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KINNIKINNICK — Coming into Week 1, Logan Elm knew its season opener against Zane Trace would be no cakewalk.
And, even with a 27-6 lead heading into the game’s final 12 minutes, the Braves knew they couldn’t let their guard down until the clock hit triple zeroes.
Zane Trace’s offense came alive in the fourth quarter and made things closer than Logan Elm would’ve liked, But the Braves, thanks to a stellar ground game from Michael Bock, held on to earn a 33-27 victory over the Pioneers.
“I’m really proud of the fight in our guys. As the game went on, we had to have a lot of guys step up and make plays,” Braves head coach Terry Holbert said. “I was very proud of our finish, but there’s a lot of things we can do to get better as well.”
Tale of the tape
After forcing a Pioneer three-and-out, Logan Elm (1-0) wasted no time moving the ball offensively and advancing to the red zone.
The Braves got on the board first at the 5:34 mark in the first quarter when Aaron Walters rolled to his right and found Nemiah Waugh for a 13-yard touchdown connection. A failed two-point conversion attempt made it a 6-0 advantage.
Logan Elm’s defense followed that up by forcing a Zane Trace punt and the Braves’ offense looked to capitalize and separate themselves early.
However, Zane Trace’s Aaden Dunn had other plans.
After Logan Elm advanced to its own 47-yard line, Walters’ pass went right into the hands of Dunn, who sprinted his way into the end zone and knotted things up at 6-6 just before the end of the first.
That momentum shift, however, didn’t last long.
Zane Trace (0-1) regained possession and moved the ball into LE territory. But when the Pioneers elected to gamble on 4th down at the Braves’ 39-yard line, LE made them pay for that decision. ZT coughed up the football and it landed in the hands of Logan Elm’s Keegan Diehl.
That turnover set up Logan Elm’s offense to go back to work, and it did just that.
Moving the ball once again, the Braves faced a 3rd and 7 from Zane Trace’s 22. That’s where Walters delivered a strike to Justin Marcum for his second touchdown pass, giving his team a 13-6 lead with 4:14 to play until halftime.
The Pioneers tried to answer but turned it over yet again on their next drive, and Logan Elm again capitalized. A 27-yard run from Bock set the Braves up at the one-yard line, where Bock finished the job by powering his way in for a touchdown to give Logan Elm a 20-6 lead at the break.
“Michael is a tremendous athlete. He’s a great player and a huge part of our offense, which is really important,” coach Holbert said. “Michael had a great night and that’s attributed to the guys up front. We shuffled in a lot of guys up front, and we got big yards when we needed to.”
Logan Elm seemed to be pulling away late in the first half, and with possession to start the second, the Braves had a golden opportunity to bust the game wide open.
When the Braves took the ball right down the field and scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Walters to Gavin Hoover, it seemed like Logan Elm would be in the clear at 27-6.
Zane Trace didn’t let that happen.
After ending the third quarter on a drive that saw them on the doorstep of the red zone, the Pioneers’ offense finally began to click. Brice Johnson got things going with an 11-yard touchdown run at the 11:37 mark to cut the deficit to 27-13.
ZT’s defense, in turn, fed off the momentum as Coen Larson made a diving interception to give the Pioneers the ball back, just beyond midfield.
ZT then moved to the Logan Elm 39-yard line, where on 4th and a yard, Johnson carried the rock into the end zone and cut the Braves’ lead to just a single score with 6:38 remaining.
Seemingly, the Pioneers had Logan Elm right where they wanted them. All they needed now was one defensive stop and the offense would be back in business.
What followed could only be described as a nightmare situation for Zane Trace.
With Logan Elm backed up, Zane Trace nearly picked off a pass that would have all but resulted in six points the other way. But the defender couldn’t hold onto it. On the very next play, a 3rd and 18, Walters launched a bomb to Waugh, who made a catch that resulted in a 50-yard gain.
“Aaron is a great player. He’s a veteran for us. There were situations where, even though we had turned it over a few times, we knew we had to put the ball in his hands,” coach Holbert said. “That was a monumental moment in the game that we needed. For him to make that throw for Nemiah to go up and get it, that was huge.”
Logan Elm finished the drive off with Bock finding the end zone for the second time — this time from five yards out. That gave the Braves a 33-20 lead with 3:44 left, essentially the dagger.
Even though Zane Trace found the end zone one more time on a one-yard score from Johnson, it would prove to be too little, too late. The Pioneers’ ensuing onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, and Logan Elm was able to kill the remaining time and put a cap on a season-opening road win.
“I’ll give Zane Trace a tremendous amount of credit. I felt early on that we were very much in control of the game. Then, we had the turnover that went for a touchdown, and at that point, I felt like everything switched. We still found a way to get up by a few scores, and they continued to fight back,” Holbert said. “We’ve got to look at the film and find ways to get better. There’s going to be a lot of them, and that’s going to be our focus as a staff this week.”
Stat book
Statistically, Bock led the way with 135 yards on 26 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Walters was 15-of-20 passing for 207 yards alongside two touchdowns and two interceptions, and Waugh hauled in six catches for 88 yards and a score.
“I always want to have the ball, especially when I’m behind [Logan Elm’s offensive line]. I never want Aaron to throw because I want it,” Bock said. “I’m so glad we won tonight. We’ve been prepping all week. We just followed the scheme that coach has up there for a reason, and I know my guys can pull through.”
For Zane Trace, Grady Stewart was 8-of-9 passing for 92 yards while Johnson carried the football 20 times for 153 yards and a trio of scores. Dunn led ZT’s receiving corps with seven catches for 78 yards.
What’s on tap
Zane Trace eyes another test next week as they look to bounce back at Waverly. Meanwhile, Logan Elm looks to stay hot and move to 2-0, hosting Westfall.
“It better be a great week of improvement this week,” coach Holbert said. “I’m proud of our kids. They showed a lot of fight and a lot of heart. We had to play a lot of different guys tonight, so there was a lot of grit involved in that. We will build off of that and keep pressing forward.”
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