Beemer-A week after losing 64-50 to GACC in the regular season finale, The No. 14 seed in Class D-1, the Pender Pendragons, upset the 3rd seeded and previously unbeaten Bluejays, 52-50, in the 1st round of the High School Football playoffs in Beemer Thursday night.
The Bluejays got the scoring started at the 4:58 mark of the 1st quarter as Jared Minnick broke free for 70 yards to give GACC an 8-0 advantage.
Minnick scored his 2nd rushing touchdown from 35 yards out with 3:24 left to go in the opening period, and the Bluejays led 14-0.
Pender got on the board 16 seconds later when Brady Oliver connected with Jared Tyrell on a 62-yard TD pass to make it a 14-6 ball game.
The Pendragons scored on the final play of the 1st quarter when Sam Mailoux hauled in an 11-yard TD pass from Oliver, and Pender trailed 14-12 at the end of one.
GACC started the scoring in the 2nd quarter as Derek Petz connected with Jaden Rahn for 45 yards on a touchdown to put the Bluejays up 20-12 at the 11:06 mark of the 2nd quarter.
Pender tied the game at 20 with 9:34 left to go until halftime as Oliver rumbled into the end zone from 14 yards away.
GACC regained the lead with 8:22 remaining in the 2nd quarter as Petz scored from 2 yards out to give the Bluejays a 28-20 cushion.
Tyrell scored on a 57-yard play with 2:18 left until halftime to trim the GACC lead to 2 at 28-26, which was the halftime score.
No one scored in the 3rd quarter.
In the 4th, Oliver ran in a 5-yard TD to put the Pendragons on top, 32-28, 46 seconds into the quarter.
The Bluejays regained the lead at 34-32 when Cash Meier plunged in from 3 yards away at the 8:57 mark of the final quarter.
Tyrell then hit Tyler Nelson for a 61-yard TD 21 seconds later, and Pender went back up 38-34.
GACC's Noah Hass scored on a 41-yard TD run with 7:52 left to go in the game, and the Bluejays regained the advantage at 42-38.
The Pendragons responded again though as Oliver found Tyrell on a 36-yard TD pass that put Pender ahead again 46-42.
GACC took their final lead of the game with 3:34 remaining when Petz found Rahn from 31 yards away to give the Bluejays a 50-46 lead.
The Pendragons scored the game winning touchdown with 2:47 left to go when Tyrell hit pay dirt on a 28-yard TD pass from Oliver.
Minnick, who left the game after getting injured in the 1st half, ran for 117 yards on 5 carries, and scored twice for GACC.
Meier added 110 yards rushing and a touchdown on 23 carries for the Bluejays while Hass carried the rock 4 times for 57 yards, including a touchdown.
Petz was 5-12 for 136 yards with two TD's.
Jadyn Smeal made 11 tackles while Casey Doernemann, Jacob Yosten, and Axcele Biteghe totaled 7 each.
The Bluejays racked up 453 yards of offense, including 317 rushing, while the Pendragons amassed 442 yards of total offense, including 353 through the air.
Head Coach Dave Ridder says the Pendragons' quarterback was on target and injuries forced some of his key players off the field. "They had some key 3rd down conversions. We had them 3rd and long and things like that. And that number 44 did a nice job. They just got the ball up where we weren't. Our kids are 5'8, 5'9, and he's 6'4, or I think so. Bit the quarterback put it where we couldn't get it. And that's just good play, that's nothing against our boys. They were covering and they were doing well. And so honestly I'm not going to fault anybody for their efforts tonight. But sometimes inexperience does get you, and when you lose a couple of your key players and probably an all-state running back."
Ridder on the loss. "They just had a really good night as far as throwing the ball. I don't know what his completion ration was, but did an excellent job with that, and they spread us out and they exposed us in some areas. And our youth kind of showed in the second half. Not so much youth as the inexperience of the type of plays they run. We haven't played a quarterback that's been that accurate for this year obviously. And he was pretty accurate last week, but I think he was even more accurate this week."
GACC ends the year at 8-1.
Ridder says this year's seniors did a lot for Bluejay Football. "Very proud of this senior class, they had a very good career here in 4 years, and I like I told them, I said if this is the worst thing that happened to you kids going through 4 years of good football, you have a pretty good life."
The loss ends GACC's three year streak of making it to the quarterfinals or further in the playoffs.
Minnick getting hurt really made a difference I think.
Not to take anything away from Pender, but if he hadn't gotten hurt, the Bluejays very well could have won.
Minnick finished the year with 1,669 yards rushing and 30 touchdowns. Petz was 40-76 passing for 701 yards with 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
Smeal led the team in tackles with 71.
Seniors lost to graduation include Rahn, Petz, Yosten, Michael Baumert, and Logan Kreikemeier.
These 5 seniors meant a lot to GACC Football, and will be missed without a doubt.
Key returners include Smeal, Minnick, Mitchell Peatrowsky, Ross Klitz, Doernemann, Andrew Franzluebbers, Aaron Disher, Blake Pojar, and Biteghe.
You can bet the Bluejays will be back next year. GACC was very young this year, and I look for the Bluejays to be even better next year than they were this year.
This loss has to sting, and must be used as motivation to get bigger, faster, stronger, and more physical in the offseason.
GACC has to think of this loss everytime they workout or play the game.
It's something that needs to be on their minds whenever they participate in football related activities between now and August.
I look for the loss to only fuel and motivate the Bluejays this offseason.
I think GACC will come back strong and with a vengeance next season.
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