Weiser throttles McCall-Donnelly 47-13

Weiser remains undefeated in 2022 following a 47-13 victory over conference rival McCall-Donnelly Friday night at home.

After a rocky first half of play, the Wolverines went on to score 33 unanswered points, the win propelling the team to a 6-0 overall record and 2-0 in Snake River Valley, Dist. III conference standings.

 The Vandals were first to put up points, Cole Burtenshaw scoring on a 23-yard run in the first quarter through a normally stingy Wolverine defense. 

 Weiser answered in the second quarter, with a 1-yard touchdown run by Maddox Stevens. Ryndon Olsen’s extra point tied the game at 7-7 with 9:12 left to go in the second quarter.

 Weiser’s special teams coverage on the ensuing kickoff broke down, however, McCall-Donnelly’s Griffen Good scoring on a 91-yard return for a touchdown that temporarily stunned Weiser spectators. Kicker Daniel Jackson missed the extra point, making the score 13-7 Vandals.

 Senior tight end Thomas Johnson caught a critical 23-yard pass to the McCall-Donnelly 1-yard line with over three minutes to go in the second quarter, setting up Enders for the 1-yard touchdown run that pushed the Wolverines ahead 14-13 before the break.

 Despite the lead, Weiser did not seem quite in sync much of the first half, but adjustments made during the break proved effective in the second half.

 Weiser looked reinvigorated, opening the third quarter of play with a solid offensive drive that resulted in another 1-yard Stevens touchdown run. 

 The Wolverine defense, now looking like it has for much of the season so far, forced a three-and-out on McCall-Donnelly’s first possession of the third quarter. Senior defensive lineman Trenton Hawker recorded back-to-back tackles behind the line of scrimmage, one for a 2-yard loss and another on Vandal’s quarterback Maddox Arnold for a 7-yard loss, leading to the fourth-down punt.

 A 4-yard touchdown run by junior Kaleb Grove extended the Wolverine lead to 27-13, with 1:45 left in the third quarter.

 By this time the Big Red machine seemed to be banging on all cylinders, the defense forcing another three-and-out, junior defensive lineman Braden Phillips catching a Vandal runner behind the line of scrimmage on third down. 

 On Weiser’s next offensive series, junior Brock Spencer managed to gain a couple steps in one-on-one defensive coverage and trailed left across the field, catching a 53-yard touchdown pass from Enders. Olsen’s extra point put the Wolverines up 34-13, with 11:51 to go in the fourth quarter.

 Senior Brayden Walker was next, catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from Enders. Olsen added another point after, making it 41-13 Weiser.

 Wolverine sophomore quarterback Kolin Cook hit junior receiver Jayden Walker on an 8-yard touchdown pass, pushing the lead to 47-13, with 2:19 left to go in the game.

 The Vandal offense pushed hard for another score, but the Wolverine second defense stalled the effort and time eventually ran out for McCall-Donnelly, which previously had only one loss on the season.

 “I’m real proud of our kids and real proud of our coaches to come up with some better ideas,” said head coach Tom Harrison. “We came up with some nice adjustments on defense and on offense. We came out and we ran it, and we threw it. We did whatever it took to score, and it was nice. The second half was fun. The first half, I was sweating bullets a little bit. Someone ran a kickoff on us tonight, but we’ll fix that. We’ll get that dialed in and we’ll be just fine.”

 Enders said that during halftime, the Wolverine coaching staff encouraged players to continue fighting.

 “Our coaches told us to keep grinding and keep our heads up,” he said. “We are a good football team, and we know that. You just have to keep going and things will start to click.”

 The Weiser offense produced 410 yards of total offense, 157 of those through the air and 253 on the ground. McCall-Donnelly had 130 total offensive yards. 

 Enders was 9 of 12 for 149 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. Cook completed one pass for 8 yards and one touchdown.

 Spencer led all receivers with 5 receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown, followed by B. Walker with two receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown.

 Senior Malakye Scott had 58 yards on 2 attempts on the ground, followed by senior Michael Youngberg with 40 yards on 4 carries and Grove with 40 yards on 9 carries and one touchdown. Spencer added 37 yards on 7 carries and Stevens had 36 yards on 10 carries and 2 touchdowns. Sophomore Kash Cobb rushed for 22 yards on 4 carries.

 The Wolverines face conference juggernaut Homedale at home on Friday. The Trojans, who are No. 1 in conference standings, beat Payette 42-0 on the road last Friday, pushing Homedale’s overall record to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in conference.