Wolverines rally late to beat Vale 31-16


The Weiser Wolverines traveled to Vale to meet up with the Vikings in a nonconference game on Friday. The Wolverines scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and looked like they were going to roll over Vale during the Vikings homecoming week. A couple of turnovers in the second quarter slowed Weiser down and allowed the Vikings to score two touchdowns. They went for the two-point conversion after each TD and got it. Vale led 16-14 at halftime. Neither team did anything in the third quarter. The Wolverines came alive again in the fourth with two touchdowns and a field goal. Above, durable runningback Braden Bumgarner had 99 yards rushing against Vale, with No. 11 Matt Morris and No. 75 Nathan McDaniel coming over to help him out.
By: 
Steve Lyon
After trailing at halftime, and following a scoreless third quarter, Weiser came alive in the  final period and scored 17 points to earn a 31-16 win on the road against Vale. 
 The Wolverines improve to 3-1 on the season with the nonconference victory over the Vikings on Friday night as they start their league schedule this Friday at Parma.
 Weiser did all the scoring in the first quarter and looked to run over Vale on the Vikings’ field. Early in the period, Weiser quarterback Brody von Brethorst connected with his big target Tim Reed for a 34-yard pass play and six points. 
 Angel Magana, who was a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points in the game, drilled the ball through the uprights and Weiser was up 7-0 with 10 minutes left in the first quarter.
 Five minutes later in the first quarter, von Brethorst was looking to throw and found Paul Crawford for a 23-yard pass play and another touchdown. 
 Weiser’s defense held Vale scoreless in the first quarter, which ended with the Wolverines in front 14-0 and the Vikings looking for answers.
 Vale put together a drive early in the second quarter that was capped by a 28-yard pass from quarterback Colton Kesey to Jared Fulwyler for a touchdown. 
 Vale went for the two-point conversion and got it when Keegan Mizuto ran the ball into the endzone. With the score, Vale narrowed Weiser’s lead to 14-8 with 9:55 left in the second quarter.
 Vale was able to capitalize on a couple of Weiser turnovers in the period. Matt McBride picked off a Weiser pass and scampered 35 yards. The Vikings took the lead when Mizuto capped a Vale drive with a one-yard run into the endzone. 
 Once again, Vale went for the two points. This time, Clay Siddoway caught a Kesey pass in the endzone for two points and the score was 16-14 with Vale in the lead as time ran out in the first half. Kesey had a good night passing for the Vikings with 151 yards in the air.
 Weiser coach Tom Harrison said the Wolverines had a bad second quarter with a couple of turnovers. 
 For their part, the Vikings, who were celebrating homecoming week, played their hearts out. 
 “That was kind of the story there,” he said.
 Weiser’s defense stood up with a couple of goal-line stops of Vale in the second half. The Wolverines held the Vikings to 52 yards on the ground in the game. Neither team could get the ball in the endzone in the third quarter. 
 Early in the fourth quarter, Weiser found a spark and renewed momentum with a 40-yard field goal by Magana that put the Wolverines back in front. The score was still close at 17-16. 
 Weiser put together a couple of long drives in the last six minutes of the game that ended in scores. Von Brethorst kept the ball and ran it in for a touchdown from two yards out. 
 Two minutes later, von Brethorst capped a long drive into Vale territory with a five-yard rushing touchdown with 3:14 left in the game. 
 Weiser scored 17 points in the final period to secure the victory with the score of 31-16.
 “Our kids are showing their pride. They are hitting harder. We’re being more aggressive. We’re playing with more enthusiam,” Harrison said. “I was proud of the way they played.”
 Weiser’s offensive production lagged the numbers the team put up last week in the win against Ontario. The Wolverines collected 253 total yards of offense against Vale, with 122 yards passing and 131 yards on the ground.
 Weiser’s durable runningback Braden Bumgarner almost had a 100-yard game. He had 23 carries and rushed for 99 yards. Von Brethorst ran for 17 yards and Juan Garcia had one carry for 12 yards.
 In the passing department, von Brethorst went 7-for-16 for 122 yards and two touchdowns. On the receiving end of von Brethorst’s passes, Tim Reed grabbed two passes for 47 yards. Paul Crawford caught two passes for 50 yards.
 Crawford and Garcia each came up with one interception on defense. Crawford ran one of the interceptions back for 26 yards.
 Weiser will take on Snake River Valley Conference teams for the rest of the season starting with Parma on Friday at Parma.
 On Sept. 28, Weiser is on the road again to face Fruitland. 
 

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Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

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