Spencer/Columbus football jumps on Fall Creek early, rolls to road win and improves to 3-0

FALL CREEK – A dominant first half was the all the Spencer/Columbus Catholic football team needed to win its third-straight game to start the 2018 season.

Carson Hildebrandt ran for three touchdowns and Jarred Mandel threw for three more as the Rockets scored six first-half touchdowns and rolled to a 49-16 victory over Fall Creek in a Cloverbelt Conference football game Thursday night at Fall Creek High School.

The Rockets ran out to a 28-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and led 42-0 at halftime to turn the second half into a running-clock situation.

Hayden Bauman added a score late in the third quarter for the Rockets, who are now 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the Cloverbelt Conference. Fall Creek falls to 1-2 overall and in the Cloverbelt. Click here for the Cloverbelt Conference football standings http://www.marshfieldareasports.com/site/?page_id=5922

Hildebrant had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs to open the scoring, and Mandel hit Austin Bacon for a 2-yard touchdown pass and Jacob Dick on a 17-yard TD pass to put the Rockets up 28-0 early.

Ethan Meece hauled in a 34-yard scoring pass from Mandel and Hildebrant hit pay dirt from 1-yard out again in the final minute of the half to make it 42-0.

Spencer/Columbus outgained the Crickets 465-241 and forced a pair of turnovers.

Bauman led Spencer/Columbus’ rushing attack with 148 yards on just 11 carries, and Mandel finished 7-for-12 for 157 yards and the three first-half touchdowns.

“Hayden Bauman had a great night on both sides of the ball,” Spencer/Columbus coach Jason Gorst said. “Jarred Mandel was very efficient and was seeing the field well. Jacob Dick stepped up with some big catches, and Gavid Kilty did a great job up front.”

Spencer/Columbus hosts Stanley-Boyd in a showdown of Cloverbelt Conference co-leaders on Friday, Sept. 7, at Spencer High School.

Rockets 49, Crickets 16
Spencer/Columbus 28 14 7 0 – 49
Fall Creek 0 0 0 16 – 16
First Quarter
SC – Carson Hildebrandt 1 run (Jarred Mandel kick), 10:02.
SC – Hildebrandt 1 run (Mandel kick), 4:56.
SC – Austin Bacon 2 pass from Mandel (Mandel kick), 2:02.
SC – Jacob Dick 17 pass from Mandel (Mandel kick), 0:11.
Second Quarter
SC – Ethan Meece 34 pass from Mandel (Mandel kick), 8:55.
SC – Hildebrandt 1 run (Mandel kick), 0:44.
Third Quarter
SC – Hayden Bauman 25 run (Mandel kick), 1:08.
Fourth Quarter
FC – Safety, Ethan Hermann tackled Max McGiverson in end zone.
FC – Joey Kinderman 35 run (Joseph Weggen kick), 8:39.
FC – Weggen 59 run (Weggen kick), 0:29.
Team Statistics
First downs: Spencer/Columbus 27; Fall Creek 8.
Rushing (att-yards): SC 39-299; FC 25-186.
Passing (comp-att-yards-int): SC 8-13-166-0; FC 4-7-55-0.
Total yards: SC 465; FC 241.
Penalties (no.-yards): SC 5-30; FC 6-75.
Fumbles (total-lost): SC 0-0; FC 2-2.
Punting (att.-avg.): SC none; FC 4-29.5.
Individual Statistics
Rushing: SC, Hayden Bauman 11-148, Austin Bacon 7-57, Carson Hildebrandt 8-40, Eden Jacobson 4-30, Jarred Mandel 1-13, Gavid Kilty 1-12, Will Gorst 1-2, Andres Rodriguez 1-2, Dominic Post 1-0, Tyson McDonald 1-0, Max McGiverson 2-minus 5. FC, Joey Kinderman 11-119, Joseph Weggen 1-59, Travis Laube 2-13, Jack Monnier 2-3, Nolan Hellegers 1-minus 1, Hayden Goodman 8-minus 7.
Passing: SC, Mandel 7-12-157-0, Gage Stratman 1-1-9-0. FC, Goodman 4-7-55-0.
Receiving: SC, Jacob Dick 2-65, Ethan Meece 2-47, Bacon 2-35, Bauman 1-10, Gorst 1-9. FC, Taylor Anders 1-42, Andrew Kleinhans 1-9, Laube 1-2, Monnier 1-2.
Records: Spencer/Columbus 3-0, 2-0 Cloverbelt Conference; Fall Creek 1-2 overall and Cloverbelt Conference.

Paul Lecker is publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com.