Portland St. Patrick at Fulton – – Football – – The Bleacher Denizen – – October 11, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen is privileged to cover a very important game in the Mid-State Activities Conference Red Division. The Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick are traveling to Fulton to play the Pirates. The winner of this game will take first place in the MSAC-Red. St. Patrick enters the game with a 4-0 league record and is 6-0 overall. Fulton is 4-1 in the league and 5-1 overall.

I got to Middleton in time to stop and have a great fish fry buffet at the Middleton diner. After that, it was a short drive to Fulton High where I was excited to learn that I would be sharing the booth with Paul Hungerford, a long time administrator at Fulton High, who has always been very supportive of “The Bleacher Denizen.”

I was just at Sacred Heart last week and saw Fulton play well against a tough Irish squad that had only lost one game before this one. https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2024/10/04/fulton-at-mt-pleasant-sacred-heart-eight-man-football-the-bleacher-denizen-october-3-2024-by-chuck-krafft/

The Fulton High Band came on the field and did a nice job on the Pirate fight song and the National Anthem.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the somewhat watchful eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen whose football career never got off the ground. Alas, he learned the hard way that football coaches don’t appreciate linemen who yell, “Run away!!” when confronted by an opponent. Who knew?

Fulton’s Parker Billing’s booted the game’s opening kickoff to the St. Patrick 8 yard line where Aiden Fandel fielded the ball and returned it twelve yards before he ran into Bryson Sattler. St. Patrick started its opening series on its own 20 yard line.

Trevor Brown and Connor Cunningham teamed up to stop St. Patrick’s first down run for no gain. Connor Cunningham covered on the Shamrock incomplete second down pass. Brady Leonard completed a third down pass to Charlie Thelen for a thirty-three yard gain to give the Shamrocks a first down on the Pirate 47 yard line.

Brady Leonard alertly recovered a first down fumbled snap for St. Patrick although the Shamrocks lost two yards on the play. Jared Akin and Trevor Brown stopped the Shamrock second down run for a one yard loss. Parker Billings pressured the Shamrock quarterback into throwing an incomplete third down pass. On fourth down, Brady Leonard’s forty-three yard punt was downed by his teammate Charlie Thelen on the Fulton 9 yard line. The Pirates started their first series of the game there.

Peyton Reynolds ran up the middle for a nine yard first down gain before he ran into Charlie Thelen and Gavin Groothuis. Charlie Thelen stopped the Pirate second down run for no gain. Tanner Villalobos went to the right and gained three yards on third down to earn a first down; Brayden Simon made the tackle for the Shamrocks.

Caleb Pline and Charlie Thelen got into the Pirate backfield on first down and stopped the run play for a three yard loss. Tanner Villalobos went up the middle on second down for a three yard gain. Grand Pline and Augustus Teachworth teamed up to make the Shamrock tackle. Gavin Groothuis and Ben White covered for St. Patrick on Fulton’s incomplete third down pass. Kaiden Oliver’s fourth down put went out of bounds on the Fulton 47 yard line; St. Patrick started its next series there.

Parker Billings stopped the Shamrock first down run for no gain. Hudson King to the second down pitch to the right for a two yard gain; Tanner Villalobos made the tackle for Fulton. Connor Cunningham covered on the Shamrock long, but incomplete third down pass. Charlie Thelen downed Brady Leonard’s thirty-nine yard fourth down punt at Fulton’s six yard line, where the Pirates started their next series.

Wyatt King gained first yards on a first down run up the left tackle; Charlie Thelen made the Shamrock tackle. Tanner Villalobos went to the right for a three yard second down gain; Brayden Simon got the tackle for the Shamrocks. Tanner Villalobos zigged and zagged his way to an eight yard third down gain and a first down; Caleb Pline got the Shamrock tackle.

Tanner Villalobos went up the middle for a three yard first down gain; Ben White and Caleb Pline made the tackle for St. Patrick. Kaiden Oliver took the ball to the left for a fifteen yard second down gain before he ran into Charlie Thelen and Caleb Pline. Fulton had a first down on its own 40 yard line.

On the final play of the first quarter, Augustus Teachworth stopped the Pirate run for no gain.

After one quarter, the game was scoreless. Fulton had the ball; it was second down and ten yards to go from their own 40 yard line.

