No contest: Pioneers beat Rustlers 50-17
The Pioneers beat the Rustlers 50-17 in hostile territory on Saturday. The Pioneers leaned on the run, piling up 196 yards on 29 carries. Takeaways swung it. The Pioneers forced one turnover and cashed in.
The first points belonged to the Rustlers: I.Copperfield booted one through from 32 yards. The game turned for good with 8:55 left in the first quarter: B.Fairweather capped the drive with a 4-yard strike to Woodhouse. The Pioneers added to the lead when B.Fairweather found Petrakis for a 15-yard touchdown, though the extra point missed. The Rustlers stayed in touch after Cartwright scored on a 2-yard run.
The Pioneers stretched the lead after Jessup found the end zone from 52 yards. The Pioneers pushed the margin out as Jessup plunged in from 2 yards. One of the game's key plays came in the fourth quarter, when Pembridge forced and recovered a fumble. The longest play of the day was a 52-yard dash by Harlan Jessup.
For the Pioneers, Brooks Fairweather had 223 yards through the air, including two touchdowns. Harlan Jessup averaged 7.6 yards a carry on his way to 174; four went for touchdowns. Rufus Petrakis was the top target, 4 catches for 51 yards; one went for a touchdown. Corbin Rosales finished with a team-high 11 tackles. The Rustlers had bright spots too. Easton Mbeki put up 212 passing yards, crossing the goal line once, completing 20 of 32. Declan Cartwright topped the ground game with 45 yards, including one touchdown. Kai Birchall caught 3 passes for 54 yards. Abel Westbrook finished with a team-high 10 tackles. No one moved the needle more than Harlan Jessup, who added +7% to the Pioneers' chances.