Bulldogs drop playoff opener to Arickaree-Woodlin

When the Peetz High School football team took to the locker room at halftime during last Saturday's playoff game against Arickaree-Woodlin, the Bulldogs were enthused by a touchdown play from Cole White that found the end zone just as time expired on the second quarter.

The play, a hook-and-ladder call from quarterback Wolf Wenneker that saw White take a pitch from receiver Cody Wilson, made it 20-14 in favor of Arickaree's Indians as both teams headed into the break.

Although Peetz would score again in the fourth quarter off a nine-yard reverse to Wilson, the Bulldogs were unable to stop the onslaught of the Indians in the second and third quarters, falling 32-22 to end the season at 6-4 overall and 3-2 in Class 1A 6 Man North standings.

The game started out looking good for the Bulldogs; Peetz was able to score on the first drive of the game as Jordan Nelson took a dump pass from Wolf Wenneker to go up 8-0.

Arickaree turned the ball over on downs during successive possessions, allowing Peetz to score again on White's TD.

The Indians battled back all game long and ultimately put together a 20-point second quarter, while putting the final score together on a 12-point second half.

Peetz head coach Scott Sorensen said that, despite the loss, he was happy about where his program is this season – and where it could go next year.

"We had a good season," Sorensen said. "It's always a bummer to lose in the playoffs, but we came a long way as a team and improved all year long."

As the anchor of the Bulldogs' offense, Wolf Wenneker went 8-of-11 for 99 yards passing and a touchdown. He also logged three receptions from Nelson in the game.

On the ground, no one was better than Nelson as he racked up 76 yards on nine carries, all while adding 51 yards on two receptions and a touchdown.

Wilson added two carries for 17 yards and a touchdown, but his main job all game was to catch the ball; the junior receiver racked up 95 yards on five receptions to keep the Bulldogs offense chugging. He also ended the day with 269 all-purpose yards, thanks to 157 yards worth of punt returns.

White, also a junior for the Bulldogs, added 85 yards on three caught passes and a touchdown.

Helmuth Wenneker and Garrin Cox each rushed for four yards.

In all, the Bulldogs recorded 290 yards passing and 101 yards on the ground for 391 total yards of offense in the game.

On the defensive side of the ball, Nelson led the Bulldogs with 17 tackles, eight of which came as solo shots against the Indians. Wilson also had eight solo tackles and assisted on six more. Wolf Wenneker added four solo stops of his own.

Sacks were a factor for the Indians as White and Gage Travis each found their way past the Arickaree linemen to get at quarterback Trent Leoffler.

"As a group, I feel we have gotten to where I expected us to be at this point," Sorensen said. "I really believe, heading into next year, we are a top five team."