Storm pushes on for playoff win

Storm lineman Richard Brummel springs Bureau Valley running back P.J. Baker for a run in Saturday's 2A playoff game against Elmwood/Brimfield. (BCR photo/Shawn Doubet)

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MANLIUS — The Bureau Valley Storm took advantage of a number of Elmwood/Brimfield miscues Saturday to advance to the second round of the 2A football playoffs with a 46-6 win over the Trojans.

Following a Storm four-and-out on its first drive of the game, Josiah Johnston ended a Trojan threat when he recovered the first of four Trojan fumbles — three of which became Bureau Valley touchdowns.

On first down after the fumble, John King hit Austin Peterson for 37 yards and the first score of the game to give the Storm the lead for good with 5:54 left to play in the first quarter.

“We came up and stuffed them pretty good a couple of times,” BV coach Jeff Ohlson said, regarding the four take-aways by his team on the day. “We were able to take advantage of some of their miscues. When we are aggressive and physical, good things happen. And we were aggressive and physical today.”

After the Storm scored again to go up 14-0 on a 41-yard run by Johnston, the Trojans mounted their only drive of the game, marching 71 yards on 14 plays mostly on short bursts by 6-2, 240-pound tailback Luke Nielson who scored on a three-yard run with 10:13 still to play in the first half.

Following an exchange of fumbles and a BV punt, Nate Swanson came out of the pile with another Trojan fumble to give the Storm a short field at the Trojans’ 14.

Three plays later, P.J. Baker scored on an 11-yard run to put the Storm up 20-6.

Another Trojan fumble with :35 left before intermission was recovered by Ryan Hix at the BV 46. King hit Peterson for 23 yards on first down. Then, after a penalty, Tyler DeVenney tipped a King pass into Peterson’s hands. Peterson took the ball into the end zone to put the Storm up 26-6 with 14 ticks left in the half.

“That was huge,” Ohlson said. “It was a pass that was designed to go to one kid, and it tipped off and fell into somebody else’s hands and we capitalized on it. But you have to do those things to win in the playoffs. They gave us an opportunity there, and we capitalized on it.”

Any hopes that the Trojans had of a comeback were squashed early in the second half.

Following three plays for negative-five yards on their opening drive of the half, the long snap sailed over punter Jake Hammond’s head and bounced to the two-yard line before he was able to recover.

Johnston finished that drive from one yard out. Michael Weidner’s kick put the Storm up 33-6 with 9:26 to play in the third.

Then, following a Trojan drive that netted only two yards on three plays, Weidner blocked Hammond’s punt to give the Storm the ball at the E/B 17.

Bill Robbins finished that drive with a five-yard touchdown run with 6:31 to play in the third. Weidner’s kick put the Storm up 40-6.

Then, following a Trojan drive that came up just short on fourth-and-long, Adam Sanden finished the Storm scoring with 9:00 left in the game on a 45-yard scoring run that gave the Storm a 46-6 lead and started the continuous clock.

After allowing 123 yards rushing in the first half, the Storm defense clamped down and allowed the Trojans only 50 yards on the ground in the second half.

“We talked to our linebackers to make sure that they didn’t break and get out of their lanes,” Ohlson said. “Right at the beginning of the second half, they ran the same play that had worked in the first half and our linebackers stepped up and stopped him at the line of scrimmage, and I knew that we would be all right then. We did a lot of the things that we have been doing all year that get overlooked at times..”

The Storm will have the opportunity to avenge its only loss of the season next Saturday as they will host the Morrison Mustangs at Storm Stadium.