Bucs march past Saints
Jacob Olson and David Franta scored two touchdowns apiece for Blue Earth Area en route to a 34-14 South Central Conference victory over St. James Wednesday.
The Bucs received an early scare after the Saints scored the game’s first touchdown.
Sam Carlson connected on a 12-yard pass to Isaac Carreon to give St. James an early 7-0 advantage.
Blue Earth Area responded with five unanswered touchdowns, eliminating the threat of a St. James upset.
Olson started the offensive onslaught scoring on runs of 2 yards and 5 yards to put the Bucs up 14-7 after the opening quarter.
Quarterback Kysten Zierke filled in for an injured Brady Anderson to score the next Buc touchdown on a one-yard plunge opening up the second quarter of play. The extra point by Jacob Rintelen was good giving Blue Earth Area a 21-7 lead.
Franta closed out the first half, scoring on a 7-yard rush to the end zone.
In the third quarter, Franta charged in for an 11-yard touchdown run. Rintelen added the extra point giving Blue Earth Area a 34-7 advantage.
St. James closed the gap in the fourth quarter on a 57-yard pass from Carlson to Colby Rogers. The point after attempt was good reaching the final score of 34-14.Three Bucs ended the evening with more than 85 yards of rushing.
Franta led the BEA rushing attack, netting 97 yards on 13 carries, Olson followed close behind with 94 yards on 14 carries and teammate Justin Ritter stepped in during the second half and moved the chains for 85 yards on 11 carries.
Defensively, Carter Hanson and Franta led the Buccaneers with seven tackles apiece.
Quinn Huisman, Brad More and Garrett Christensen slowed down the St. James passing attack by each recording sacks on defense.
BEA finished the regular season with a 7-1 overall record and a 4-1 SCC mark.
The Buccaneers will open the playoffs at home, Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. in a rematch against St. James.
If BEA wins the opening round game, they will play in the section semifinals Saturday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. at Wilson Field.