Bailey Olson stretches to make a one handed pass completion for a Buccaneer touchdown against Windom last Friday.

The Windom Eagles won the battle of the stat sheet.

But, it was the Blue Earth Area Buccaneers who came out on top of the battle for the only important set of numbers that matter: the score.

BEA celebrated their homecoming with a 34-20 win over Windom on Friday evening, Sept. 25, at Wilson Field.

Despite the fact the Eagles outgained the Bucs on the ground 192 yards to 146, and in the air 98 yards to 96 and even in the number of first downs, 17 to 10 that did not make any difference. BEA won the game.

The game was nearly tied at the end of the first half, with the Buccaneers clinging to a narrow 21-20 lead.

But, in the second half the Bucs scored two more touchdowns while their defense shut out the Eagles.

The game was a little scary for Buccaneer fans at first, when the Windom Eagles took the opening kickoff and marched down the field.

Windom used some big yardage gains of 22, 13 and 19 yards to put BEA back on their heels. Then the Eagles scored a touchdown on an 8-yard pass completion play.

The Eagles led 6-0 when their try for the extra point kick failed.

The Buccaneers responded by scoring three unanswered touchdowns.

Buccaneer Tyler Hannaman gets past the Windom Eagle defense and hauls in a pass.

And, it did not take long for the first one to happen.

After a penalty on the Eagles during the ensuing kickoff, Windom had to kick again from the 35 yard line.

BEA’s Chris Sanders took the next kick off try and ran it 71 yards back for a quick touchdown.

With the extra point kick by Fabien Riegelsberger good, BEA took over the lead at 7-6.

On their next possession, the Eagles faced a fourth and six yards to go situation and tried to go for it. However they only made five yards, not six, on the try and BEA took over on downs.

The maroon and gold then went on a march down the field of their own. That included a 22 yard run by Buc quarterback Bailey Olson.

Then, facing a third and 13 yards to go situation, Olson connected with Brandon Olson for 17 yards and a first down.

Kolt Gorg then carried the ball eight yards for a touchdown. Riegelsberger’s kick was good again and BEA led 14-6.

As the clock ticked down towards the end of the first quarter, the Bucs’ Kaylan Legred recovered an Eagle fumble at the 40 and ran it down to the 25-yard line.

However, BEA’s drive stalled with a fourth and eight and the Bucs turned it over on downs.

But, after holding the Eagles to a three and out and forcing a punt, the maroon and gold took little time to find the end zone for another score.

Olson hit Tyler Hannaman for a 49-yard touchdown pass play.

Once again the kick for PAT was good and BEA led 21-6.

The Eagles, however, were ready to respond. They used a 68-yard running play and a 13-yard pass completion to set up a 1-yard touchdown run.

Their try for a pass for two-point conversion failed, and they still trailed BEA 21-12.

After the Bucs were forced to punt on their next possession, the Eagles again marched down the field with plays that covered 14, 9, 35 and 17 yards.

They scored on a three yard pass play to the endzone as time was running out in the half.

This time they made the two-point conversion on a running play, and the score at the half was 21-20 Bucs.

The Bucs were forced to punt on their opening drive of the second half. And they held the Eagles and forced them to punt as well, after Chandler had sacked the quarterback for a nine yard loss setting up a fourth and 29 situation.

But the Eagles did not get the punt off as BEA blocked the attempt and Gorg recovered the ball at the 18-yard line.

With Kienitz lining up under center as quarterback, he completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Bailey Olson.

Olson made a spectacular one-handed catch despite the Eagle defender pulling down his other arm. The Bucs declined the pass interference penalty.

The kick for PAT was blocked, but the Bucs still enjoyed a 27-20 lead.

BEA stopped Windom on their next possession and forced an Eagle punt. Legred caught the punt at the 50 and returned it to the Eagle 21.

Bailey Olson then scored a touchdown for the Bucs on a 14-yard run. The extra point kick was good and BEA now had a solid 34-20 lead still in the third quarter.

There was not any scoring in the fourth quarter, with the Buccaneers playing outstanding defense that included four sacks of the Eagle quarterback in the final period. BEA’s Tanner Wolf was credited with two of those sacks.

Bailey Olson was 5 of 14 passing for 78 yards and one touchdown. Kienitz was 1 of 1 passing for 24 yards and it was completed to Olson for a touchdown.

Hannaman had two catches for 54 yards, Brandon Olson one for 17 and Camden Bowers two for seven yards.

Bailey Olson carried the ball 12 times and gained 56 yards and had a TD. Legred was not far behind with 55 yards on eight attempts. Gorg had two carries for 13 yards and TD. Brandon Olson added 22 yards on five totes.

The Eagles were 10 of 17 passing for 98 yards. They rushed 42 times for a net of 192 yards.

Next up for the Buccaneers was a trip to Luverne to take on the Cardinals. That game was last Friday night, Oct. 2, and was after the deadline for this week’s Faribault County Register. Details will be in the next issue.

This week the Bucs will host the Pipestone Arrows in a rare Thursday night football matchup.

That is done to give the team enough rest before their next tilt, on Wednesday night, Oct. 14, when they will play in the first game of the Section quarterfinals.