained about fifteen yards before Devin Cook took him down. Breckenridge started its next series on its own 32 yard line.

Jaxon Laubscher threw to Ryan Wolfgang for a fifteen yard gain on the left side.

Devin Cook stopped the Huskie first down run for a three yard loss. On second down, Jaxon Laubscher completed a pass to Ryan Wolfgang, but a penalty erased the play. Lucas Simon covered on Breckenridge’s long, but incomplete pass on the second down replay. Jaxon Laubscher completed a fifty-one yard third down pass to Ryan Wolfgang. Only a valiant dive by Brady Leonard prevented a Huskie touchdown, but they had a first down on the Shamrock fifteen yard line.

Jaxon Laubscher dodged and darted his way to a six yard first down gain before Lucas Simon tackled him. On the next play, Collin Sitts took a pitch to the left and ran nine yards for a Huskie touchdown. Jaxon Laubscher completed a pass to Ondray Thornton for a successful two point conversion. With ten seconds left in the first quarter, Breckenridge had a 14-6 lead.

Slayter Miller kicked the ball to the Shamrock 30 yard line, where Landon Simpson dove on the ball. St. Patrick started its next series there.

Payton Russman went to the left for a seven yard first down gain; Collin Sitts made the tackle for Breckenridge. On the final play of the first quarter, Lucas Simon went to the right for a four yard gain before Ryan Wolfgang tackled him.

The first quarter ended with Breckenridge holding a 14-6 lead. St. Patrick had the ball and a first down on their own 41 yard line.

Xzavior Garcia stopped the Shamrock first down run up the middle for no gain. Maxx Eastman knocked the Shamrock second down pass out of the air. On third down, Xzavior Garcia and Camden Smith got into the St. Patrick backfield and created chaos before Collin Sitts finally tackled the Shamrock runner for a one yard loss.

Brady Leonard’s punt was fielded by Ryan Wolfgang at the Breckenridge 33 yard line; he gained about five yards before Riley Mosser stopped him. A penalty on the Huskies moved the ball back to the Shamrock 47 yard line.

On the next play, Collin Sitts got to the left sideline and sprinted down the field for a fifty-three yard touchdown. Payton Russman stopped the extra point attempt. With 10:03 remaining in the first half, Breckenridge had a 20-6 lead.

Slayter Miller kicked the ball off to the 15 yard line where Landon Simpson grabbed it and returned it eighteen yards before Aidan Chamberlain tackled him. The Shamrocks had a first down on their own 33 yard line.

Xzavior Garcia stopped the St. Patrick first down run for a two down loss. Jaxon Laubscher nearly intercepted the Shamrock second down pass, which fell incomplete. Lucas Simon took the ball to the left for a four yard gain before Ondray Thornton halted his progress. Brady Leonard’s fourth down punt was downed by Devin Cook at the Huskie 16 yard line; Breckenridge started its next series there.

Shawn Frawley got into the Huskie backfield; the attempted pass went only a foot or so before Shawn Frawley blocked it. Brayden Simon and Tyler Groothuis teamed up to stop the Huskie second down pitch to the right side for a one yard loss. Jaxon Laubscher completed a fifteen yard pass to Ryan Wolfgang to earn a first down. Lucas Simon made the tackle for the Shamrocks.

Jaxon Laubscher took the ball to the left side for a six yard first down gain before Brayden Simon tackled him. On the next play, Jaxon Laubscher took the ball to the left side for another six yard gain; Tyler Groothuis made the tackle for St. Patrick. Breckenridge had a first down on its own 42 yard line.

Jaxon Laubscher went to the middle for a three yard first down run before Brady Leonard took him down. Lucas Simon covered on the long Breckenridge incomplete second down pass. Brady Leonard deflected the Huskie third down pass as it fell incomplete. Andrew Zuniga’s fourth down punt went out of bounds at the Shamrock 32 yard line, where they started their next series.

Payton Russman gained two yards to the left on a first down run before Maxx Eastman knocked him out of bounds. Collin Sitts stopped the Shamrock second down run for a one yard loss. Maxx Eastman intercepted the St. Patrick third down pass and gained about twenty-five yards before he was stopped at the Shamrock 19 yard line.

Tyler Groothuis and Payton Russman teamed up to stop the Breckenridge first down run for a four yard loss. On the next play, Collin Sitts ran for an apparent touchdown, but the referees called a holding penalty that took the ball back to the Shamrock 28 line. After a five yard Huskie penalty on the next play, Jaxon Laubscher completed a thirty-two yard pass to Ryan Wolfgang, who was barely stopped short of the goal line by Lucas Simon.

The next play resulted in Jaxon Laubscher passing the ball to Ryan Wolfgang for a one yard touchdown. Jaxon Laubscher completed a pass to Collin Sitts for a successful point after play. With 3:11 remaining in the first half, Breckenridge had a 28-6 lead.

