Week 2: Galena vs West Carroll
Pirates continue dominant start
The Galena Pirates took to L.B. Carns Field in Hazel Green, WI, for its second game of the 2021 spring season. From the opening coin flip, the Pirates had control of the game and would not let up until the final whistle blew. No matter what team the Pirates put on the field, the Thunder did not have an answer.
The game began with the Pirates starting on their own 44 yard line, but after six plays, which included five runs by senior Peyton Bauer, the Pirates took the opening 7-0 lead with 9:58 left in the opening quarter.
On the ensuing possession, the Thunder went four-and-out and a short punt by West Carroll gave the ball to the Pirates at the West Carroll 28-yard line.
On the second possession, it took the Pirates four plays to get Bauer back in the end zone with a three-yard run for his second touchdown in the first quarter with 5:41 left on the clock.
West Carroll got two first downs on its next possession, but a 30-yard sack by the Pirates forced a fourth down. West Carroll was late getting the ball out and lost yards on the fourth down play to give the Pirates favorable field position at the West Carroll 18-yard line.
The next possession was two plays for the Pirates, a run by Bauer and a touchdown pass from junior Ethan Hefel to junior Brady Schemehorn for 17-yard to put the Pirates up 21-0.
As the second quarter began, West Carroll had the ball and another four-and-out resulted in the Pirates getting the ball at the 48-yard line of the Thunder. On the first play of the possession, Duilio Moctezuma ran 48-yards for a Pirate touchdown, a missed extra point gave the Pirates a 27-0 lead with 11:20 left before half time.
On the Thunder’s next possession, West Carroll was able to get into Pirate territory for the first time, but it was a short lived stay as a penalty forced the Thunder back to midfield. The Thunder would try to complete the fourth down conversion, but were unsuccessful, resulting in the Pirates getting the ball at midfield.
Galena senior Khalid Newton would score a touchdown on a pitch in the Pirates ensuing seven play possession to put the Pirates up 34-0 with five minutes left before halftime.
West Carroll would have another four and out on its ensuing possession and a sack on fourth down would give the Pirates the ball at the Thunder 20-yard line.
Spencer Crawford ran off the tackle to score on the first play of the possession to put the Pirates up 41-0.
One more possession by the Thunder before the half would send the Pirates to the locker room with a 41 point advantage.
With a running clock in the second half, the Pirates would only have two possessions, but would score on both of them with a three-yard touchdown run by Isaac Somers and a three-yard run by sophomore Sam Eaton to give the Pirates the 53-0 win. The Pirates scored a touchdown on every possession in the game.
BY THE NUMBERS:
The all-time series record between Galena and West Carroll stands at 8-3.
The 53 points scored by the Pirates were the most in the series since the West Carroll Co-op was formed and the most for the Pirates against either of the schools since they scored 53 against Savanna in a 53-6 win in 1999. The most points scored in the series were 63 by Savanna in 1922, a 63-7 rout.
The 2-0 start for the Pirates to the 2021 spring season is the first 2-0 start for the Pirates since 2008.
The game saw the seventh most points scored during the Ed Freed era (since 2003) and the most since the Pirates put 64 on the board against Pecatonica on Oct. 24, 2014. The other six games are:
64, 2014 at Pecatonica
57, 2006 vs. Aquin
56, 2014 at South Beloit
55, 2013 vs South Beloit
55, 2010 at Milledgeville
55, 2007, vs Durand
53, 2021 vs. West Carroll
The game was also the 14th largest shutout and margin of victory in Galena football history and the most since a 55-0 road win over Milledgeville on Sept. 24, 2010. The others are:
67-0 vs. Stockton, 1916
65-0 vs Orangeville, Oct. 7, 1977
61-0 vs. AFC, 1997
61-0 vs. St. Mary’s Dubuque, Nov. 6, 1922
60-0 @ Dakota, Oct. 31, 1980
59-0 @ Southwestern, Sept. 5, 1986
56-0 vs. Dakota, Nov. 2, 1967
55-0 @ Milledgeville, Sept. 24, 2010
55-0 vs East Dubuque, 1997
54-0 vs. AFC, 1998
54-0 vs East Dubuque, 1996
54-0 vs. Le-Win, Oct. 8, 1976
54-0 @ Warren, Oct. 24, 1941
53-0 vs. West Carroll, March 27, 2021
The Pirates have scored 81 points over their first two games (28 @ EPC, 53 vs. West Carroll), the most since 96 points in 2008 (47 vs AFC, 49 vs EPC) and tied for the third most in Pirate history.