By NEIL HESSE
Register Correspondent
MUENSTER — The Sacred Heart Tigers hosted a scrappy Ponder Lions team on Friday night and used a good defensive performance to beat the Lions 34-21.
The Tigers used a diverse offensive arsenal as five different Tigers scored throughout the night. The first quarter was a stalemate on the scoreboard as turnovers hurt the Tigers twice inside Ponder territory. The Tiger defense was quick to answer each time, limiting the Ponder offense to two first downs.
Just before the first quarter ended, a Tiger punt was fumbled by Ponder and covered by Gene Yosten Jr. The Tigers began the second quarter at midfield. Clay Hogan and Matt Hesse had good runs and helped move the ball to the 5-yard line. From there, Hesse threw a touchdown pass to Bob Bartush with 9:01 left until halftime. Jae Kook Im added the PAT to make the score 7-0 Sacred Heart.
Chad Walterscheid, Michael Davis and Gene Yosten Jr. put defensive pressure on Ponder on the next series and forced an incomplete pass on the Tiger 19-yard line. The Tigers took over from there but could not move the ball on the tough Lion defense. Ponder got in two plays before a hard hit by Michael Davis caused the ball to squirt free where Josiah Yosten immediately pounced on it.
A Hesse pass to Bartush immediately picked up 15 yards and it was followed by a trap play to Krawietz who would not stop running until he reached the endzone. His 30-yard touchdown at the 1:33 mark made the score 14-0 Sacred Heart and that is where the half would end.
The third quarter began with a Ponder defensive stop and they set up shop at midfield. Their halftime strategy changed from passing to running and it was efficient as they found paydirt with a 50-yard drive that covered 1:18 as Cody Crossman got the touchdown. The kick was good making the score 14-7.
The Tiger offense answered immediately and often as Hesse and Mark Bartush got in some great runs down to the Ponder 22-yard line. Hesse then found Jae Im in the left corner of the endzone for a touchdown. A bad snap on the PAT left the score 20-7.
Hesse, Garrett Berend and Bob Bartush made great defensive plays to halt Ponder’s next drive. The Tigers began at their own 25-yard line. Josh Biffle and Hesse had good runs down to the Ponder 25-yard line. Following great blocking and weaving in and out of traffic, Hesse took it the rest of the way for a 27-7 lead with 1:16 in the third quarter. Greyson Evans and Jae Im had excellent downfield blocking to enable the touchdown.
After a defensive stand, the Tigers took over on the Ponder 49-yard line. Hogan picked up 14 yards on the play and finished the drive with a nifty 30-yard touchdown run. Im’s kick made the score 34-7 with 11:13 left in the game.
The Tigers freely substituted the rest of the game and gave up a couple of late scores.
The Tigers will hit the road next Friday to tangle with district foe Amarillo Arbor Christian where the forecast is calling for snow next weekend.
