It was a well fought contest, but the Audubon Wheelers football team came out on top over the CAM Cougars on Friday night 38-20. Out of the gate you knew this was going to be an interesting contest when CAM went three and out on their first drive and Audubon had a punt blocked and retuned for a score to make it 6-0 Cougars. Audubon had a response of their own on the next drive that was capped with an Aaron Olsen 10-yard touchdown run with a two-point conversion giving Audubon the lead at 8-6. Later on, in the quarter the Wheelers started to put a drive together but that was quickly ended with a Carsen Mckee interception, which resulted in a two play 63-yard touchdown run by Kayden Winther to put CAM back up 12-8.

In the second quarter Audubon seemed to be losing steam but was quickly reenergized by an Austin Christensen interception that started a fast touchdown drive from a 13-yard throw from Carson Wessel to Brody Weber into the endzone. The Wheelers were successful with the two-point conversion taking the lead again at 16-12 but weren’t done there. After forcing another three and out Audubon slowly drained the clock and with a minute left Wessel connected with Christensen for a 44-yard touchdown throw in double coverage. The Wheelers capitalized again on their 2-point conversion making it a 24-12 game at the half, after Adam Obrecht picked off Makade Poulsen before halftime.

The third quarter completely turned the ride for the Wheelers as they scored twice from one yard out thanks to Karter Obermeier plunging his way through and Wessel gliding for another score. Those two scores and a missed two-point conversion saw the Audubon lead grow into 38-12 at the end of the third. In the fourth quarter both teams exchanged a few punts before CAM put together their last scoring drive that ended with a Makade Paulsen 5-yard touchdown scramble and efficient 2-point conversion ending the ball game with a score of 38-20.

The Wheelers rushing game resulted in 252 yards off of 47 carries and 3 touchdowns. A big part of the run game was Wessel’s legs scrambling for 198 yards and one touchdown. Wessel was also 9-10 in the pocket with 155 yards and 2 TD’s. Audubon also controlled the time of possession holding onto the ball for 30:11. Coach Birks was proud of the way his team battled throughout the night.

Coach Birks did note that those last few drives before halftime proved to be crucial, and he was impressed with how focused Audubon stayed. 

A large part of Audubon’s success tonight was from the selfless mentality that the team shared. If they can remain selfless, coach Birks know this team can be tough all year.

The Wheelers next game will be at home against Colo-Nesco. CAM’s leading rusher was Kayden Winther who had 87 yards on six carries before being banged up. The Cougars did rush for 212 yards on 40 carries but accumulated three turnovers on the night. CAM will look to bounce back next week on the road as they face the 0-1 Griswold Tigers. 

The Atlantic Trojan volleyball season is now underway, and the program has plenty of excitement to go around. The Trojans are led by first year head coach Alyssa Boltz, who has been on the Atlantic volleyball staff for over 5 years. Coach Boltz is passionate about this position and knows she has a talented pool of girls.

One of the things that impresses coach Boltz about this group is the work ethic they have shown. The girls stay disciplined in practice and carry positive attitudes the whole time.

The Trojans are also bringing back plenty of experience with senior Morgan Botos who has 87 sets under her belt and 57 kills. Senior Paytn Harter is another Atlantic volleyball player who is looking to make an impact for her team. Harter was tied for leading the team in spikes with 87 and led in kills with 175 back in 2023.

Coach Boltz noted that the team has seemed to mesh well together, and she has an abundance of leadership on her squad.

The goals for Atlantic volleyball are to build off of previous year’s success and bring the sharp results from practice onto the floor.

The Trojan’s recently lost their first match of the season 3-1 against the Winterset Huskies. But Coach Boltz still want’s fans to expect passion from every match.

Atlantic volleyball will be back in action on Saturday for the AHSTW tournament.