Highland offense, defense team up to dismantle Jerseyville for first win of 2021 season
For three weeks, the Highland Bulldogs football team had struggled to put a complete game together on offense and defense resulting in an 0-3 start.
On Friday, Sept. 17, the Bulldogs shifted that narrative as the offense and defense stepped up and delivered a dominating effort.
Behind four Brent Wuebbles touchdown passes and a suffocating defense, Highland rolled to an easy 54-12 victory over Jerseyville in the Mississippi Valley Conference opener for both teams at Highland High School.
Snapping a three-game losing streak and getting the first conference win of the season was a huge relief for Wuebbles and his Bulldogs teammates.
“Oh man, it feels amazing,” Wuebbles said. “We had a tough first three games and getting a win out of our first conference game is really nice. I’m really proud of the team.”
HHS got out of the gate fast as Wuebbles connected with Cade Altadonna on a 19-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead on the opening drive.
Jerseyville responded on its opening series as quarterback Logan Schultz scored on a 3-yard run but the PAT kick missed and the Bulldogs still led 7-6.
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs offense started cooking as a 3-yard touchdown run by Travis Porter and an 8-yard quarterback keeper by Wuebbles pushed the Bulldogs out to a 21-6 lead with 9:27 left in the second quarter.
Jerseyville, using its physical run game, answered on its next drive as Chase Withrow bounced to the right side and scooted 47 yards down the sideline for a touchdown cutting the lead to 21-12. The Panthers 2-point run attempt failed.
The Bulldogs responded on their next series as Wuebbles lofted a 38-yard scoring pass to wideout Brode Lewis, pushing the lead to 27-12. HHS missed the PAT.
On the Panthers next drive, the Highland defense came up with a huge stop just before half that clearly swung the momentum.
Driving deep into HHS territory, Jerseyville had the chance to cut the deficit to one score. On a 4th and 10 at the Bulldogs 18, Highland linebacker Bryce Iberg snuffed out a flat pass to Edward Roberts for no gain stopping the Panthers on downs. Highland then ran out the clock on the first half.
“I was just sticking through my reads, which is what I do as all the coaches taught me to do. It’s just a simple read and I did my job,” Iberg said. “That (stop) was huge and that stop just really pushed us forward to show that there’s no quit in us ... even if we’re up by a lot we won’t stop. We just keep going.”
Defense steps up
After allowing two first half touchdowns, the Bulldogs defense dominated the Jerseyville ground game as they blanked the Panthers in the second half.
Iberg said the defense did a bit of soul searching after losing at Marion the previous week while surrendering 48 points.
“We just came together as a group. We’ve been going through a lot all week and we’ve come together and just decided as a group we’ve got to do our job every play and play Highland football,” Iberg said.
While the Bulldogs defense began to settle in, the Highland offense exploded in the second half.
A 6-yard touchdown run and a 23-yard Wuebbles to Altadonna touchdown pass grew the Highland lead to 39-12 as the third quarter wound down.
Wuebbles caps big night
Wuebbles went to the air one more time with 10:04 left in the game, hitting Gabe Marti for his final touchdown pass on a 37-yard strike to make it 47-12 after Porter’s 2-point conversion run.
It was an enjoyable night for Wuebbles as his offensive line kept him clean most of the game and his receivers ran solid routes and made catches consistently.
“My O-line gave me plenty of time and the quick pass game ... it’s just nice getting the ball out and letting your receivers do the work. It’s so nice when I have my guys making plays and when they have that confidence, I don’t think anyone can stop them,” Wuebbles said.
Porter wrapped up the scoring with a 30-yard touchdown run, making it 54-12 with 3:35 left.
HHS coach pleased with showing
The complete performance left Highland coach Jimmy Warnecke feeling like his team is beginning to get reset and headed down the right path.
“I’m proud of my boys’ response (tonight)” Warnecke said. “Our backs are against the wall every week now and now you’ve got to bring it every week.”
The Bulldogs resume action at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, at rival Triad in another MVC game.