Click the thumbnails to see photos taken by Brad Landis, and to video highlights. Also click the AUDIO buttons to hear post-game comments from Josh Racine, Eli Berthaume, and Coach Craig Ness.
Also click to hear player spotlight interviews with Wyatt Cole, Isaiah Boyce, and Luke Inghram. And hear the replay of the radio broadcast.
GLADSTONE---The Gladstone Braves scored three touchdowns in the second half, and the defense pitched a shutout, as the Braves pulled away from the Houghton Gremlins on Homecoming, 31-8, Friday night. Eli Berthaume scored three touchdowns in the second half, and the defense forced two fumbles, as the Braves improved to 5-2 on the season.
The Gremlins may have been undersized and outmatched, but they gave the Braces a tough game for a full 24 minutes of play, making the huge Homecoming crowd sweat it out longer than anyone thought heading into the game. Gladstone easily stopped the Gremlins on the first possession of the game, then moved downfield on offense with ease on their first possession.
Quarterback Nate Young scored from four yards out, and it looked like it might be a repeat of the routs over Hancock and Westwood.
Especially when the Braves scored a two-point play on a botched snap on a PAT kick. Kicker Luke Inghram picked up the ball, and as he was being tackled, threw to to Elliot Vitito, who threw to a wide-open Trevor Thorbahn for a quick 8-0 lead.
Blowout, right? Nope. Not so fast!
Trevor Erva took the ensuing kickoff back 50 yards, and then on second-and-six at the Braves 21 yard line, fullback Wyatt Jenkins broke off a run inside the Braves ten yard-line. As he was about to be tackled, Jenkins tossed it to Jace DeForge, and he ran it in for the touchdown.
Then, on the two point play, quarterback Oscar Peterson had his pass tipped, and right into the arms of Jenkins in the end zone. Yep, it was crazy. And it was an 8-8 tie.
Surely the Braves would get mad and turn things around quick, right? Well, they drove inside the Houghton 20 yard-line before Young's pass in the end zone was intercepted by Jay Halonen. So, once again, the Braves were turned away, and it stayed tied at 8-8.
Finally, right before halftime, Gladstone started on its own nine yard-line, and drove inside the Houghton five yard-line, thanks to a 32-yard pass from Young to Kaden Gibbs, and a 17-yard pass out of the backfield to Berthaume. But in the final seconds of the half, the Gremlin defense held, and the Braves counted on the sophomore kicker Inghram to come through.
He did, knocking through his first-ever field goal from 25 yards out, giving the Braves an 11-8 lead heading into the Homecoming Halftime, which saw lineman Vinny Howes picked as Homecoming King and dual sport athlete Kennedy Sanville picked Homecoming Queen.
After the long break, the Braves made a nice drive into Houghton territory, but it fizzled when the Gladstone turned it over on downs. That gave the Gremlins a chance, and they got one first down before turning the ball over with a fumble, their first turnover of the game.
This time, Gladstone took advantage of the short bill, covering the 38 yards in two plays: 23 on a run by Vitito, and then a 16-yard touchdown run by Berthaume. Inghram punched through the extra point, and the Braves had an 18-8 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Gladstone defense forced another three-and-out, and the Braves again took over in great field position at the 46 yard-line. It took five plays for the Braves to get into the end zone, with Berthaume going in from 19 yards out for his second touchdown. Another PAT kick by Inghram gave Gladstone a 25-8 lead. It was Inghram's tenth straight successful PAT kick.
And things got worse for the tired Gremlins when they fumbled again at the 36-yard-line. Five plays later, Berthuame went in from one yard out for his third touchdown. Then, Maddox Krueger was given a chance to kick a PAT on his birthday, but it was no good.
Still, the Braves had received their wake-up call, and a 31-8 win that puts the Braves one win away from clinching a state playoff spot for a fourth straight year.
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Also click to hear player spotlight interviews with Wyatt Cole, Isaiah Boyce, and Luke Inghram. And hear the replay of the radio broadcast.
GLADSTONE---The Gladstone Braves scored three touchdowns in the second half, and the defense pitched a shutout, as the Braves pulled away from the Houghton Gremlins on Homecoming, 31-8, Friday night. Eli Berthaume scored three touchdowns in the second half, and the defense forced two fumbles, as the Braves improved to 5-2 on the season.
Quarterback Nate Young scored from four yards out, and it looked like it might be a repeat of the routs over Hancock and Westwood.
Especially when the Braves scored a two-point play on a botched snap on a PAT kick. Kicker Luke Inghram picked up the ball, and as he was being tackled, threw to to Elliot Vitito, who threw to a wide-open Trevor Thorbahn for a quick 8-0 lead.
Blowout, right? Nope. Not so fast!
Trevor Erva took the ensuing kickoff back 50 yards, and then on second-and-six at the Braves 21 yard line, fullback Wyatt Jenkins broke off a run inside the Braves ten yard-line. As he was about to be tackled, Jenkins tossed it to Jace DeForge, and he ran it in for the touchdown.
Then, on the two point play, quarterback Oscar Peterson had his pass tipped, and right into the arms of Jenkins in the end zone. Yep, it was crazy. And it was an 8-8 tie.
Finally, right before halftime, Gladstone started on its own nine yard-line, and drove inside the Houghton five yard-line, thanks to a 32-yard pass from Young to Kaden Gibbs, and a 17-yard pass out of the backfield to Berthaume. But in the final seconds of the half, the Gremlin defense held, and the Braves counted on the sophomore kicker Inghram to come through.
He did, knocking through his first-ever field goal from 25 yards out, giving the Braves an 11-8 lead heading into the Homecoming Halftime, which saw lineman Vinny Howes picked as Homecoming King and dual sport athlete Kennedy Sanville picked Homecoming Queen.
After the long break, the Braves made a nice drive into Houghton territory, but it fizzled when the Gladstone turned it over on downs. That gave the Gremlins a chance, and they got one first down before turning the ball over with a fumble, their first turnover of the game.
The Gladstone defense forced another three-and-out, and the Braves again took over in great field position at the 46 yard-line. It took five plays for the Braves to get into the end zone, with Berthaume going in from 19 yards out for his second touchdown. Another PAT kick by Inghram gave Gladstone a 25-8 lead. It was Inghram's tenth straight successful PAT kick.
And things got worse for the tired Gremlins when they fumbled again at the 36-yard-line. Five plays later, Berthuame went in from one yard out for his third touchdown. Then, Maddox Krueger was given a chance to kick a PAT on his birthday, but it was no good.
Still, the Braves had received their wake-up call, and a 31-8 win that puts the Braves one win away from clinching a state playoff spot for a fourth straight year.
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