By Jacob Heid

ROSHOLT — A Central Wisconsin Conference battle between Pacelli and Rosholt occurred on the Hornets’ home turf on Sept 16. Both teams were looking for their first wins, and Pacelli came away with a big win halfway through the season. The senior backfield duo of Brock Birrenkott and Bennett Eckendorf ran all over the field in the 45-8 victory.  

The Hornets came out with the energy early on but found themselves down 7-0 after the Cardinals’ first of seven rushing touchdowns. Rosholt answered in a big way in its second defensive possession. The Hornets punched the ball out on the 35-yard line, which led to a touchdown and two-point conversion by freshman Alex Wierzba. Rosholt led 8-7 after the first quarter. 

Pacelli took over after the first 12 minutes. Head coach Drew Nelson explained what they changed after the first quarter. 

“We just really challenged them after facing some adversity. An early fumble and then allowing a score really changed the momentum of the game for a few minutes,” Nelson said. “Our kids responded, and were able to take the lead back and not relinquish for the remainder of the game.”    

The rushing attack answered the bell in the second quarter. Eckendorf and Birrenkott each found the end zone late in the first half, pushing Pacelli to a 20-8 halftime lead. 

The Cardinals’ defense made adjustments after giving up a first-quarter score, and Nelson emphasized the mobility of Wierzba. 

“We put a few wrinkles in our defensive game plan that I think allowed us to win a few of the x’s and o’s battles,” he stated. “Alex is a very talented quarterback and we knew we had to attempt to limit his explosiveness. I think our defensive players responded really well. It was great to see them tackle in open spaces and I think that helped immensely to limit their plays and home run balls.”

Sophomore Mitchell Grover led the unit with 13 tackles. 

Rosholt continued to struggle to contain Pacelli’s offense. The Cardinals scored on the ground twice more in the third and fourth quarters. 

“Overall, with the movement they had and the holes they opened, we had some success,” Nelson said about his offensive line. 

Birrenkott finished the night with 238 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Eckendorf followed with two touchdowns. 

Pacelli goes into week six of the season with a game on Sept 24 against first-place Assumption at 1 p.m. The Cardinals will look to move to .500 in the CWC. Rosholt hosts Crandon in a non-conference game on Sept 23.