Trojan sophomore JD Kruse works to haul in the interception as the Riceville player falls. Kruse did end up making the play with one arm before falling to the ground. (Photo courtesy of Leah Kruse)
The season lives on the for the Turkey Valley football team.
The Trojans (5-3, 4-2) earned an at-large bid to the playoffs Friday night by defeating Riceville (6-2, 4-2) on the road in the regular season finale.
“This was a great win for the boys. They played hard for the entire game and came home with a win and a playoff spot. Logan Busta made some big plays at quarterback,” said Coach Mark Scott. “On defense every single player made big plays and ran to the ball. Oliver Schmitt putting pressure on their quarterback led to two interceptions by JD Kruse.”
Even though the Trojans tied for second in the district with the win, TV was seeded fourth via the 17-point tiebreaker (the average of district games’ point differences up to 17 points).
A brief recap
The two squads traded early possessions before the Wildcat quarterback followed his blockers into the end zone on a 22-yard carry. With a completed pass on the two-point conversion attempt, Riceville took the lead with 2:43 to play in the first quarter.
Turkey Valley had several offensive drives stall in the second period with Riceville on the move with 1:44 to play in the half. An interception at the TV 21-yard line by JD Kruse gave the Trojans a chance to score with 1:09 remaining. TV didn’t even need a minute as Logan Busta hit Caleb Kurtenbach in stride for a 39-yard touchdown. When the two-point conversion attempted pass was deflected, TV headed into the break trailing 8-6.
Defense was the name of the game in the second half with punts traded before L. Busta scrambled down the Trojan sideline with 3:08 remaining for TV’s second score of the game. Adding two more points on the conversion L. Busta connected with Oliver Schmitt to give the Trojans a 14-8 lead.
Riceville wasn’t about to quit as the Wildcats moved into the red zone with 5:43 remaining. The Trojan defense was dialed in with JD Kruse coming up with his second interception of the game to stop the drive.
A numbers game
In total, L. Busta passed for 60 yards, completing 5-of-10 passes. Kurtenbach hauled in two for 48 yards with Burke Busta, JD Kruse and Schmitt each hauling in a pass apiece. On the ground, Schmitt galloped for 94 yards on 27 carries.
B. Busta was in beast mode with 15 total tackles, including 12 solo stops, while Kurtenbach came away with 10 solo tackles and three assists. L. Busta was there for nine solo tackles, while Russell Nieman and Schmitt each had seven solo stops.
Tough road
Turkey Valley will not have an easy path to advance as the Trojans start with fourth-ranked Clarksville (8-0), who defeated the Red and White 62-22 in a downpour on Sept. 22, in Jackson Junction. The Trojans will travel to Clarksville Friday, Oct. 20, with kick-off set for 7 p.m.
Game stats
Total yards: Turkey Valley 209; Riceville 272
Passing (comp/att/yds): Logan Busta (5-10, 60 yds., 1 TD)
Rushing (att/yds): Oliver Schmitt (27-94); Burke Busta (7-30); L. Busta (4-27, 1 TD)
Receiving (att/yds/TD): Caleb Kurtenbach (2-48, 1 TD); B. Busta (1-12); JD Kruse (1-0); Schmitt (1-0)
Tackles (total): B. Busta (15.0); Kurtenbach (11.5); Schmitt (10.5); L. Busta (10.0); Russell Nieman (9.0); JD Kruse (8.0); Jordan Kriener (4.5); Hunter Kruse (4.5); Parker Reicks (0.5)
Interceptions (no/return yds): JD Kruse (2-7)
Punts (att/yds): Schmitt (3-84)
Kick-offs (att/yds): Schmitt (3-132, 1 TB)
Kick-off returns (att/yds): Schmitt (1-15); Kurtenbach (1-0)
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