Dike-New Hartford earns road win in district opener
It took a quarter to settle in, but the Dike-New Hartford football team put together its best offensive game so far in Friday’s 24-14 win at #6 (1A) Sumner-Fredericksburg in Friday’s district opener.
The Wolverines trailed early when the Cougars recovered a fumble in the Dike-New Hartford end zone, giving Sumner-Fredericksburg an 8-0 lead after a successful two-point conversion. In the second quarter, Colin Meester hit Carson Costello for an 18-yard touchdown pass. On the next drive, Meester found Devon Lotts on a 40-yard pass that set the Wolverines up on the 1-yard line, followed by a Meester sneak to take a 14-8 lead into halftime.
The Wolverines went up two scores on Cole McCumber’s 28-yard field goal to increase the lead to 17-8. The win was sealed with Noah Borcherding’s 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Sumner-Fredericksburg added a touchdown with 10 seconds left to complete the scoring.
Head Coach Don Betts says the offense made strides, especially in the passing game, to put together the most decisive win so far.
"We're starting to get a feel for who we are offensively, what our offensive identity is," Betts says. "Our playmakers made some plays. We've got some big-time playmakers on this team, but we just hadn't been able to get on track yet. We were able to get started on that. I think this group will continue to get better offensively. Our consistency was much better. Still not where we want to be, but we took a big step forward."
Meester went 12/19 passing for 166 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Borcherding had 21 carries for 107 yards and a score. Lotts was the leading receiver with five catches for 86 yards. Zach Adelmund led defensively with 5.5 tackles, four for loss, and a sack.
The Wolverines are 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the district, and will host Central Springs in Week 5 for Homecoming.
