Two undefeated teams, one sold out high school football field, 75 degree weather, just a little six mph breeze of wind, it doesn’t get much better than this. Friday Night Lights was in full affect at Bay Port high school when the undefeated Pirates hosted the also undefeated Pulaski Red Raiders.
Pulaski won the coin toss and decided to defer. Bay Port’s opening drive began at their own 20. Quarterback Cole Benson set the tone, keeping the ball himself on the first three plays. The Pirates first five offensive plays were on the ground. Benson threw a little two yard pass as Bay Port put together a sound first possession. No points were scored, but they showed some promise with a pair of first downs. A dropped pass to Brett Shipley forced Bay Port to punt, handing Pulaski the ball at their own 18.
The Red Raiders we’re on their way to a three and out before they were bailed out by the Bay Port defense. The first penalty of the game was a face mask, a costly one at that. Thankfully for Bay Port, Pulaski’s first pass attempt came on 3rd down and it was thrown before the receiver broke out towards the sideline.
That said, Pulaski wasn’t finished. A phenomenal 52-yard punt put Bay Port back at their own 12 with just under five minutes left in the first quarter. Similar to the Bay Port penalty earlier, Pulaski put themselves in a tough spot as they committed pass interference on a long ball intended for Shipley. The PI penalty couldn’t have come at a worse time, as it was 3rd and 11.
Second Quarter
Bay Port began the second quarter with the ball at Pulaski’s 36. Cole Benson really began to find a groove with multiple solid carries up the middle. Finally, one of those attempts put some points on the board. Bay Port jumped out to a 7-0 lead thanks to a one-yard Benson run.
Things got worse for Pulaski before they got any better. Instead of driving down the field and answering, the Red Raiders went three and out. Credit Bay Port’s junior linebacker, Tevyn Montgomery with the big sack. What was even bigger was the Pirates rush on the punt, causing a three yard punt. Yes, the punt only went three yards. After a 52 yard punt just a few minutes ago, the Bay Port fans began to feel themselves.
Another touchdown came at the 2:37 mark as Bay Port now put themselves up by two scores. Bay Port only had to go 19 yards, and once again, Cole Benson was the one to punch it in. It was a misdirection run to the right side for five yards that gave Bay Port a commanding lead.
What seemed like a perfect time for Pulaski to put something together was once again stopped by the Pirates defense.
Another three and out left just 53 seconds on the clock for Bay Port, but they didn’t let that go to waste. Benson began the drive with a 24 yard completion, however, it was called back. Bay Port once again costs themselves with a penalty, this one being an illegal block in the back. A few big completions and run by Benson ultimately made a 45 yard field goal possible. Sadly for the Pirates, the field goal missed left. The score remained 14-0 at halftime, Pulaski’s ball on the other side.
Halftime
In a surprising move, head coach Jerad Marsh called timeout just 52 seconds into the quarter. It worked in the Red Raiders favor as Shultz sprinted out for 12 yards, Pulaski’s biggest play to that point in the game.
Bay Port seemed to have an interception, however, Drew Jacques committed pass interference before coming out with the ball. Pulaski would ultimately try for a long ball on a one on one battle on 4th and 4, but the pass was incomplete.
Carter Kallies exploded for the Pirates in the second half. Their first offensive play of the half was a 26 yard run for him, followed by back to back 4th down conversions. Benson’s favorite target, Brett Shipley hauled in a 24 yard pass to put Bay Port on top by three scores.
Again, Pulaski was stumped offensively. Things went from bad to worse as their three and out turned into a safety. The long snapper on the punt airmailed it through the back of the endzone.
With under two minutes left in the quarter, Bay Port had the play of the game. So we thought.. a 55 yard touchdown pass was called back. Bay Port might have dominated this game, but it could’ve been much, much worse for Pulaski.
Fourth Quarter
As the 4th quarter began, Pulaski had a chance to put points on the board. Cole threw a 24 yard dime to Elliott Karcz in the endzone, only for it to be dropped. They went for it on 4th and 4 but were stuffed by the explosive Bay Port defense.
Bay Port’s offense stalled out, as they couldn’t put a drive together. They went three and out which allowed Pulaski to get the ball back at midfield. A tricky little jump pass resulted in a 49 yard touchdown to Przybylski as Pulaski finally was on the board.
With just over six minutes remaining, an onside was the only option. Bay Port recovered and a few moments later found the endzone, only for it to be called back once again. Carter Kallies once again showed his explosiveness on the 22 yard end around, but a holding penalty meant it was the second time Bay Port had a touchdown not count. Just moments later, an interception was thrown.
It wasn’t the best situation for Pulaski though as they had to go 99 yards and score 16 points with under four minutes remaining. They would hold onto the ball for the remainder of the game, making it all the way to Bay Port’s 30 yard line.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this was a huge win for Bay Port. The Pirates defense really shined bright and did all they could to stop the Red Raiders dynamic rushing duo. It was easy to tell that Pulaski wasn’t comfortable throwing the ball when they needed to. Pulaski runs a very interesting offense with both Shultz and Cole taking snaps under center.
Brock Steinbrecher is another name that stood out for Pulaski tonight. Steinbrecher’s name was constantly coming up through the PA as he was all over on defense. The other name that deserves some credit is Carter Kallies. Kallies didn’t do much of anything in the first half, but he absolutely exploded in the second half and that extra boost gave Bay Port the edge offensively. Bensen and Shipley have an incredible connection which massively helps their passing game.
The Weeks Ahead
Bay Port is now 4-0 overall with a 2-0 record in FRCC-North play. It should be smooth sailing for them next week as they play the winless Manitowoc Lincoln Ships. Lincoln is not in the FRCC-North, so next week’s matchup doesn’t have much of an effect on the conference standings. Conference action resumes for the Pirates on September 23rd when they host Green Bay Southwest. Southwest picked up their first win of the year on Friday night against Green Bay Preble.
As for Pulaski, they’ll try and rebound against West De Pere. The Red Raiders drew two very tough matchups back-to-back. West De Pere is the only other conference team to have a 2-0 record. On top of that, they sit at 4-0 overall. This is a team that put up 77 points a few weeks ago and has yet to score less than 24.
