Millersport defeated Berne Union 14-6 Friday night, Sept. 26, 2014, at Berne Union High School in Sugar Grove.
SUGAR GROVE — Millersport coach Terry Holbert said his team was confident it could beat Berne Union on Friday night to stretch its winning streak to five games.
That confidence was well-placed. The Lakers (5-0) continued their torrid start to the season with a 14-6, Mid-State League-Cardinal Division victory against Berne Union.
Touchdown runs by running back Clayton Moore and quarterback Jonah Butts were all the Lakers needed to remain perfect.
“Words can’t describe it, man,” Holbert said after the win. “I’m so proud of our kids. Just resiliency and effort. Brandon Kronenbitter, our leading rusher, didn’t play (Friday night). He wasn’t feeling great and it had kind of been rough all week.
“We have this next-man-in philosophy and we had guys that just stepped up. They’re just willing to answer the call and do the task.”
With Kronenbitter out, running back Beau Thorne stepped up. He ran for 78 yards on 16 carries.
“It was a blast out there,” he said. “I loved the game. It’s unbelievable. It’s unbelievable, man. It’s an amazing feeling to go 5-0.”
The Lakers ran the ball 43 times for 158 yards.
The matchup was the first league game of the year for Berne Union (0-5, 0-1), which was hampered by four turnovers.
Holbert said the Lakers (5-0, 2-0) would try to establish the running game to set up the pass, and that is exactly what they did.
The Lakers had no trouble running the ball from the start, driving 59 yards before Moore ran in from the 7-yard line to give Millersport an early 7-0 lead. The Lakers held the ball for virtually the entire quarter; Berne Union’s lone possession ended with an interception.
The Lakers scored again with 7:24 left in the second quarter when Butts scored on a quarterback sneak to take a 14-0 lead.
The Rockets (0-5, 0-1) drove to the Lakers’ 14-yard line late in the second quarter, but another Hanson Holter interception killed the drive. Berne Union ran only 18 plays in the first half.
The Rockets finally got on the board with 8:10 left in the game, when Holter ran it up the middle from the 9-yard line for a TD. The extra-point attempt failed.
Berne Union coach Steve Daulton said he was more concerned about his own team than Millersport’s record coming into the game. He said the team was ready to start its league season.
However, he did compliment the Lakers on their accomplishments.
“I’m really happy for coach Holbert being able to turn things around,” Daulton said. “He’s certainly paid his dues and his kids have. You’ve got to give props to the senior class for sticking around.”
The Lakers had lost 48 consecutive games coming into the season.
But Daulton was disappointed in his own team’s showing.
“First league game, we certainly played into their game plan,” he said. “We knew they were going to run the ball. That’s how you win football games. You’ve got to be able to run the ball and you have to stop the run. If you don’t stop the run it’s hard to win.”
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