Home Sweet Homecoming

The Glasgow Scotties were simply on fire Friday night when they easily defeated Shelby, 42-9, for their homecoming game.

The Scotties scored six touchdowns for a total of 331 yards in offense. They only conceded 177 yards on defense, giving away one safety and a single touchdown off a kick-off return fumble.

“It was a great win for us,” coach Greg Liebelt said. “Having the opportunity to play a team who had had success in previous games was good for us, and what I expected to be a close game turned out to be an easy win, which was good.”

Senior Jonathan Koessl had, once again, an outstanding game. The Scottie from Nashua High School ran 123 yards and scored three touchdowns. He was surely helped by a great offensive line that opened the field for him.

The opening ceremony featured the Saskatoon Police Pipe Band, which offered a traditional performance to the packed stands at Scottie field. The band surely emboldened the Scotties, who started the game with a lot of energy. The Red and White quickly scored their first touchdown after a six-yard run by Koessl. Senior Keil Krumweide converted the extra-point, making it 7-0 Scotties.

Shelby reacted and had some great run plays with a powerful running back that the Scotties had difficulty stopping. Shelby managed to get the Scotties on their goal line after a punt, and under pressure, Koessl was tackled in the end zone for a safety. The score remained 7-2 for the home team at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was the best period for the Scotties. To start, Junior Jason Thibault scored the Scotties second touchdown of the game on a four-yard run through Shelby’s defense, followed by another successful PAT by Krumweide. Then Thibault began to demonstrate his passing skills, first with a 34-yard pass to Krumweide to make it 21-2, then with a 24-yard pass to junior Chase Fossum to give the Scotties a 26-point lead, 28-2 at halftime. But the defense also played its role.

“Our defense really stepped up against their running back, who had been doing very well,” Liebelt explained. “He had been averaging 130 yards a game, and the kids did a great job shutting him down.”

The third quarter was time for the Koessl show. The senior running back turned on the engine to score two touchdowns off long runs. The first one came after a 20-yard run with Koessl plowing through a lazy defense. The second one was surely the highlight of the night. On a punt, Koessl returned the ball and managed to go from his own 10-yard line all the way to the end zone. An amazing run from #33, who unfortunately lost the touchdown after a flag at the Shelby 40-yard line proved to be an illegal block in the back against Glasgow. But Koessl was not content to call it a night just yet. On the next play, perhaps fueled by his lost touchdown just seconds before, Koessl took the ball and ran it all the way to the end zone once again. A 39-yard run for the player who was later recognized as the outstanding athlete for the Scotties football team. The score at the end of the third was 42-2 for Glasgow.

At this point, the Scotties relaxed a little and would not score another point, even allowing Shelby to score with Ryan Clarke, who ran 16 yards to capitalize on a Glasgow fumble.

“We had some great performances from many players tonight and we were able to explode for a lot of points,” Liebelt commented. “Koessl had a great game, probably one of the best I had seen from him. He had a solid performance and it’s good for him and the confidence of the other kids. Jason Thibault felt confident throwing and running the ball, and defensively, Jared Smith had a really big game for us.”

Coach Liebelt praised his entire offensive line and the blocking that he called “very good.”

“It seems that they took it to a whole new level, and they are doing a great job of making their blocks,” he said.

This was the second win this season for the Scotties, who are undefeated at home. Their record is 2-1. The team will travel to Harlem on Friday.

“We need to come out and play sharp, execute, and stay healthy,” Liebelt said. “It looks like they are a better team than last year, but it does not really matter. We just have to improve everything, and it’s not so much about who we play, but more how we play.”

Their next home game will be Friday, Oct. 4, against Malta.