Clark, Rebels mow down Baxter, 54-4

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE Gladbrook-Reinbeck running back Colton Clark (5) follows Jace Petersen (32) into the line as Baxter defenders Peyton Johnston (10) and Koby Barber (49) pursue during the first half of Friday’s 8-Man District 5 football game in Gladbrook.

GLADBROOK — The Gladbrook-Reinbeck football team’s introduction to 8-man football was a rude one, but the Rebels have done nothing but dominate since they started district play. Senior running back Colton Clark had 147 yards from scrimmage and three first-half touchdowns to lead Gladbrook-Reinbeck past Baxter 54-4 in Friday’s 8-Man District 5 contest. The victory was the third-straight for the Rebels (3-2, 3-0), who started the season 0-2 with consecutive losses to top-ranked Don Bosco and No. 7 Turkey Valley in the first 8-man games in program history. Gladbrook-Reinbeck has found its footing in district action and has crushed the competition so far. Friday’s 50-point victory over Baxter (1-4, 1-2) is actually the closest divisional win the Rebels have had so far in spite of the 30-point opening quarter. Gladbrook-Reinbeck got outscored 98-18 in their introductory losses to a pair of ranked foes but has outscored its district counterparts 223-22 — an average of 74-7 — in three lopsided wins. Clark cashed in on runs of 13 and 50 yards for touchdowns to give Gladbrook-Reinbeck a 16-0 lead, and Sam Mussig’s leaping interception and 54-yard return for another score made it 22-0 with 2:18 left to play in the first. G-R quarterback Jackson Kiburis pushed the advantage to 30-0 at the first break with a 35-yard touchdown dash, and the rout was on. Clark hit paydirt on a 46-yard TD run on third-and-long, and Aiden Wyatt scored back-to-back Rebel touchdowns with a 38-yard run and a 27-yard interception return to make it 48-0 late in the second quarter. Baxter notched its first of two safeties with 20 seconds left in the first half, while Ethan Gienger’s 3-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter was Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s only points of the second half. Clark finished with 71 yards rushing on just seven carries, and he hauled in three passes from Kiburis for 76 yards. Kiburis carried five times for 52 yards and Gladbrook-Reinbeck outgained the visiting Bolts 229-92 in total offense. Baxter quarterback Brendyn Padget finished the night 9-for-23 passing for 69 yards with three interceptions, two of which went the other way for pick-sixes. Padget led the Bolts with 24 rushing yards, and Carter Nelsen had four receptions for 38 yards, but they were unable to overcome six turnovers. Gladbrook-Reinbeck goes back out on the road next Friday night, facing Collins-Maxwell in district play in Collins.Gladbrook-Reinbeck 54, Baxter 4

At Gladbrook BAXTER 0 2 0 2 4 G-R 30 18 0 6 54 First Quarter G-R Colton Clark 13 pass from Jackson Kiburis (Clark run), 8:54. G-R Clark 50 pass from Kiburis (Aiden Wyatt run), 4:38. G-R Sam Mussig 50 interception return (run failed), 2:18. G-R Kiburis 35 run (Eli Thede pass from Kiburis), 1:05. Second Quarter G-R Clark 46 run (pass failed), 8:21. G-R Wyatt 38 run (run failed), 7:38. G-R Aiden Wyatt 27 interception return (run failed), 5:38. BAX Safety, :20. Third Quarter No scoring. Fourth Quarter G-R Ethan Gienger 3 run (kick failed), 6:51. BAX Safety, 1:58. TEAM STATISTICS BAX G-R First downs 8 12 Rushes-yards 21-23 31-153 Passing yards 69 76 Comp-Att-Int 9-23-3 3-3-0 Total offense 46-92 34-229 Fumbles-lost 4-3 1-1 Penalties-yards 1-5 9-80 Punts-average 4-29.8 1-38 Time of Poss. 26:01 21:38 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING BAX: Brendyn Padget 6-24, Peyton Johnston 1-2, Andrew Esqueda 3-2, Dalton Heer 3-(minus-2), Rory Heer 8-(minus-3); G-R: Clark 7-71, Kiburis 5-52, Wyatt 1-38, Keagan Giesking 4-8, Gienger 3-6, Kaleb Hendricks 1-1, Drake Blakesley 1-(minus-1), Lane Bach 4-(minus-4), Tom Smith 5-(minus-16). PASSING BAX: Padget 9-23-69-3; G-R: Kiburis 3-3-76-0. RECEIVING BAX: Carter Nelsen 4-38, R.Heer 4-23, Johnston 1-8; G-R: Clark 3-76.