I/EC gridders stopped in Miller

Ipswich-Edmunds Central traveled to Miller for a non-conference high school football game last Friday, but the hosts weren't very generous.

Miller/Highmore-Harrold jumped off to a 14-0 first-quarter lead. They added three second-quarter scoring opportunities, while I-EC got on the board once before the half to face a 36-8 halftime deficit. The hosts also outscored the Tigers 12-8 in the third quarter for a comfortable 32-point lead and neither team was able to score in the final stanza, resulting in a 48-16 hosts' win.

For I-EC, Ben Kulesa went 6-11 through the air for 49 yards including an 18-yard touchdown strike to Jordan Richardt and the Tiger quarterback also recorded a rushing TD. (Kulesa totaled 38 rushing yards in six carries.) Kaden Hix was the leading Tiger receiver with three catches for 24 yards and Richardts' TD would prove to be Ipswich-EC's longest reception.

A bright spot of the night was that the visitors were 100 percent successful in conversion play attempts. Reese Moehlenbrink caught a PAT pass and Carter Heinz ran for conversion-points paydirt.

Another positive in the game was that the visitors were somewhat able to establish a ground attack. The hosts were indeed much more generous on the ground than through the air. The Tigers would rack up 244 rushing yards in 44 carries for nearly 300 total yards. They were led by Riley Nehlich with 98 yards in 14 carries. Heinz was next, logging 45 yards in 10 tries.

The hosts, meanwhile, finished with 357 rushing yards, led by Karst Hunter's 249 yards including three touchdown carries. They added 251 aerial yards on a 20-27 effort from Karst, that featured two touchdown strikes. (He was intercepted once, that courtesy of Dillon Weig.)

Defensively, I-EC finished with 58 tackles, led by Daniel Braun with 13 and Kulesa with 12. McQuarie added eight tackles and Heinz was next with six. Thomas Goetz had one sack.

The non-conference loss dropped I-EC to 2-3. The I-EC gridders will next host Lake Region Conference foe Warner, beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Tiger sports complex. Warner sustained its initial loss of the 2018 campaign in a high-scoring non-league confrontation at Sully Buttes last Friday.