Shamrocks lose a heartbreaker to Fulton
On Friday, September 11th the Portland St. Patrick Shamrocks visited Middleton for a huge league match with the Fulton Pirates. Fulton had lost two very close games last year, and came ready to take down the undefeated Shamrocks. Despite leading the game late, the Shamrocks couldn't pull it out, losing the game 24-20.
In the first quarter, it was all defense with neither team able to move the ball effectively.
In the second quarter, it was all Fulton, as the Pirates handled the line of scrimmage and broke a few loose on the Shamrock defense, with scores of 60 and 67 yards. This left the score 16-0 at halftime.
The Shamrocks came out fired up after the half, and pushed it down the field. Jerry Scheurer had a fantastic acrobatic catch for a 33 yard score, followed by a Brayden Simon two point conversion. Hudson King broke free for a 20 yard run, and this left the score 16-14 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, the Shamrocks drove down the field, and Charlie Thelen caught a laser in the end zone to make the score 20-16 with the Shamrocks leading the game with 6 minutes left in the game. The Shamrock defense couldn't quite keep the Pirates off the ship, allowing a score with about two minutes left that gave Fulton the lead. A few mistakes made the St. Patrick drive fizzle out, and the Pirates took the win.
Fulton is a Division I team, so St. Patrick will not have to see them in the playoffs, and the loss doesn't have a significant impact on the Shamrocks playoff hopes.
Defensive leaders for the Shamrocks were Brayden Simon with 12 tackles, Caleb Pline with 11 tackles and 1 tackle for loss (TFL) , Augustus Teachworth (Gus the bus) also had 11 tackles. Ben White also had 10 tackles.
Offensive leaders for the Shamrocks were Brady Leonard who went 6 for 19 for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns and carried it 13 times for 44 yards, and Hudson King who carried it 9 times for 45 yards and a touchdown.
The Shamrocks have a home game against Byron, this Saturday at 7 pm before ending the season away at St. Charles on Friday, October 25th.
Photo by Lindsey Bos.