Slayter Miller kicked the ball off to the 21 yard line where Payton Russman caught it and gained eighteen yards before he was tackled by Aiden Smith. St. Patrick had a first down on its own 39 yard line.

Camden Smith stopped the Shamrock first down play for a one yard loss. Xzavior Garcia stopped the second down run for a two yard loss. Andrew Zuniga covered on the incomplete Shamrock third down pass. Brady Leonard punted the ball to the Huskie 33 yard line where Ryan Wolfgang caught it and went to the right for a sixteen yard gain before Payton Russman tackled him.

With just 1:15 remaining in the first half, Jaxon Laubscher heaved the ball down to the left sideline to Collin Sitts for a thirty-eight yard gain that gave Breckenridge a first down on the Shamrock 11 yard line.

Collin Sitts ran for an eight yard first down gain. A second down penalty moved the ball back to the Shamrock 15 yard line. Jaxon Laubscher’s third down pass went to Maxx Eastman, who caught it for a fifteen yard touchdown. Jaxon Laubscher completed the point after pass to Andrew Zuniga.

With 29 seconds remaining in the first half, Breckenridge had a 36-6 lead.

Brayden Simon completed a pass to Lucas Simon for a four yard first down gain before Ondray Thornton tackled him. Brayden Simon completed a second down pass to Payton Russman; Andrew Zuniga made the Huskie tackle.

Brayden Simon’s first down pass was completed to Lucas Simon over the middle for a seven yard gain. On the final play of the first half, Brayden Simon ran to the left and gained about fifteen yards before Ondray Thornton, Maxx Eastman and Collin Sitts finally tackled him.

At halftime, Breckenridge held a 36-6 lead.

St. Patrick introduced its fifth/sixth grade and Junior High football teams at halftime. It was fun to watch the young players, who clearly enjoyed their chance to go out on to the field in front of the fans!!

Since there is no halftime music, let me supply this video of an old Ragtime tune from my You Tube Channel. I hope you enjoy it. (Please like and subscribe if you like it!!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUieaBvS38w

Brady Leonard kicked off to open the second half for the Shamrocks. His kick was fielded at around the ten yard line by an unnamed Huskie and returned about twelve yards. (Your Aging Bleacher Denizen was not on the ball right away at the start of the second half. My apologies to the unnamed Huskie. Hopefully your name appears somewhere else in the article!)

Breckenridge had a first down on their own 22 yard line.

Jaxon Laubscher rammed his way up the middle for an eight yard first down gain before Payton Russman tackled him. Collin Sitts broke some tackles on his way to a four yard gain up the left side to give his Huskies a first down. Payton Russman and Landon Simpson teamed up for the Shamrock tackle.

Jaxon Laubscher went to the middle and cut to the left for a five yard first down gain before Landon Simpson stopped him. Collin Sitts made a nice second down run to the left for an apparent first down, but a flag on the play changed this and moved the Huskies back to their own 28 yard line. Landon Simpson covered for St. Patrick on the incomplete second down pass. Lucas Simon leaped and nearly intercepted the Huskie third down pass before it fell incomplete. Andrew Zuniga’s punt was downed by Collin Sitts on the Shamrock 43 yard line; St. Patrick started its next series there.

Lucas Simon went to the left side for a twelve yard gain; Maxx Eastman made the tackle for Breckenridge.

Lucas Simon broke a few tackles on his way to a four yard first down gain before Ryan Wolfgang and Andrew Zuniga teamed up to stop him. Camden Smith and Ondray Thornton teamed up to stop the Shamrock second down run for a one yard gain. Brayden Simon completed a six yard pass over the middle to Tyler Groothuis to give his Shamrocks a first down on the Huskie 34 yard line.

The Shamrocks had a nice first down run, but it ended with a fumble that was recovered by Maxx Eastman to give Breckenridge a first down on the Huskie 22 yard line.

Jaxon Laubscher went to the left for an eight yard first down gain. Landon Simpson made the tackle for the Shamrocks. Collin Sitts went to the left on second down to gain six yards to earn a first down for his Huskies.

Landon Simpson stopped the Huskie first down run for a one yard gain. An encroachment penalty on St. Patrick (ok – – the team, NOT the saint, himself!) gave Breckenridge five yards. Devin Cook and Tyler Groothuis teamed up to stop the Huskie second down run for no gain. Landon Simpson’s timely hit caused the Huskie third down pass to fall incomplete.

Andrew Zuniga punted the ball to the Shamrock 10 yard line on fourth down; Landon Simpson fielded the ball there and returned it 24 yards before Maxx Eastman tackled him. St. Patrick had a first down on their own 34 yard line. (That was a 48 yard punt before it was returned!!)

Lucas Simon gained three first down yards to the right before a pack of Huskies stopped him. The Shamrock Quarterback was forced out of the pocket on second down; Collin Sitts tackled him for a one yard loss. Brayden Simon completed an eight yard pass to Tyler Groothuis to give St. Patrick a first down.