On the first play of the second quarter, Tanner Villalobos used some fine blocking by his offensive line of Center Parker Hungerford, Jared Akin, Dakota Malek, Trevor Brown and Parker Billings (as well as his considerable talent for running the ball) for a sixty yard touchdown run. After Peyton Reynolds ran for the successful extra point, Fulton had an 8-0 lead with 11:47 remaining in the second quarter.

Parker Billings kicked the ball off to the Shamrock 10 yard line where Jerryd Scheurer fielded it and took the ball up the right side for a twenty yard gain. Lincoln Beltnick, Dustin Antes and Coltin Kus made the Pirate tackle. St. Patrick started its series on its own 30 yard line.

Brayden Simon took the ball to the left for a six yard first down gain before Wyatt King and Trevor Brown stopped him. Wyatt King covered on the Shamrock long, incomplete second down pass. Connor Cunningham made a timely hit on the Shamrock pass receiver and caused the third down pass to be dropped. Brady Leonard punted on fourth down; the punt went out of bounds at Fulton’s 22 yard line where the Pirates started their next series.

Augustus Teachworth stopped the Pirate first down run for a one yard gain. Ben White stopped the second down run up the middle for no gain. Tanner Villalobos took the ball to the right on third down; he stepped out of bounds on the 33 yard line and Fulton had a first down.

Tanner Villalobos barreled up the middle for a seventeen yard gain; Gabe Wernet made a big tackle for St. Patrick to prevent a touchdown. Fulton had a first down on the 50 yard line.

Kaiden Oliver went to the left for a nine yard first down gain before Augustus Teachworth and Grant Pline teamed up to take him down. Wyatt King gained four yards on a second down run up the middle and Fulton had another first down. Grant Pline got the stop for the Shamrocks.

Gabe Wernet knocked the Fulton first down pass out of the air. Brayden Simon, Augustus Teachworth and Ben White teamed up to stop the Pirate second down run for no gain. Hudson King covered on the Pirate incomplete third down pass and Gabe Wernet covered on the incomplete fourth down pass.

St. Patrick took over the ball on downs on its own 36 yard line.

Peyton Reynolds stopped the Shamrock first down run for no gain. Jared Akin, Peyton Reynolds and Trevor Brown teamed up to sack the Shamrock quarterback for a two yard second down loss. Brady Leonard took the ball to the left and gained five three down yards before Tanner Villalobos halted his progress. Brady Leonard punted on fourth down. Connor Cunningham fielded his thirty-four yard punt at Fulton’s 27 yard line and gained five yards before Charlie Thelen and Hudson King teamed up for the Shamrock tackle.

Fulton had a first down on its own 32 yard line.

Wyatt King went through the line to the right for a sixty-eight yard touchdown run on the next play. Tanner Villalobos ran for the successful extra point to give his Pirates a 16-0 lead with 3:42 remaining in the first half.

Parker Billings kicked the ball off to the St. Patrick 10 yard line where Hudson King grabbed it and gained fifteen yards before he was tackled by Coltin Kus, Lincoln Beltnick and Dustin Antes. St. Patrick started its series on its own 25 yard line.

Brady Leonard gained nine yards on a first down run to the right before he was tackled by Peyton Reynolds, Connor Cunningham and Chandler Toth. On the next play, Jared Akin forced a fumble and the Pirates recovered the ball on the Shamrock 25 yard line.

Kaiden Oliver took the ball around the left end for an eleven yard gain to give Fulton a first down just fourteen yards away from the goal.

On the Pirate first down run, the ball carrier slipped and just got back to the line of scrimmage. Tanner Villalobos took the ball to the right for a five yard second down gain; Caleb Pline got the Shamrock tackle. Fulton fumbled the snap on third down; they recovered the ball; Logan Krieger made the tackle and the Pirates managed not to lose much yardage. The Shamrock line came up big on fourth down and stopped the Pirate run for a one yard loss.

St. Patrick had a first down on its own 10 yard line with 9.9 seconds to go in the half. The Shamrocks took a knee on the play.

Fulton had a 16-0 halftime lead.

Fulton’s band, led by Director Douglas Nanzer, entertained at halftime. The theme of the performance was “Heartbreak.” They started out with “Separate Ways/Worlds Apart” by Journey. They then played Dua Lipa’s infectious and introspective hit, “Break My Heart”. They finished up with “Save Your Tears” by the Weeknd.

