Happy Homecoming for Huskies

The result was good and the timing was perfect.

The Oelwein football provided another reason to celebrate the school's Homecoming.

The Huskies snapped a 24-game losing streak with a 42-21 victory over Waterloo Columbus on Friday night at home. The win is Oelwein's first since Week 8 of the 2011 season and the first for third-year head coach Matt Kuempel.

Kuempel said the players have devoted more time to offseason weight training and was confident this moment would occur this season.

'For our kids, it's been a really long process,” Kuempel said. 'We've had a lot of kids putting a lot of time and effort into it. Each week we have improved in different areas and battled. For it to pay off in the score was fun for those kids.”

Success produced an electric atmosphere that increased as the game progressed and the outcome was imminent.

'Our kids were excited,” Kuempel said. 'The student section was going crazy for a lot of the fourth quarter.

'It's the first time our kids have had success like this in a long time, so it was a lot of fun.”

Kuempel said the teams battled early, but Oelwein took control toward the end of the first half. The Huskies scored 35 straight points, building a commanding 28-point lead. Austin Duffy scored on a 1-yard run that sparked the outburst that eclipsed a 14-7 deficit, breaking a 68-yard TD run later.

Tanner Reising added touchdown runs of 1 and 10 yards, and hitting Brennon Ryan for a 40-yard TD pass. Reising and Ryan connected for 80 yards on Oelwein's first TD of the game. The Huskies led 42-14, despite four turnovers.

The Huskies tallied more points in its Class 2A District 3 win than in their previous three games.

'It wasn't a perfect night for us,” Kuempel said. 'We have a lot of things to work on, but it was nice to get a lead and get after it a little bit.”

Reising threw for a 182 yards, which is his second-highest total this season. Ryan accounted for 120 of those yards. Duffy finished with 167 rushing yards and formed a strong tandem with senior running back DuQuan Schumacher, who amassed 138 rushing yards. It was a total team effort, according to Kuempel.

'We have a big group of guys that put a lot of effort into it,” Kuempel said. 'There were a lot of kids who contributed to it.”

Kuempel said his team has been competitive for stretches. They have played good series, good quarters and good halves, but have not been consistent for an entire game. The Huskies were pretty close, improving to 1-4 overall and looking to work toward more wins.

'Our kids battled the entire night,” Kuempel said. 'It's the mentality we've been trying to instill for a while. It only occurs if the process is followed. It was nice to see the result be positive for them.”

Xavier's Kortemeyer 'day-to-day”

Cedar Rapids Xavier running back Jay Kortemeyer was helped off the field during the first half of the Saints' 49-6 victory over Maquoketa Friday night at Saints Fields. He did not return.

According to Xavier Coach Duane Schulte, Kortemeyer suffered a foot injury on a play. He had 31 yards on six carries before being sidelined. Schulte said he received a message, updating the situation late Friday night.

'It's just a sprain from what they said,” Schulte said. 'He got it checked out.

'He's probably a day-to-day guy.”

Kortemeyer leads Xavier with 458 rushing yards. He has run for two touchdowns this season.

Bobcats win thriller

Western Dubuque claimed Class 3A Dubuque County bragging rights with a thrilling 27-21 overtime win against Dubuque Wahlert.

The Bobcats' Reid Hoefler scored a 10-yard TD run to end the game, following an interception that prevented Wahlert's possession to open the extra period.

The teams were tied at 14 apiece late on the fourth. Ben Burds put Western Dubuque up, 21-14, on a 4-yard TD run with 2:27 left. Wahlert answered, forcing overtime when Riley Hasken rushed in for the tying score with 25 seconds remaining in regulation.

Western Dubuque improved to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in 3A District 4. Wahlert, which moved to 3A competition this fall, is 2-3 overall and 2-1 in district play. Western Dubuque plays at second-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier next Friday.

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