Game Recap: West Catholic 28, Coopersville 24

West Catholic 28, Coopersville 24

Coopersville and West Catholic played in one of the best games of the year last night, in what was a matchup between two undefeated teams battling for position in the OK Blue.

Coopersville jumped out to a 10-0 lead quickly in the first quarter thanks to a Colton Bosch touchdown pass to Dylan Merlo, followed by a recovered onside kick. The Broncos kept the scoring trend going early in the second quarter when Bosch hooked up with Ryan Serba for his second touchdown pass of the day.

Noah Arsulowicz got the Falcons on the board with a 10 yard scramble midway through the second quarter to cut the deficit to 17-7. Coopersville would get another score before half when Bosch and Merlo connected for a 20-yard touchdown pass to extend Coopersville’s lead to 24-7.

West Catholic’s Tim Kloska finally got loose midway through the third quarter with a 10-yard scamper to the endzone to bring the game within 10 points, 24-14. Two possessions later, the Falcon defense applied pressure, hitting Colton Bosch on a pass attempt, and Ryar Rheinhart took advantage with a 40-yard pick-six.

Early in the 4th, Elliot Zainea capped off a West Catholic drive to put the Falcons ahead 28-24 with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Coopersville’s last drive of the game nearly found paydirt, but ultimately ended with zero points as Bosch’s 4th down pass attempt went just past the outstretched hands of Tim Allen.

Standouts

Tim Allen, H-Back/Defensive End, Coopersville 2022”

Tim’s presence was felt all over the field on Friday night. Nearly every touch on offense, Tim would get at minimum 3 yards due to his size and strength. He also was a frequent target of Bosch, completing nearly every pass that was thrown in his near vicinity. Defensively, Tim was the linchpin of the Broncos effort to slow down Tim Kloska. In my opinion, Tim was the most impactful player from either team last night.

Colton Bosch, QB, Coopersville 2023”

Coopersville raced out to a 24-7 lead thanks to Colton’s passes to Dylan Merlo and Ryan Serba. His intermediate to deep throws down the sidelines were consistently thrown with accuracy and touch, putting his playmakers in position to make a play.

Ryan Serba, WR/DB, Coopersville 2022”

Ryan hauled in a touchdown pass and made several other big plays in the Broncos passing game. He stood out as one of the biggest playmakers from either team on both sides of the ball.

Dylan Merlo, WR/DB, Coopersville 2022”

Dylan had a pair of great catches resulting in touchdowns for the Broncos. He also churned out consistent yards in the run game. I was impressed by his acceleration and ability to get to the second level of the defense.

Tim Kloska, RB, West Catholic 2023”

Tim was bottled up for most of the first half, but got things going in the second half, finding the endzone and eclipsing 100 yards rushing. Tim never seemed to get frustrated with the lack of production he had in the early going, and kept fighting for yards until he eventually wore out the defense.

Kyle Kloska, OL/DL, West Catholic 2022”

The elder Kloska was a menace in the trenches all game, especially in the second half. Kyle led the Falcon’s defense with multiple stops in winning time, and helped generate a push on the Falcons final drives to get West Catholic back out in front.

EllIiot Zainea, RB, West Catholic 2023”

Elliot provided the Falcons with a change of pace at running back, keeping the Falcons from stalling during crucial drives in the second half. His late touchdown run was key to their comeback.

Ryar Rhinehart, DL, West Catholic 2023”

Ryar made the play of the game when he took Colton Bosch’s pass to the endzone to cut the Bronco lead to three late in the third. If not for that play, it would have been an uphill battle for West Catholic to comeback and win. Ryar’s pick-six without a doubt tilted the momentum in the Falcon’s direction.