Boiling Springs used huge chunks of yards in the kick return game to set itself up for success in the first half, turned three of those returns into 21 second-quarter points to seize control and Joey Menke scored four total touchdowns as Boiling Springs knocked off Big Spring 44-28 at Bulldog Stadium in Newville.
KEYS TO VICTORY
The Bubblers had 195 kick return yards in the first half, including a 42-yard punt return by Marcus Boyle and a 71-yard punt return by Carson Garvey. The 195 yards came on two kickoff returns and three punt returns, an average of 39 yards per return. That was only in the first half, and it went a long way to helping the Bubblers snare a 24-7 halftime cushion.
Big Spring scored on its first offensive possession to grab a short-lived 7-3 lead. The next five Bulldogs possessions of the first half all resulted in punts, very few yards of offense along with a couple missed opportunities on deep shots. Boiling Springs didn’t miss on its chances, including a 73-yard catch-and-run by Menke in the dying minutes before halftime.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Boiling Springs, a squad that runs the Wing-T offense, threw on its very first play of the game for a short completion. The next two attempts by QB Colin Lunde covered 103 yards and went the distance for touchdowns. The Bubblers did not attempt a pass the second half, running the ball all 33 of its offensive snaps for 202 yards. … Menke finished with 191 total yards on 19 touches (18 carries, 1 reception) with four touchdowns. He had 10 carries for 102 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the second half. … Dillon Wakefield paced the Bulldogs with 118 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. … The Bulldogs also showed some pop in the return game with 100 kick return yards in the first half. Combined, the two teams posted 295 kick return yards in the first two quarters.
WHAT WE SAW
The gap between these two squads was pretty narrow, but special teams was such a difference maker. Boiling Springs had five possessions in the second quarter when it outscored Big Spring 21-0 to seize control. Those possessions started at the Big Spring 32, 10, 28, the Boiling Springs 27 and 38. Those kick returns by the Bulldogs played a huge role.
Running Menke left was the Bubblers’ bread-and-butter the second half as they leaned on the clock to grind down the Bulldogs. At one point Menke ran the Wing-T favorite, buck sweep, to the left on 5 of 6 carries and took two of those totes to the house for touchdowns.
THEY SAID IT
“This is what a rivalry should be. There wasn’t a lot of talking of any kind out there, just good, hard football. I think the kick returns was a big difference in this game. We have a coach who is dedicated only to special teams. Our three returners, where do you kick it? It was huge for us in a tight game.” — Boiling Springs head coach Brad Zell
BUBBLERS 44, BULLDOGS 28
Boiling Springs 3 21 7 13 – 44
Big Spring 7 0 14 7 – 28
First Quarter
BoS-FG Jack Laing 38, 6:37
BiS-Logan Schmidt 30 pass from Ethan Eisenberg (Collin Roberts kick), 2:14
Second Quarter
BoS-Carson Garvey 30 pass from Colin Lunde (Laing kick), 10:19
BoS-Joey Menke 16 run (Laing kick), 5:12
BoS-Menke 73 pass from Lunde (Laing kick), 2:29
Third Quarter
BoS-Laing 3 run (Laing kick), 8:10
BiS-Connor Black 38 pass from Eisenberg (Roberts kick), 6:01
BiS-Dillon Wakefield 6 run (Roberts kick), 2:22
Fourth Quarter
BoS-Menke 1 run (Laing kick), 11:15
BiS-Wakefield 6 run (Roberts kick), 10:08
BoS-Menke 46 run (kick failed), 8:00
Team Statistics BoS BiS
First downs 18 12
Rushes-yards 51-272 27-110
C-A-I 3-4-0 7-17-1
Passing yards 115 113
Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0
Punts-avg. 2-36 6-36.4
Penalties-yards 5-40 7-62
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Boiling Springs, Aidan Metzger 10-72; Jack Laing 11-38; Joey Menke 14-118; Colin Lunde 6-5; Trey McCardell 6-31; Carson Garvey 2-8. Big Spring, Dillon Wakefield 18-118; Logan Schmidt 5-9; Ethan Eisenberg 3-(minus-18); Eli Hasco 1-1.
PASSING: Boiling Springs, Lunde 3-3-0-115; Garvey 0-1-0-1. Big Spring, Eisenberg 7-17-1-113.
RECEIVING: Boiling Springs, Marcus Boyle 1-12; Garvey 1-30; Menke 1-73. Big Spring, Schmidt 3-33; Wakefield 1-19; Connor Black 2-50; Caleb Massare 1-11.
