BGM finishes as state runner-up

CEDAR FALLS – One result shouldn't define BGM's body of work.

The Bears accomplishments have been remarkable considering less than a decade ago they didn't have a varsity team. Thirteen wins, two straight trips to the state semifinals and a berth in the state championship should be enough to comfort them. Not too shabby, even if it is a win short of their goal.

West Lyon and quarterback Brandon Snyder was just too much for the Bears to add to their resume. Snyder powered the Wildcats to a 49-7 victory in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class A state title game Friday. The title is the fourth for the Wildcats in six finals appearances, capturing the 1A crown in 2010.

Despite the lopsided loss, the Bears have come a long way.

'We wanted to make it further,' BGM senior Kyle Gritsch said about surpassing last season's state semifinal appearance. 'We accomplished that goal. We wanted to get this one, but we can't keep our heads down.'

The Bears hadn't even reached the postseason before 2008, but made its sixth straight postseason. BGM has gone 23-3 the last two seasons, including a 13-1 mark this year. This group has taken the program to new heights.

'These kids have 13 reasons to be proud,' BGM Coach Jerod Burns said. 'We didn't even have a varsity team in 2004 and these kids have come this far. I think they have a lot to be proud of and I'm proud of them.'

BGM started strong but it was short-lived, coinciding with an injury to one of the Bears' top weapons.

Jack Kline, who holds the national record for nine punt returns in a season and the state mark for 10 career punt returns for a touchdown, picked off Snyder's first pass attempt, made a couple defenders miss and pulled away for a 52-yard interception to open scoring less than four minutes into the game.

Unfortunately for Kline and the Bears, Kline injured his ankle playing defense on the next possession. He realized something was wrong getting up from a tackle. Kline never returned.

'I sprained it,' Kline said. 'I'm not sure what happened.

'It's tough. I couldn't do anything else.'

The Bears missed more than 2,200 offensive yards, including 1,811 on the ground, and more than 45 TDs. They were a bit deflated, but West Lyon added to it.

'It took a lot out of us,' Gritsch said. 'He's a big part of our offense. We weren't ourselves.'

Burns said Colton Ryan, who led BGM with four receptions, was also injured, and a few other Bears weren't fully healthy. He was quick to mention it wasn't going to change the outcome.

'They're too big, too physical and athletic for us,' Burns said. 'Not having Jack in our lineup obviously changed what we had to do offensively and that hurt.'

After the early mistake, the West Lyon (14-0) quickly turned things in their favor. Snyder was the catalyst. The 6-foot, 192-pound signal caller finished with 181 yards rushing and 110 passing yards, completing 4 of 5 passes. Kaleb Heyer added 72 yards on the ground for West Lyon.

Snyder has been a great leader for the Wildcats all season.

'We tell him to scratch where it itches and make great decisions,' West Lyon Coach Jay Rozeboom said. 'He does a super job.'

Snyder put the Wildcats on the board with a 34-yard TD run a little more than halfway through the first quarter. Snyder's 63-yard run to BGM's 3-yard line on the Wildcats' next possession set up Bennett Feuchtenberger's touchdown on the next play.

Snyder added to his numbers with a 60-yard run, spinning out of an arm tackle at the line of scrimmage and dashing to the end zone, giving West Lyon a 28-7 lead with 7:45 left in the second.

'You can't game plan against one kid,' Burns said. 'They have so many kids that can hurt you. What hurt us is he could run that option and we weren't able to account for him.'

Miscues also hurt the Bears. Facing a 4

^th

-and-9 from the BGM 20, the snap sailed over the punter's head coming to rest in the end zone and West Lyon's Reagen Meyer pounced on it for the defensive touchdown.

BGM was desperate to make something happen late in the first, attempting to convert a 4

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-and-1 from its own 33 with 2:00 before halftime. The Wildcats stopped it and Snyder hit Kyle Groeneweg, who also had a 3-yard TD run in the second, for a 33-yard score to cap the first-half scoring.

West Lyon held BGM scoreless after the break, and added a final touchdown on its opening drive of the second half.

Bryan Kriegel led the Bears with 84 total yards, including 73 passing. Gritsch was BGM's leading rusher with 47 yards and had 22 receiving, while Mayson Sherwood led BGM with 31 receiving yards.

BGM fans applauded the team's effort after the game. The Bears still managed to make school history, but they wanted to add one more feat.'It's nice,' Kline said about reaching the finals. 'We would have liked to have played better.'

West Lyon 49, BGM 7

AT UNI-DOME

TEAM STATISTICS

West Lyon

BGM

First downs

14

8

Rushes-yards

40 - 329

31 - 48

Passing yards

110

73

Comp-Att-Int

4 - 5 - 1

9 - 23 - 1

Total yards

439

121

Fumbles-lost

1 - 0

1 - 1

Punts-average

2 - 37.0

5 - 36.0

Penalties-yards

5 - 35

0 - 0

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing:  West Lyon – Brandon Snyder 7-181 , Kaleb Heyer 13-72 , Vaughn Moser 5-32 , Bennett Feuchtenberger 7-30 , Brett Van Beek 1-4 , Taeric Ezzell 1-3 , Chase Grotewold 1-3 , Kyle Groeneweg 1-3 , Nick Meester 1-2 , Dylan Whalen 1-0 , Damon Knobloch 1--1  BGM – Kyle Gritsch 14-47 , Bryan Kriegel 7-13 , Cole Olson 7-8 , Colton Massengale 1-1 , Jack Kline 1--1 , Team 1--20

Passing:  West Lyon – Snyder 4-5-1-110  BGM – Kriegel 9-22-0-73 , Kalvon Steffen 0-1-1-0

Receiving:  West Lyon – Groeneweg 2-41 , Cody Bauman 1-49 , Paul Ter Wee 1-20  BGM – Colton Ryan 4-16 , Gritsch 3-22 , Mayson Sherwood 1-31 , Kirk Berry 1-4

SCORE BY QUARTERS

West Lyon

21

21

7

–

49

BGM

7

–

7

SCORING SUMMARY

BGM - Kline 52 interception return (Gritsch kick)

WL - Snyder 34 run (Snyder kick)

WL - Reagen Meyer 0 fumble recovery (Snyder kick)

WL - Feuchtenberger 3 run (Snyder kick)

WL - Snyder 60 run (Snyder kick)

WL - Groeneweg 3 run (Snyder kick)

WL - Groeneweg 33 pass from Snyder (Snyder kick)'

WL - Heyer 1 run (Snyder kick)