Sandy Creek started off the 2024 season strong after last season’s fall in the state semi-finals to Stanton, finishing the season 13-1.
The Cougars hosted the Johnson- Brock Eagles and dominated the Eagles from start to finish, with Sandy Creek coming out on top 60-8.
Sandy Creek would start on the defensive side of the ball first, and after a few plays by Johnson-Brock, Alson Clark forced a fumble with Jack Watts making the recovery and switching the possession to the Cougars.
The Cougars started with the ball on their own 30-yard line. Ethan Shaw kicked the Cougars’ drive into gear with a couple good runs up the middle, ending with an 18-yard run by Ben Sullivan to cap the Cougars’ first drive. Shaw would run it in for the two-point conversion to make it Cougars eight, Eagles zero, with 3:58 to go in the first quarter.
Sandy Creek’s defense came out to play on the next drive as well, to get another stop and force a punt. The Cougars started their second drive at their own 38-yard line after a nice return by Connor Rempe, with a couple of runs from Shaw and Sullivan, to set up the Cougars on the 30-yard line. Shaw would then step back to pass and air one deep to Rempe for a touchdown from 30 yards out. Shaw got the two-point conversion on a run play to make it Cougars 16, Eagles zero, in the second quarter with 11:21 to go.
The Cougar defense got a stop to force another punt, but then Sandy Creek’s offense would stall and go three and out, forcing them to punt. Shaw would pin the Eagles back deep with his 33-yard punt to the Eagles’ six-yard line. Johnson-Brock would get stopped on their next drive for another punt, which would roll out of bounds. The Cougars took over at their own 33-yard line. The Cougars aired the ball out many times during this drive, with Shaw throwing to Rempe for a 29-yard gain, and then on a fourth down attempt, Shaw would find Kamerin Sealey for a 10 yard pickup. Shaw then found Kaden Schmidt for an eight-yard touchdown pass, to give Sandy Creek a 22-0 lead with 2:09 to go in the first half.
On the very first play of the Eagles next drive, Rempe would come up with an interception at the Cougars’ 30-yard line. Shaw would have a huge run before an Eagle defender tackled him out of bounds for a personal foul, adding 15 more yards to the run. A play later, Shaw would have a nineyard touchdown run before he would sling it over the middle to Rempe for the two-point conversion, giving the Cougars the 30-0 lead.
On the final drive before half, Johnson-Brock scored on a hail mary to the end zone and got the two-point conversion, to have the score Cougars 30, Eagles eight. The Cougars came out of halftime with a quick score by Shaw from 15 yards out on an elusive run, with Rempe earning the two-point conversion to make the score 38, Cougars, to the Eagles eight. The Cougars’ defense still played strong after the hail mary pass at the end of the first half, on fourth down, Jack Watts came up with a big sack to turnover the Eagles. A pass from Shaw to Wes Biltoft for a 22-yard gain would lead to a Jacob Petr three-yard touchdown pass for six. Sullivan got the two-point conversion to put the Cougars up 46 to eight with 5:19 to go in the third quarter.
The powerful Cougar defense earned another stop, setting up a 16-yard pass from Shaw to Schmidt, before Shaw took the ball into the end zone from 25 yards out for six. Sealey took it in for the two-point conversion to make it 54-8 with 9:39 in the fourth quarter.
A final forced punt by the Cougar defense led to a final score by Sandy Creek, coming from a 25-yard run from Sealey, leading Sandy Creek to the 60-8 victory.
Offensive stats for the Cougars would see Shaw go 9-16 in passing, for 129 yards, and three touchdowns.
Shaw led the rushing attack with 22 carries for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Sealey had four carries for 53 yards and one score, while Sullivan had five carries for 36 yards rushing with one touchdown. Schmidt had one carry for three yards, and Wyatt Livgren had one carry and two yards.
Rempe would have two receptions for 47 yards and one touchdown, as Sealey had three receptions for 32 yards, and Schmidt had two receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown. Biltoft had one reception for 21 yards while Petr had one reception for four yards and a touchdown.
The Cougars’ defensive stat line would come away with 65 total tackles between solo and assisted tackles, with Biltoft earning 12 total tackles; Rempe and Clark with nine; Shaw and Schmidt with five; Jack Watts and Hudson Devlin with four; Petr, Wyatt Hemberger, Alex Watts, Jackson Gerdes, and Josh Spray coming up with two; and Sealey, Livgren, Coen Eitzmann, Christian Shaw, Jonas Amos, Cage Kackmeister, and Evan Swartzendruber had one. Clark and Jack Watts both came away with a sack, while Rempe had an interception, and Clark had one forced fumble.
Score by Quarters
Sandy Creek........................... 8 14 22 16 -60 Johnson-Brock....................... 0 0 2 0 -2 SC JB
Rush Att-Yds.......................33-276 N/A Pass Comp-Att-Yds........... 9-16-129 N/A Total Offense........................ 405 N/A
Ethan Shaw runs down the field toward the end zone Friday night, at home.
MELISSA WHITEFOOT | CLAY COUNTY NEWS