The Band, which is led on the field by Drum Major Lillian Reynolds did a fine job on the songs!!

Ben White’s second half opening kickoff was fielded by the Pirate’s Trevor Brown at Fulton’s 27 yard line and returned thirteen yards before Augustus Teachworth tackled him. Fulton started its opening series of the second half on its own 40 yard line.

Ben White stopped Fulton’s first down run up the middle for no gain. Caleb Pline and Ben White teamed up to stop Kaiden Oliver’s second down run to the left for a two yard gain. Peyton Reynolds gained five yards on a third down run to the right. Brayden Simon and Ben White teamed up to stop Fulton’s fourth down run up the middle for no gain. St. Patrick took over the ball on downs on Fulton’s 47 yard line.

Brady Leonard passed to Charlie Thelen, who gained four yard on first down before Dustin Antes pushed him out of bounds. Hudson King took a pitch to the left for a nine yard gain and a first down.

Wyatt King, Peyton Reynolds and Connor Cunningham stopped the Shamrock first down run for a one yard gain. Tanner Villalobos covered on St. Patrick’s long, incomplete second down pass. On third down, Brady Leonard passed to Jerryd Scheurer for a thirty-three yard touchdown. Brady Leonard passed to Brayden Simon for the successful point after play.

With 7:59 to play in the third quarter, St. Patrick trimmed Fulton’s lead to 16-8.

Ben White kicked the ball off to the Fulton 10 yard line where Tanner Villalobos caught it and gained twenty yards before Brayden Simon and Caleb Pline pulled him down. Fulton had a first down on its own 30 yard line.

Brayden Simon and Caleb Pline teamed up to stop Fulton’s first down run for a two yard loss. Gabe Wernet covered for St. Patrick on Fulton’s incomplete second down pass. Tanner Villalobos went to the right for an eight yard gain. A delay of game penalty moved Fulton back five yards. Kaiden Oliver punted on fourth down; Landon Simpson fielded his punt on the Shamrock 42 yard line and gained fifteen yards to the right before Bryson Sattler tackled him.

St. Patrick had a first down on Fulton’s 43 yard line.

Hudson King took a pitch to the left for a five yard first down gain; Bryson Sattler got the tackle for Fulton. Brady Leonard ran out of the pocket up the middle for an eighteen yard second down gain. Connor Cunningham made the tackle for Fulton.

On the next play, Hudson King took a pitch to the right for a twenty yard touchdown run.

Connor Cunningham covered on St. Patrick’s incomplete point after pass to preserve a two point lead for the Pirates.

With 4:29 left in quarter number three, Fulton’s lead was down to 16-14.

Ben White kicked off for the Shamrocks. Tanner Villalobos fielded the ball at the Pirate 15 yard line and broke several tackles on his way to a twenty-three yard return. Caleb Pline and Gavin Groothuis teamed up to make the Shamrock tackle. Fulton had a first down on its own 38 yard line.

Tanner Villalobos passed to Parker Billings for a twenty-five yard gain to move Fulton into St. Patrick territory at the 37 yard line. Caleb Pline made the tackle for the Shamrocks.

Caleb Pline stopped Fulton’s first down run into the middle for a one yard gain. Grant Pline stopped the Pirate second down run to the right for no gain. Charlie Thelen and Augustus Teachworth walled up and stopped Fulton’s third down run for a one yard gain. Augustus Teachworth got into the Pirate backfield on fourth down and tackled the runner for a five yard loss.

St. Patrick took over the ball on downs on its own 40 yard line with 1:30 to play in the third quarter.

Hudson King ran to the right for a five yard gain before Trevor Brown and Connor Cunningham took him down. Jerryd Scheurer took a pitch to the right for a four yard second down gain; Trevor Brown and Parker Billings got the stop for Fulton. Brady Leonard’s third down run up the middle gained eleven yards and earned a first down before Connor Cunningham stopped him.

The third quarter ended with Fulton holding a 16-14 lead. St. Patrick had a first down on the Fulton 40 yard line.

Hudson King gained four yards on a first down run before Parker Billings and Trevor Brown tackled him. Jared Akin pressured the Shamrock quarterback and Tanner Villalobos covered the receiver on St. Patrick’s incomplete second down pass. Tanner Villalobos covered on the Shamrock incomplete third down pass. A fourth down pass interference penalty gave St. Patrick a first down on Fulton’s 25 yard line.

