After weeks of coming so close to tasting victory, the Comets could finally stuff their faces with the good stuff.
In many ways, football season starts when district play starts. West Liberty got the memo and is off to a rocking start with a 38-0 demolition of Tipton for its first win of the season.
All three phases utterly dominated in this game.
West Liberty’s defense held Tipton to 64 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Comets tallied 331 yards of their own.
Plus, in the kicking game, junior Uriel Andrade was a perfect five-for-five on point after attempts and he converted his lone field goal attempt of the night.
There was so much for Comet fans to cheer about, and they could do so early and often.
West Liberty received the opening kickoff and junior Owen Daufeldt returned it to his team’s 44 yard line.
It took less than three minutes to find the endzone as senior Ryker Dengler took a quarterback keeper in from five yards out.
The Comets put together another lengthy drive as the second quarter began.
It culminated on a fourth and three from the Tigers’ 20 yard line, and Dengler played the role of Superman again.
This time, he kept a read option and raced forward for the yardage needed before bouncing it to the outside.
He saw daylight and dashed down the Comets sideline. Tiger senior Wyatt Ham was the last line of defense between Dengler and the endzone. Ham closed quickly, and Dengler dove for the pylon and beat him to it.
It was 14-0, Comets, and they never looked back.
Dengler scored his third and final rushing touchdown of the game with 48 seconds remaining in the half. It was a simple quarterback dive from five yards out.
The Comets offensive line on this play, featuring seniors Caden Laughlin, Crager David, Tytan Griffith, Cameron Iske and Bryson Garcia, got an excellent release off the ball and allowed Dengler to score untouched.
The first score of the second half came from the leg of Andrade who attempted his first field goal of the season. From 42 yards out, from the right hashmarks, it had just enough distance to sneak inside the bottom left corner of the upright.
46 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Comets crossed the 30-point threshold.
Senior Seth Axsom caught a pass in the flat from Dengler on the left side of the field, juked out four Tipton defenders, cut it back all the way across the field and scampered in for a 20-yard touchdown.
West Liberty put the cherry on top of this delicious victory with one last touchdown. It was Axsom again — this time on a rushing score.
It came mere minutes after his first score as the Comet defense came up with a loud and explosive turnover.
On third and 11 with 10 minutes to go in the game, Iske came screaming in from the slot cornerback position on a blitz. Laughlin drew a double team which allowed Iske to enter the backfield untouched.
He blasted Tipton quarterback Garrett Fitch who fumbled the ball from his own 20-yard line down to the five yard line.
Iske recovered the fumble as well, setting up Axsom for the rushing score two plays later.
From there, with the mercy rule running clock turned on, the Comets took it easy to earn their first victory of the season.
In the end, Dengler led the team with 22 carries for 101 yards and three rushing touchdown. As a passer, he went 12 for 20 with 154 yards and one touchdown.
Sophomore Briggs Collins was West Liberty’s second leading rusher with 49 yards on 14 carries.
Axsom hauled in four passes for 56 yards and one receiving touchdown. Sophomore Tully Griffith got 55 yards on three catches while Collins had 21 yards on three receptions.
West Liberty’s defense was so stout they only needed to make 20 tackles the entire night. Iske led with four tackles and the fourth quarter strip sack fumble recovery.
The Comets got the win on their homecoming night and now they have a chance to spoil one for a rival.
This Friday, West Liberty will travel to Anamosa to face the undefeated Blue Raiders.
Last week, Anamosa defeated Monticello 28-7. They also have wins over Maquoketa (43-10), Center Point-Urbana (33-30) and Vinton-Shellsburg (42-7).
The Comets had won seven straight in this rivalry before last year when Anamosa got their revenge with a 38-16 victory in West Liberty. It projects to be another hotly contested matchup with some rain potentially spicing up this encounter.
Season statistics summary
Passing yards
Ryker Dengler, 765.
Rushing yards
Ryker Dengler, 157; Briggs Collins, 71; Seth Axsom, 57; Owen Daufeldt, 53; Axell Polanco, 21; Gable Underbakke, 13.
Receiving yards
Seth Axsom, 351; Tully Griffith, 123; Owen Daufeldt, 65; Braden Bickford, 61; Cole Wagamon, 61; Briggs Collins, 49; Axell Polanco, 9; Cameron Iske, 6.
Total tackles
Tytan Griffith, 17.0; Tully Griffith, 13.0; Ryker Dengler, 12.0; Perry Lehman, 12.0; Caden Laughlin, 12.0; Bryson Garcia, 11.5; Seth Axsom, 11.0; Cameron Iske, 10.5; Crager David, 10.5; Briggs Collins, 9.5; Kaden Wiele, 9.0; Owen Daufeldt, 8.5; Jamison Rud, 3.0; Ryan Laughlin, 3.0; Landon Wainwright, 2.5; Gable Underbakke, 2.5; Enrique Michel, 2.0; Cole Wagamon, 2.0; Axell Polanco, 1.0; Braden Bickford, 1.0; Miles McConnaha, 1.0; Johanan Lopez Vileta, 1.0.
Sacks
Bryson Garcia, 1.0; Jamison Rud, 1.0; Cameron Iske, 1.0.
Fumble recoveries
Seth Axsom, 2; Cameron Iske, 1.
Interceptions
Cameron Iske, 1; Seth Axsom, 1.
Kicking
Uriel Andrade 10 for 11 on PATs, 1 for 1 on FGs.