Forget garbled voices: Tigers beat Benson 41-21

I tried checking in with the radio broadcast of the Friday night football game at Benson. I couldn't believe it. It was just unintelligible noise. It was like listening to a crowded men's bathroom. I wonder if all the broadcast sponsors know about what happened. I couldn't even learn the score. The radio station should have just aborted the whole thing and played music - the usual golden oldie rock and pop songs.

Added to this is the fact that the Morris Sun Tribune newspaper makes fans wait eight days until they can see a local print review of the game. By then, the Tigers will have played their next game.

Of course, people could take matters into their own hands: a group of students could launch an official website for Morris Area Chokio Alberta football. It would be just like UMM's home pages for sports. Too much work? No, I would suggest it would be fun. We needn't be beholden to the "corporate media" (media that make money with advertising) in the year 2016. Actually, this all could have been done ten years ago. It takes time for society to adjust to change.

It would be amazing to see what some Internet enthusiasts could do, bringing more recognition for MACA sports teams. Agree?

 

Tigers 41, Benson 21

There would have been lots of highlights to trumpet, had the radio broadcast come through clearly. Our MACA Tigers took charge in the second half en route to disposing of the Braves of Benson. We scored 14 points each in the second and third quarters. This was our third win of the season against no losses.

Toby Sayles scored our first touchdown: a big 63-yard run in the first quarter. Eli Grove kicked the point-after. Benson took the lead by scoring a TD and succeeding with a two-point conversion. The TD came on a four-yard pass from Layton Connelly to Ty Hedman. Connelly ran for the two-point conversion.

Ryan Dietz put MACA on top again with a one-yard run followed by a two-point Sayles run. Sayles scored the next MACA touchdown on a two-yard run, and this time the conversion play was no-go. Brett Sulier re-invigorated the Braves' cause with a six-yard scoring run, and Connelly kicked the PAT. Dietz answered for the Tigers, reaching the end zone on a run from the two. Jacob Zosel carried the football into the end zone on the conversion.

Zosel broke loose for a 31-yard scoring scamper. This time the PAT kick try was blocked. Sayles kept pushing the MACA cause forward with an eleven-yard touchdown run. The PAT kick try was blocked again. Benson had the game's last score: a 35-yard touchdown pass from Connelly to Max Peterson.

MACA overwhelmed Benson with 451 rushing yards on 53 carries. Again the passing attack was negligible: we had a mere one completion in two tries for 27 yards. No interceptions. Benson showed a well-established passing attack with eleven completions in 22 attempts for 140 yards (and one interception).

Our Jacob Zosel put up fine rushing numbers again: 207 yards on 18 carries. Sayles was quite the force with 154 yards on eleven carries, and Dietz covered 77 yards on the ground in 15 carries. Jared Rohloff had the only pass catch which covered 27 yards. Joseph Kleinwolterink delivered the Tigers' one punt. Chase Metzger intercepted a pass. Dakota Luetke and Paul Hockert each sacked the quarterback.

Benson had a tandem of effective ballcarriers: Connelly (46 yards on 13 carries) and Aaron Zosel (45 yards on ten carries). Max Peterson stood out for Benson in receiving: six catches for 104 yards. Connelly handled the punting. Aaron Zosel and Shawn Aarhus each recovered a fumble.

An injury to Benson's Brett Sulier may have affected the course of the game. The Willmar paper speculated in this way, but I don't know. I always feared getting into trouble if I wrote that a player's injury or illness affected the outcome of an athletic contest.

 

Trying to listen to the Friday night radio broadcast reminded me of when Jimmy Kimmel presents his "drunk Rudy Giuliani" gag.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com