For the Tomahawk Leader
CRANDON – The Tomahawk Hatchet football team opened their 2024 campaign last Friday night in Crandon with a big win over the Cardinals, 28-6.
Looking to overcome a string of losses to the Cardinals, Tomahawk won the coin flip and started their season with a 72-yard scoring drive that was capped off with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Rex Reilly to Jonah Dickens. Walter Horabik added the extra point to give Tomahawk the early lead 7-0. Crandon came to play and answered the challenge with a 1-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter to make it 7-6. Their failed 2-point conversion attempt would send both teams into halftime with Tomahawk leading 7-6.
Crandon’s offense came out of halftime looking to take the lead after breaking a 45-yard run that was stopped just short of the end zone by freshman Cash Olsen. The Hatchet defense buckled down and showed tremendous resiliency, putting together their first goal line stand of the year and keeping the Cardinals out of the end zone for 4 downs inside their own 5 yard line.
“I believe that touchdown saving tackle and goal line stand was the turning point in the game for us,” Coach Dewey Reilly stated.
With momentum in Tomahawk’s favor, the Hatchets put together a 97-yard drive, riding the explosive running of senior Brayden Larson. Larson would cap the drive with a 20-yard dash to the house with 3:39 left in the 3rd quarter. The Hatchet defense, not to be outdone, would continue to stifle Crandon’s attempts to move the ball. Jonah Dickens got his first interception of the year by thwarting a failed halfback pass, putting Tomahawk back in position to extend the lead. Tomahawk took advantage of the turnover and relied on the one-two punch of Larson and Reilly to bring the victory home, with Reilly rushing for the next two touchdowns of 4 and 10 yards, respectively. Those scores, followed by Horabik extra points, would put the Hatchets at the final 28-6 advantage.
The Hatchet defense, helmed by DC Jason Olsen, had one of its most dominant performances in recent history. The D held Crandon to only 165 yards of total offense with 146 yards on 46 carries and one pass completion for 19 yards. Hatchet defenders were led in tackles by Rex Reilly, Cash Olsen, Ethan Gibeault and Kaiden Kapellusch, respectively.
Reilly said he could not be more pleased with how the Hatchets started the season and especially their second half play.
The Hatchet offense was able to move the ball and control the clock behind the tough running of senior Brayden Larson, who led the Hatchets in rushing with 146 yards on 14 carries with one touchdown and 167 total yards of offense. Junior quarterback Rex Reilly would leave his mark with 159 yards of offense with 79 rushing yards and two touchdowns, to go with 80 yards and one touchdown and one interception through the air. Tomahawk was able to gain 311 total yards of offense and four touchdowns behind the work of Ethan Gibeault, Jack Amelse, Nathan Norman, Nathan Kurth, Michael Samundsen, Kaiden Kapellusch and the rest of the offensive line.
Tomahawk will next line up Friday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. in Wittenberg to face the Wittenberg-Birnamwood Chargers.