By Nolan Epstein (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It’s uncanny how quickly things can change following a record-setting Week 6 by QB Alex Huston and the Glendale Falcons.
One week after Huston set national records for passing yards, completions and attempts in a 69-58 win over Parkview, Glendale (4-3) took a step on Friday night as the Rolla Bulldogs (4-3) cruised to a 69-34 statement victory on homecoming.
“We knew coming in that they’ve got tons and tons of firepower,” Rolla junior Blaize Klossner said of Glendale. “We really just had to be aggressive and just play our game. If we played our game, we come out on top. That’s how it went.”
The first 12 minutes of regulation offered signs of a high-scoring night as both teams traded touchdowns throughout the opening period – one that included three TD passes by Huston to give his squad the early 22-14 edge.
However, that’s when things went south in a hurry for head coach Mike Mauk’s club. Rolla would proceed to shut out the Falcons in the second quarter while the Bulldogs, led by a plethora of offensive weapons of their own, added a 3-yard touchdown run by Klossner with 6:29 to play until half to pull within two.
“At halftime, we knew that we can handle them and we could do this,” said Klossner. “Honestly, we just played football. We didn’t do anything special, really.”
And thanks to a third quarter that saw Rolla outscore Glendale 28-0, capped by a loud 80-yard interception return by junior defensive back Ahmed Boubacar, the Bulldogs seized complete control of the game – keeping the pressure squarely on Huston while boasting a 48-22 lead after three periods.
Rolla eventually reached its high-water mark in terms of score margin at the 2:21 mark of the fourth when Boubacar reached the endzone for a second time – this time on a fumble return of 60 yards to stretch the lead to 69-34.
As solid as Rolla’s defense was for the final three quarters, it was Klossner and senior QB Josh Pritchett who made the most noise on the night.
Pritchett seemed to do everything right – completing 22 of 30 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 110 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
“I was just trying to play within myself tonight, let our defense do what they could do and just play my heart out,” Pritchett said. “I did the best I could.”
Not to be outdone, Klossner was an absolute force in the contest as the athletic junior racked up a combined 262 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver and a rusher. Oh, and he also threw two passes for 103 yards and a score.
“Any time I can help my team score, that’s great,” added Klossner. “But I’ve got to give credit to the offensive line. They put in work tonight.”
Despite a strong start, Huston slowed down to an extent the rest of the way, but still managed to go 44-for-65 passing with five TDs, while throwing a pair of interceptions. In the end, Huston’s outing was still good for an impressive 495 yards and gets him within 60 yards of moving to fourth place all time on the list of most career passing yards.
With the win, Rolla will gladly let him have those stats.
“It’s just huge for them,” Pritchett said of his team’s defensive unit. “It’s going to give them a huge confidence boost throughout the rest of the year. We have faith in them to do what they can do and it’s just great for us.”
Up next for the Bulldogs is a date with Hillcrest in Springfield on Friday, while Glendale returns home to host Waynesville.
Rolla 69, Glendale 34
Glendale 22-0-0-12 – 34
Rolla 14-6-28-21 – 69
First quarter
Glendale – Lukes 27 catch from Huston (kick good)
Rolla – Klossner 15 run (kick good)
Glendale – Nichols 72 catch from Huston (kick good)
Rolla – Buhr 4 run (kick good)
Glendale – Lukes 13 catch from Huston (two-point conversion good)
Second quarter
Rolla – Klossner 3 run (two-point conversion no good)
Third quarter
Rolla – Buhr 61 catch from Klossner (two-point conversion good)
Rolla – Pritchett 1 run (two-point conversion no good)
Rolla – Turner 3 catch from Pritchett (kick good)
Rolla – Boubacar 80 int return (kick good)
Fourth quarter
Glendale – Moon 18 catch from Huston (two-point conversion no good)
Rolla – Klossner 50 catch from Pritchett (kick good)
Glendale – Lukes 40 catch from Huston (two-point conversion no good)
Rolla – O’Neal 1 catch from Pritchett (kick good)
Rolla – Boubacar 60 fumble return (kick good)
