Merrill gridiron gang falls to Raiders
By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
On Friday night the Merrill football team traveled to Medford for a conference match up. The Jays matched Medford in the first quarter, however Medford would take over after that as they topped Merrill 36-8.
Medford was first to strike, scoring a touchdown on a four yard run early in the first quarter. Merrill would later respond with a touchdown of their own, coming on a one yard run by Quinn Steckbauer. Merrill then converted on a two point attempt to tie the game at 8-8.
It would be all Medford for the rest of the game, as they scored a touchdown in the second quarter on a one yard run. In the third quarter Medford would strike for two more touchdowns. The first touchdown came on a seven yard run and Medford would then make good on a two point conversion. It took Medford only four minutes to score another touchdown, this time coming on a 15 yard throw and catch, making the score 28-8.
The fourth quarter saw the Raiders score one last time on a one yard run, extending their lead to 36-8, which was the final score.
The Merrill offense was led by Quinn Steckbauer who ran for 39 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Dominic Leistikow ran the ball 14 times and gained 46 yards.
Merrill’s defense was led by Jackson Vander Velde who tallied 11 tackles. Tyler Wolff would finish the game with nine tackles and two deflected passes. Piersen Pyan totaled nine tackles and Caleb Timm would finish with eight.
Merrill will look to win their final game of the season on Friday as they host Antigo at 7 p.m.