Highland High School football team starts fast, finishes strong to get first spring win
Fast starts were a challenge for the Highland Bulldogs football team during the first two weeks of the 2021 spring season in losses to Mascoutah and Triad.
Thanks to sophomore quarterback Brent Wuebbels and senior running back Logan Chandler, the Bulldogs reversed that trend in a positive direction Friday, April 2.
Wuebbels threw for 173 yards and a touchdown Chandler ran for 72 yards and three first-half touchdowns as host Highland fought off a late charge from Collinsville to secure its first win of the spring with a 27-20 victory in the third and final game of the Mississippi Valley Conference Bowl Series Pool A play.
Avoiding an 0-3 start and getting a win at home was crucial for a young Bulldogs team.
“This week we focused on coming out fast, and I thought we did that. I think the biggest thing is we have to play four quarters right now, and we have a group of guys that has to learn how to win, too, and I thought we handled our failure the first two weeks and that’s a product of tonight,” Highland coach Jimmy Warnecke said.
Despite deferring to receive the ball to the second half, Highland (1-2) made the most of the first quarter as Chandler opened the game with 1-yard scoring run to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 with 8:21 left.
Collinsville (0-3) responded 5 minutes later as Jayden Nabors scored on a 3-yard run to tie it at 7-7. HHS promptly answered on the next series as Jeffrey Blunt broke off an 11-yard run to set up a 1st and goal. Chandler then finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown dive for a 13-7 lead with 2:02 left in the opening period.
Blunt had a big night on the ground with a team-leading 100 yards on 13 carries.
“The run game was really hitting them hard early on,” Warnecke said.
Chandler finished off his huge first half with a 1-yard TD run 46 seconds before intermission, pushing Highland to a 19-7 lead.
HHS got the ball to start the second half and drove deep into Collinsville territory but stalled when Wuebbels had a pass tipped near the line of scrimmage and picked off by Collinsville’s Trent Hood.
Three plays later, the Kahoks cashed in as Stephen Green raced 70 yards for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 19-14 with 7:48 left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs had another drive stopped by an end-zone interception early in the fourth quarter. Collinsville threatened to steal the game in the final stretch as Nabors scored on a 2-yard run with 6:32 left to push the Kahoks ahead 20-19.
Wuebbels and the Bulldogs offense went back to work on the next series. The sophomore signal-caller drove the Bulldogs into Collinsville territory and then connected with fellow sophomore wideout Cade Altadonna on a 30-yard wheel route for a touchdown that put Highland ahead to stay. Wuebbels ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 27-20 with 4:42 remaining
“I just threw it up and let my player make a play. If I see a one-on-one matchup, I’m going to him. I trust that guy,” Wuebbels said of Altadonna.
Altadonna led the Bulldogs receivers with 10 catches for 93 yards.
Highland defense steps up, offense seals the win
Collinsville had one more chance, but had its drive stuffed by the Bulldogs defense on a 4th and 3 at the Kahoks 43.
HHS took over on downs and Wuebbles converted a 4th and 2 at the Kahoks 32 with a 2-yard quarterback sneak to get a first down and run out the clock.
That sent the Highland sideline and fans into celebration mode.
“We had to get a win,” Wuebbles said. “Both teams came in 0-2 and played their hearts out, and I thought we played a little harder than the other team.”
Next up for HHS: Civic Memorial
Highland will next hit the road for a quarterfinal round game at Civic Memorial in Bethalto.
“We’ve just got to keep getting better,” Warnecke said. “That’s it. Trying not to focus on wins and losses, it’s a young team and we’re just trying to get better.”