"You'll never get ahead if you don't take care of what you have." - Doris Waddell, RIP

The late Ralph E. Williams with "Heidi" - morris mn

The late Ralph E. Williams with "Heidi" - morris mn
Click on the image to read Williams family reflections w/ emphasis on UMM.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Tigers pummel Paynesville at Big Cat

Tommy Holland gets hoisted up in celebration following his 90-yard TD kick return. Photos by B.W.
Mitch Kill brings down a Bulldog in the Friday win.
Tommy Holland turns on the jets for MAHS in the win over Paynesville.
Eric Riley carries the football for the Tigers on a big night for the running game.

Morris Area 73, Paynesville 20
70-plus points? That's not a typo. The Morris Area football Tigers put on an offensive showcase like perhaps no other in the program's history Friday. The orange and black cause was never so dominating as it was at the expense of the visiting Paynesville Bulldogs.
Two Tigers surpassed 100 yards rushing. As a team the rushing stat was 429 yards. There were six, count them six, rushing touchdowns by coach Jerry Witt's pounding-ahead squad. There were just three pass attempts but all three were completed for a bushel-full of yards.
The Tigers were unmerciful in the second quarter putting 31 points on the board. This was en route to the final 73-20 score which was good for Morris Area's fourth win of the season against two losses.
Next for the Tiger crew: at Montevideo Friday, 7 p.m.
Friday night's onslaught amidst summer-like conditions (even with bugs) never really lost steam. The Tigers scored 14 points each in the first, third and fourth quarters to complement the second quarter barrage.
A picky critic might say the Tigers could've taken their foot off the accelerator toward the end. But how can you stop someone like Tommy Holland who finds daylight on a kick return and sprints 90 yards for a score? Prior to that there was a 37-yard TD pass, the necessity of which might be questioned. But the onus was on Paynesville to simply go out there and throw up some roadblocks. They simply couldn't on this night.
The crowd at our Big Cat Stadium was nice but it didn't appear as large as for the previous week's Homecoming game. There were many empty bleacher spaces on the outer sides and even some open patches in the middle.
On an up note, we can report the first football game appearance this year by the Morris Area pep band. The band filled up bleacher space on the north side but after halftime it became pretty barren. Too bad, because the Tigers presented an evening of entertainment that cannot be matched in this community.
Maybe if more fans came to this website to follow the team, awareness and enthusiasm might be higher!
The green-clad Paynesville squad entered this game with some stability as it had recorded two wins. One would hope that the losers in those games don't end up matched against the Tigers.

Fast, furious scoring
Let's rumble through the scoring summary from the Friday blowout: Eric Riley got it started with a 72-yard scoring run. After a Paynesville score, Riley carried again for a touchdown, this time covering 34 yards.
Paynesville kept things interesting with a one-yard TD plunge that had Josh Bungum carrying the ball. Morris Area was about to streak away on the scoreboard.
Tyler Hansen carried for a 63-yard score. Tyler proceeded to score the next two touchdowns as well, with carries from the one and the eight. Ethan Bruer brought a crescendo of cheers from the Tiger faithful, returning a punt 53 yards for a score. Bruer then broke loose to haul in a 60-yard TD pass that was delivered by quarterback Ryan Beyer. Success continued with the aerial game as Brady Valnes caught a 15-yard score from Beyer.
Tim Ostby carried the pigskin into the end zone from the seven. Ostby then caught that 37-yard pass that some might say constituted some superfluous points. But it was fun to watch and the Tiger throwing the ball for that score was understudy Jake Torgerson.
Paynesville scored with a pass, and after that the only remaining score was that Tommy Holland kick return that really seemed to excite the young Tiger fans standing along the front railing at Big Cat.
Jordan Fletcher kicked his share of PATs through it all.
A look at the stats shows Tiger ballcarriers averaging very healthy gains. Like Eric Riley whose numbers were nine carries for 169 yards. And Tyler Hansen who tore through Paynesville defenders for 126 yards on eight carries.
Ryan Beyer rushed for 58 yards, Tim Ostby for 46 and Ethan Bruer for 29.
Beyer was two-for-two in passing and Jake Torgerson one-for-one. The pass catchers were Bruer, Valnes and Ostby.
Tigers who intercepted the football were Cody Cannon and Jake Torgerson. Standouts on the tackle chart were Beyer, Ostby, Cody Hickman and Holland.
A personal note: A big thanks to the people befriending me during my time along the MAHS side of the field Friday. Thanks Meriel Cardwell, Mary Bellmore and others. Some of the fans look at me as if to say "hey, I know who you are," and "where have you been?"
It's an indescribable delight to be there.

A Tiger volleyball update:
It was an up-and-down week for the Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta volleyball Tigers. Make that "down and up," as initially the Tigers were down in their fortunes, getting swept by the BBE Jaguars on Monday. The Tigers fell by the following scores at the home gym: 20-25, 16-25 and 16-25. It was a non-conference match and it left the Tigers' record at 13-7.
The MA-CA girls had difficulty trying to counter a senior Jaguar whose prowess at the net was notable. Maggie Gruber was this stellar individual. Gruber pounded down 17 kills at the expense of the Tigers. She has been a cog in a BBE win skein which on Monday reached 14 matches.
The Jaguars came out of Monday with glittering 18-2 season won-lost numbers. Other capable Jaguars at the net were Taylor Braegelman, Brittany Roelike and Shyann Kuefler.
Erin Schieler helped supply some up moments for the Tigers as she came through with three ace blocks and 12 kills. Dani Schultz supplied some positives with her 14 digs too.
The Thursday story had MA-CA volleyball in action vs. Paynesville and faring much better. The Tigers downed the Bulldogs in the minimum three games, 25-21, 25-16 and 25-15.
Fall sports promise plenty more thrills down the home stretch of the slate. Will it stay warm?
-Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

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