Hudson King took a first down pitch for a three yard first down gain. Jared Akin and Parker Reynolds made the stop for Fulton. Brady Leonard went up the middle to gain four second down yards before Connor Cunningham and Peyton Reynolds stopped him. Parker Reynolds pressured the Shamrock quarterback on third down and Tanner Villalobos deflected the pass, which fell incomplete. Charlie Thelen made a diving catch of a fourth down pass from Brady Leonard for a four yard gain and a first down at Fulton’s 14 yard line.

Wyatt King, Peyton Reynolds and Bryson Sattler stopped St. Patrick’s first down pitch for a one yard loss. A second down pass interference penalty put the ball on Fulton’s 6 yard line. On the second down replay, Parker Billings and Trevor Brown stopped the Shamrock run for a two yard loss. Brady Leonard took the ball up the middle for a four yard third down gain; Dustin Antes got the tackle for the Pirates. St. Patrick had a first down on Fulton’s 4 yard line.

A delay of game penalty moved St. Patrick back five yards. Bryson Sattler made an excellent open field tackle to stop the Shamrock second down run for a three yard gain. Wyatt King covered on the Shamrock incomplete third down pass. On fourth down, Brady Leonard completed a pass to Charlie Thelen for a six yard touchdown.

Parker Billings deflected the Shamrock point after pass and it fell incomplete to preserve a two point lead for Fulton. With 6:10 remaining in the game, St. Patrick took a 20-16 lead.

Ben White kicked the ball off to Fulton’s 36 yard line where Connor Cunningham took it and gained six yards before he ran into Augustus Teachworth and Caleb Pline. Fulton had a first down on its own 42 yard line.

Ben White and Brayden Simon teamed up to stop Fulton’s first down run to the right by Parker Reynolds for a two yard gain. Peyton Reynolds completed a second down pass to Bryson Sattler on the left side to give the Pirates a first down on the Shamrock 37 yard line.

Peyton Reynolds went up the left tackle for a two yard gain. Caleb Pline got the stop for St. Patrick. A pass interference penalty gave Fulton a first down on the St. Patrick 20 yard line.

Tanner Villalobos took the ball to the right for a three yard gain; Gabe Wernet made the tackle for St. Patrick. On second down, Peyton Reynolds ran to the right for a twelve yard gain; he broke free and it looked like he might score, but Gabe Wernet made a touchdown-saving tackle for the Shamrocks. Fulton had a first down on the St. Patrick 5 yard line.

Peyton Reynolds ran on first down and appeared to drag the entire Shamrock line three yards before Caleb Pline, Ben White and Brayden Simon stopped him. An encroachment penalty on second down gave Fulton another yard. On the next play, Tanner Villalobos used a nice block by Parker Billings to take the ball to the right for a one yard touchdown run.

Peyton Reynolds ran the ball in for the successful extra point run to give Fulton a 24-20 lead with 1:56 left on the clock.

Parker Billings kicked the ball off to the Shamrock 15 yard line where Jerryd Scheurer fielded it and gained sixteen yards before Wyatt King stopped him.

St. Patrick had a first down on its own 30 yard line.

Connor Cunningham covered on the Shamrock long, incomplete first down pass. Brady Leonard passed to Brayden Simon on the right for a three yard second down gain; Wyatt King got the tackle for the Pirates. Brady Leonard completed a third down pass to Charlie Thelen for an apparent long gain, but a holding penalty caused the ball to be replayed with the ball moved back to the 25 yard line; St. Patrick needed fifteen yards for a first down.

Wyatt King’s timely hit in the defensive backfield caused the Shamrock third down pass to be dropped. Connor Cunningham broke up the St. Patrick fourth down pass; Fulton took over the ball on downs on St. Patrick’s 25 yard line.

St. Patrick only had one timeout left; they used it after Fulton took a knee on the first down play. When play resumed, Fulton took a knee on the final two plays of the game.

Fulton won the game 24-20 to take a one half game lead in the MSAC-Red.

I’d like to thank Fulton for their hospitality in the press box and specifically thank Paul Hungerford for helping me get the information needed for this article!!