Pirates Down Cougars in District Opener 28-6

By Kevin Yoder 
Photo credit to Darla Michael

Last Friday night the Hudson Pirates welcomed the Sumner-Fredericksburg Cougars to town to  begin Class 1A District 4 play. Following a very challenging non-district schedule, it turned out  to be just what the team needed.  

Hudson struck first on a night where the offense gained traction and the passing game was firing  on all cylinders. Sophomore starter Tade Roberts had the best night of his young career, first  finding senior Anderson Yoder on a shovel pass sweep, and he did the rest as he scampered in  from five yards out to put Hudson up 7-0. 

Roberts scored the second touchdown of the night himself as he followed junior center Grady  Moseley into the end zone on a one yard quarterback sneak. Jackson Nesteby converted the  second of his four PATs to give Hudson a 14-0 advantage.  

That margin was short-lived, however, as the Cougars hit a 65-yard TD run on their ensuing first  play from scrimmage. The Pirates responded by driving right back down the field, capped by an  apparent 25-yard TD catch for Yoder’s second of the night. An illegal motion call wiped that off  the board, and the drive would stall, making the score 14-6 at the half. 

Following some halftime adjustments, Hudson continued to put pressure on the Cougars. Junior  Gavin Gunnarson put the ground game in the scoring column as he powered in from 5 yards out  to begin the fourth quarter.  

But it was the passing game that propelled the Pirates to victory. The final score of the night  came when Roberts found senior Mason Fogt, again for a 5-yard touchdown reception.  Fogt finished the game with 117 yards receiving on 6 catches. Yoder and junior Owen Bell also  hauled in 6 catches each, while junior Austin Kliegl contributed four. Gunnarson and junior  Payton Bishop each had a single reception, giving Roberts 24 completions for 324 yards and a  pair of TDs.  

The Pirates opened district play with a victory, in what was a complete team effort with  contributions across the board, something that wasn’t lost on head coach Justin Brekke.  

“Super proud of the guys for handling the ups and downs and executing the game plan,” he  began, going on to add, “and everyone that touched the field stepped up for district play.” 

Week two of district play has the Pirates on the road for a short trip to Waterloo to face  Columbus Catholic, with a 7 pm kickoff Friday night. Coach Brekke is pleased with the progress  the team has made to this point and looks forward to another week of practice.  

“Being able to spread the ball around makes us tough to defend and prepare for. We’re excited to  get back to work this week.”