Pioneers capture school's first district title

Sports Staff

The Okoboji football team has lived and died by the, "one game at a time," slogan all year long.

That mantra paid off for the team Friday night as the Pioneers stayed focused from start to finish in a 41-15 rout of Clarion-Goldfield.

The win clinched the first district championship in Okoboji school history.

"We talked to those kids about how every game is important," said Okoboji head coach Travis Schipper. "All of the coaches have stressed the one game at a time approach, and these seniors have done a great job with it. Each one of them plays an important part on the team. I'm very thankful for the time and effort they have put in."

The Pioneers controlled the game for well over three quarters after falling behind 3-0 when the Cowboys converted on a 26-yard field goal on their opening possession. Okoboji went on to outscore Clarion-Goldfield 41-6 from there until the reserves gave up a touchdown late in the final stanza.

"That offense that they run is a good offense. It's very efficient and it's hard to simulate in practice," said Schipper. "When the kids first come out and see it, it's hard to adjust to. When they saw it for the first time, they adjusted and started making plays."

Blake Kliegl hauled in a 51-yard scoring strike from Ryan Wurtz to give the Pioneers the lead back with 3:33 left in the opening quarter.

Okoboji put together another scoring drive in the second quarter. The Pioneers marched down the field for a touchdown on a lengthy drive that featured a nice blend of the pass and run. Kliegl nabbed a Wurtz toss out of the air on a 12-yard fade route to push the lead to 14-3.

Kliegl was called for pass interference on the Cowboys' final possession of the half, to give C-G an automatic first down on third-and-9. On the very next play, Kelly Kaufman sacked Karl Ahrendsen for an 11-yard loss. Kliegl made amends for the penalty two plays later with an interception. The 6-foot-4 speedster sprinted 65-yards the opposite way to paydirt to extend the Okoboji lead to 21-3 with 12 seconds left in the second.

"That was huge for us to go into the half with that big play," Schipper commented. "It lengthened our lead out and we knew we were getting the ball, so it was a huge momentum-builder."

The Pioneers made a bold statement in the second half, scoring on three straight drives to build the lead to 41-9.

After Kevin James returned the opening kickoff of the third quarter 27 yards, Burgeson broke containment and took an option play 61-yards down the sideline for a score less than a minute into the quarter.

The Okoboji defense then forced the second of three turnovers when J.B. Ellis recovered a fumble at the Cowboys' 16-yard line. Four plays later, Wurtz connected with Kliegl in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown with 8:06 on the clock. The touchdown catch was Kliegl's fourth of the contest.

"Since Blake's come back full strength from that injury, he and Ryan have been in sync together," said Schipper. "It's fun to watch when they're playing together like that. Both of them made some great plays and our line gave Ryan plenty of time tonight."

Clarion-Goldfield ended a 35-0 scoring spurt by the Pioneers with a touchdown with 5:39 to go in the third. Kole Disney scored on a 1-yard plunge on a play that was set up by a 37-yard reception by Agbeze Onuma.

Okoboji added its final score on a 5-yard run from James, who set up the drive with a 70-yard kickoff return.

With less than six minutes left in the contest, T.J. Alger sealed the victory with an interception at the Okoboji 39-yard line.

The Pioneers tallied 264 yards, averaging over six yards per play while the Cowboys were held to just under 4.5 yards per play.

Through the air, Wurtz was 10-of-13 for 110 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

On the ground, Burgeson rushed 11 times for 95 yards.

Okoboji improves to 7-2 overall and 6-1 in the district. The Pioneers clinched the outright district title after Eagle Grove knocked off Cherokee 42-35 to drop the Braves into a three-way tie for second place.

The Pioneers have gone from back-to-back 1-8 season to 4-5 in 2007 and seven wins this year. Schipper credited the leadership of his seniors for the turnaround.

"Thanks to our seniors for a lot of the hard work that they've done. We have a lot of kids that are contributing, but I'm really happy for our senior leadership," he said. "Our fans have also been awesome this year. They've come out to support us and I can't say enough to thank the fans for all that they do. From the average fan to the parents, they do a lot to help our football program.

"To play our first playoff game in 28 years at home is a big thing for us. I think it's just going to be a great atmosphere," added Shipper. "It doesn't matter who it is. We're in the playoffs now, so we're going to play a tough team."