St. Patrick tried to go long with a first down pass, but Maxx Eastman knocked the ball out of the air. A holding penalty on second down cost the Shamrocks an apparent first down. Pressure from Xzavior Garcia caused St. Patrick to throw an incomplete second down pass. Brayden Simon got chased out of the pocket on third down and gained three yards before Camden Smith tackled him. Brady Leonard’s fourth down punt was fielded at the Breckenridge 26 yard line; Devin Cook tackled the returner after a two yard gain.

Breckenridge had a first down on their own 28 yard line.

Shawn Frawley sacked the Breckenridge Quarterback for a four yard first down loss. On second down, which was also the final play of the third quarter, Jaxon Laubscher passed to Ryan Wolfgang for a three yard gain. Lucas Simon made the tackle for the Shamrocks.

After three quarters, Breckenridge held a 36-6 lead as no one scored in the third quarter. Breckenridge had a third down and ten yard situation on its own 27 yard line.

The third down Breckenridge pass fell incomplete. Andrew Zuniga punted on fourth down. His punt was fielded by Lucas Simon at the Shamrock 41 yard line. Lucas Simon scampered for 55 yards before he was finally tackled on the Huskie 4 yard line.

On first down, Collin Sitts and Camden Smith teamed up to stop the Shamrock run for a one yard gain. On the next play, Lucas Simon took the ball to the right for a three yard Shamrock touchdown. Ondray Thornton tackled the Shamrock runner to thwart the point after play.

With 10:58 left in the game, Breckenridge held a 36-12 lead.

Brady Leonard kicked the ball to the Breckenridge 49 yard line (probably an onside attempt) and Andrew Zuniga dove on the ball there. The Huskies started their next series there.

Jaxon Laubscher gained two yards on first down before Devin Cook tackled him. Jaxon Laubscher shoveled a pass to Collin Sitts; he gained two yards before the Shamrock lined stopped him. Brady Leonard pressured the Huskie Quarterback into throwing an incomplete third down pass. On fourth down, Andrew Zuniga punted the ball to the Shamrock 10 yard line where Lucas Simon grabbed it and returned it 20 yards. St. Patrick had a first down on their own 30 yard line.

Andrew Zuniga and Maxx Eastman covered on the incomplete Shamrock first down pass. St. Patrick’s second down screen pass fell incomplete. Lucas Simon took a third down pitch to the right for a six yard gain before he was halted by Camden Smith. Collin Sitts stopped St. Patrick’s fourth down play for a one yard gain. Breckinridge took over the ball on downs on the St. Patrick 35 yard line.

Payton Russman stopped the Huskie first down run for no gain. Landon Simpson knocked down the Breckenridge incomplete second down pass. Jaxon Laubscher completed a pass for a twelve yard gain before Brady Leonard made the tackle. (My apologies to the unnamed Huskie pass receiver.) Breckenridge had a first down on the St. Patrick 23 yard line.

Jaxon Laubscher broke at least two tackles on his way to a six yard first down gain. Brady Leonard made the tackle for St. Patrick. Jaxon Laubscher gained three yards on second down before Grant Pline took him down. Collin Sitts went up the middle for a four yard first down game before the Shamrock line ended his run. Breckenridge had a first down on the St. Patrick 10 yard line.

On first down, Collin Sitts went to the left for a seven yard gain before Riley Mosser and Brady Leonard forced him out of bounds. The Shamrocks stopped the Huskie second down run up the middle for no gain. After a bad snap, Tyler Groothuis and Landon Simpson were able to tackle the Huskie runner for an eleven yard loss. On fourth down, Jaxon Laubscher found Ryan Wolfgan open on the left side and threw a fourteen yard touchdown pass.

Collin Sitts broke a tackle and ran the ball into the end zone for a successful two point conversion. With 2:24 remaining on the clock, Breckenridge had a 44-12 lead.

Slayter Miller kicked the ball off. Devin Cook fielded the kickoff and was tackled almost immediately at the Shamrock 45 yard line, where St. Patrick started its next series.

Payton Russman gained fifteen yards on a first down run. Andrew Zuniga made the tackle for Breckenridge. St. Patrick had a first down in Breckenridge territory on the 40 yard line.

Lucas Simon went to the left for a six yard first down gain; Camden Smith and Aiden Smith teamed up for the HUskie tackle. Lucas Simon went to the left again; this time he gained 24 yards before Ryan Wolfgang tackled him to give his Shamrocks a first down on the Huskie 10 yard line.

A pack of Huskies stopped the Shamrock first down run for a two yard loss. On the next play, Lucas Simon went up the right tackle for a twelve yard touchdown. Brayden Simon ran for a successful two point conversion. With 50 seconds left in the game, Breckenridge had a 44-20 lead.

Tyler Groothuis kicked the ball off to the end zone; Breckenridge had a first down on its own 20 yard line.

With just 50 seconds to run off the clock; Breckinridge two a knee twice to end the game.

Breckenridge won this game between two Eight Man powers by a 44-20 score.