West Point-Beemer blows late lead against Wayne

The West Point-Beemer Cadets let one get away at home against Wayne Friday night, losing 24-20 after leading 20-0.

The Cadets led 7-0 after one and blanked the Blue Devils 6-0 in the second quarter to lead 13-0 at halftime.

West Point-Beemer won the third quarter 7-3 to take a 20-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

That's when things got crazy as Wayne outscored the Cadets 21-0 in the fourth quarter.

A fake punt by West Point-Beemer with just over 5 minutes left in the game ultimately proved to be costly, in my opinion.

Riley Berg had a great game, totaling 235 yards rushing on 17 carries, and scoring three times. Gage Vance added 66 yards rushing on 10 carries.

Berg made 11 tackles while Kade Hughes and Jackson Hoffman notched 10 and 9, respectively.

The Cadets had 389 yards of total offense, including 347 on the ground.

West Point-Beemer (4-3) takes on Pierce (1-6) Friday night on the road.

The Bluejays lost 34-14 at O'Neill last time out.

Pierce may be 1-6, but the Bluejays have played a really tough schedule. Pierce hasn't played anyone .500 or below, all their opponents so far are above .500.

The Cadets are fighting for their playoff lives, and it's a must win situation for West Point-Beemer if they are to make the playoffs.

I kind of think the Cadets blew their chance last week, but anything can happen in the game of football, and if West Point-Beemer wins these next two games they could very well find themselves in the playoffs.

As hard as it is to do, the Cadets have to forget about last week and focus on this week. The playoffs are still a possibility, and West Point-Beemer has to do everything they can to win Friday night and make the Norfolk Catholic game significant.

The last thing the Cadets can afford to do is get blown out. West Point-Beemer played their best football of the season for 3.5 quarters against the Blue Devils, in my opinion.

Now it's simply a matter of playing that way for four quarters against Pierce.

The Cadets can't let last week's loss lead to more struggles.

It would be such a big deal for West Point-Beemer to beat Pierce. The Bluejays have been a powerhouse for many years, and it would be a real feel good story for the Cadets if they are able to get the job done.

Playing games in October with a chance to make the playoffs is what you want to be doing. It would be a big deal for West Point-Beemer to play the Knights with a chance to go to the postseason.

The Cadets are having a good season so far and this program is headed in the right direction, West Point-Beemer just has to be smart at the end of games when they have the lead.