A-P football adjusts, beats South Hardin

ELDORA – Some halftime adjustments provided Aplington-Parkersburg football with the plays necessary to outlast South Hardin for a 28-12 win in Eldora last Friday to remain undefeated.

The Falcons will face Dike-New Hartford at Ed Thomas Field for homecoming on Friday.

A-P led 14-6 at halftime on touchdown runs from Adam Schipper and Gavin Thomas.

“South Hardin had a really good gameplan, stuff we hadn’t seen before,” A-P head coach Alex Pollock said. “We needed to make our adjustments. … They did a lot of blitzing on the perimeter that affected us quite a bit, and we weren’t able to get our outside run going.”

South Hardin looked to be threatening early in the third quarter after a Sean May interception setting up the Tigers in A-P’s redzone.

But the Falcon defense held strong for a turnover at the A-P 4. On the ensuing drive, Thomas chucked a short pass to Aidan Junker who took it the rest of the way for a 77-yard touchdown play and a 21-6 lead with under four minutes left in the third.

Josh Vander Wilt answered for the Tigers with a QB keeper for the touchdown but the two-point conversion was unsuccessful, the difference between a one-score game and a two-score game.

The Falcons put it out of reach with a 10-yard Junker run later in the quarter.

Junker carried 17 times for 50 yards and a score, Schipper had 13 carries for 52 yards and a score. Thomas finished with 8-of-13 passing for 191 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Junker added three catches for 106 yards in the pass attack as the Falcons made the most of limited time with the ball.

“They did a good job keeping the ball out of our hands, there were a couple of third downs where we couldn’t get off the field that made a big difference,” Pollock said. “But this will help us moving forward. We’re happy to get out of there with a win.”

Defensively, Kael Schoneman and Junker finished with seven tackles each. Carson Troyna and Junker had 1.5 tackles for loss each and Martez Wiggley and Jack Eddy added one tackle for loss each. Will Hodges chipped in two interceptions and Schipper had a pick as well.

Friday’s matchup with the Wolverines will have major district title implications, in addition to the usual matchups with the nearby rival.

“They’re one of the best small schools in Iowa and this year’s no different,” Pollock said. “Any time you go up against a team that-well-coached, you have to be at your best. We’ve got a lot of things going on this week, but I have a good feeling that the kids will be focused and have a lot of energy Friday night.”

A-P 28, South Hardin 12

Rushing–Adam Schipper 13-52, TD; Aidan Junker 17-50, TD; Gavin Thomas 5-18, TD; Martez Wiggley 2-16.

Passing–Thomas 8-13-2, 191 yards, TD.

Receiving–Junker 3-106, TD; Kaden Huttinger 2-38; Wiggley 1-28; Nick Neuroth 1-10; Jack Eddy 1-9.

Tackles (solo-total)–Kael Schoneman 4-7; Aidan Junker 5-7; Andrew Ogle 4-5; Jack Eddy 3-4.5; Adam Schipper 3-4.5; Will Hodges 4-4; Nick Neuroth 2-3.5; Carson Troyna 3-3.5; Martez Wiggley 2-2.5; Kaden Huttinger 2-2; Dakota Dally 0-1.5. TFL–Troyna, Junker 1.5; Wiggley, Eddy 1. INT–Hodges 2, Schipper.