Wyoming h
ad to overcome more than a dozen penalties for about 100 yards Friday to take a 34-20 verdict from Wayland in a clash of two O-K Gold Conference teams that used to be 2-1 overall.
The visiting Wolves were found guilty of four false starts and one offsides and a basketful of 15-yard infractions in its best efforts keep the game reasonably close. Despite themselves, they were able to pull way in the late third and fourth quarters.
It was a reasonably close ballgame in the early going, with the Wildcats trailing only 18-13 at intermission. It was possible at that juncture to wonder why Wyoming continued to go for two after touchdowns while its kicker, an unnamed No. 34, was booming long and high kickoffs.
The Wolves were as bad as the Detroit Lions in penalties and in the first half about as successful in two-point conversions as Hopkins.
Wayland made a bold move by trying an onside kick to start the ballgame, but failed. The defensive unit, stepped up to stop Wyoming’s drive on half the field, yielding only 27 yards in nine plays. Freshman Ethan Mutschler came up with a big stop, as did senior co-captain Chad Stoepker.
After the ‘Cats’ offense went three and out, Wyoming took possession on its own 31, halfback Enrique Baena somehow burst through the middle of the line and outraced everybody to the end zone from 69 yards out.
The Wolves threatened again not long afterward with another drive, but Cody Clewell came up with a huge sack of quarterback Jeremiah Purnell to force them to turn over the ball on downs.
The Wildcats’ offense came alive, mostly on that classic Kyle Jansen takes the snap and follows blocking back Brody Place and others to find openings. This time he was able to get outside and raced 50 yards to Wyoming’s 33. It was only Wayland’s second first down.
Jansen shortly afterward scrambled his way 20 yards to pay dirt, Austin Wroblewski booted the extra point, and for the first, and only, time, Wayland was in the lead, 7-6 with 7:40 left in the half.
It was enough time for Wyoming to answer. Bruising fullback Eritt Batdorf bulled his way 23 yards to the Wayland 38, Purnell hit Frankie Arguelles with a 14-yard pass and then scrambled himself, a lot like Jansen, with a 25-yard TD run to put his team back up 12-7. The two-point conversion was stopped when Eric Villareal nailed diminutive scatback Donnie Buentello at the goal line.
The Wildcats then were plagued with a stroke of bad luck. They were pinned back on their own 10 and finally had to punt from the end zone. The kick was partially blocked and landed on the Wildcat 21.
The Wolves scored on a 20-yard pass from Purnell to Traeyvon Ward, after Stoepker and Mike Velting had come up with stellar defensive stops back to back. Clewell made a big stop on the two-point conversion attempt.
Then came perhaps Wayland’s finest and most efficient offensive effort of the season thus far. With just 1:21 left on the clock and from his own 17, Jansen started to click with receivers Devin Jakey and Carter Morse for first down passes and then he went back to his hesitate, follow the blockers and find daylight routine. He scored from eight yards out with 6.5 seconds left before intermission.
The combination of running and passing threw the opponent a bit off balance, so Wayland was down by less than a touchdown at the break.
But momentum sometimes is very fickle.
The ‘Cats smartly moved the ball down the field after the kickoff and had first down and 10 just 16 yards away from the end zone because of a nifty leaping look-in pass grab by Jakey.
That’s when Lady Luck went out to lunch.
Wayland was backed up past midfield on not one, but two, bad exchanges in the backfield on the shotgun snap. The ‘Cats punted with fourth down and 50 as a result.
Wroblewski rose to the occasion by punting football 49 yards to the Wyoming 7. But fortune continued to smile on the Wolves.
Though the defense had done a splendid job of bending but not breaking, it started to show telltale cracks. Led by Buentello, the little guy who just wouldn’t go down, Wyoming covered the 93 yards, with Purnell sneaking in the TD with just 22 seconds left in the third period.
The Wolves shortly afterward scored another TD on a two-yard burst by Shaun DeWendt and they were able to convert on the two-pointers for both.
Down 34-13, the Wildcats scored a touchdown with 5:41 left in the ballgame. The crucial play in the drive was a very nice 35-yard pass play from Jansen to Logan Bishop, with 15 of those yards gifted by… you guessed it, a penalty.
After Place carried the mail to the one, Jansen connected with Jake Omness for a 1-yard scoring strike that seemed to fool everyone on Wyoming’s side.
Wayland will resume O-K Gold Conference play next Friday at Grand Rapids South Christian.
PHOTO: James Omness scored on a 1-yard TD aerial from Kyle Jansen in a play that fooled just about everybody on teh other side. (Photo courtesy of Kenny Ritz)
