TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
On Friday night, Oct. 15, the Merrill Bluejay Football Team had a home game and their Tackle Cancer Fundraiser Night and went up against the Medford Raiders.
“Merrill players and coaches sported bright pink jerseys and jackets in honor of cancer awareness,” Head Merrill Football Coach Jason Wadzinski said. “The game itself didn’t end the way we would’ve liked. Bailey Turenne had an interception early on, and Brain Ball hit Erik Mann for a long touchdown pass to swing the momentum for the Bluejays.”
A scoreless first quarter gave way to two touchdowns each for Merrill and Medford in the second quarter, but Merrill failed to make a two-point conversion on either of their touchdowns, and Medford was successful on both their attempts, bringing the score to Merrill 12 – Medford 16 at half time. In the third quarter, Medford again made two touchdowns, this time one with a successful two-point conversion and one without. Score: Merrill 12 – Medford 30. And that’s where the score would remain for the rest of the game.
“We jumped out to an early lead with a couple of big plays,” Wadzinski said, “But Medford’s rushing attack was too much down the stretch.”
#10 Brian Ball had 111 passing yards and 56 rushing yards in the game, while #9 Erik Mann racked up 49 receiving yards.
“I’m incredibly proud of this group of young men this year,” Wadzinski said. “They battled hard when the chips were stacked against them consistently. They’ve shown our staff time and time again that life is bigger than football and the lessons learned in this sport are lifelong and invaluable. Go Bluejays!”
Box Score
Medford 30 @ Merrill 12