The Bethel-Tate football team accomplished something on Friday, September 6 that no other Tiger team had done in quite some time.
In the first matchup between Bethel-Tate and New Richmond since 2015, the Tigers stunned the Lions with a pair of late scores, earning a 22-20 victory. The win was the first for the Tigers over the Lions since 2006, and they got the victory a big performance in one key phase.
“Defense,” head coach Jeff Essig said. “That’s what we’ve been harping on all offseason. We’re known for our offense, but we haven’t been executing like we should. I think we’re a little rusty on some things. We’ll get it together. We had a new guy playing center this week and a new guy playing guard, but they did a great job up front considering what we’re doing.”
The Lions struck first in the game, scoring on a four-yard touchdown run by Luke Lytle. Bethel-Tate answered just before the end of the quarter, as Alex Manz connected with Gauge Dunn for a 10-yard score.
The extra point on that touchdown was a bit of an adventure. Bethel-Tate missed a kick, only to receive a second chance after a penalty on the Lions. The Tigers missed again, but the Lions were flagged again defensively.
On the third try, the Tigers decided to go for two. Manz connected with Dylan Poff for the two-point conversion to put the Tigers ahead by one.
New Richmond scored the lone touchdown of the second period on a one-yard run by Mitchell Williamson. They went for two but couldn’t convert, taking a 13-8 lead into halftime.
They built on that lead early in the third quarter. Lytle hit Isaiah Bowman for a six-yard score, putting New Richmond on top by 12 with 10:56 left.
They wouldn’t score again for the rest of the night. Bethel-Tate’s defense clamped down, holding the Lions off the scoreboard for the final 22:56 of the contest.
Meanwhile, Manz then connected with Wyatt Burton on a 14-yard touchdown pass to pull Bethel-Tate within six.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers took the lead. Manz kept it himself for a three-yard score. He then hit Burton for a two-point conversion, giving the Tigers their winning margin.
New Richmond head coach Pat Burke was full of praise for the Lions’ opponent following the contest.
“That’s a good Bethel team,” Burke said. “They’re a tough team. All the credit to them. [Coach Essig] does an amazing job with that staff. His kids came out with great passion, great fire, and we didn’t play to our standard.”
Burke didn’t mince words following the loss, which dropped the team to 0-2 on the season. He knows the team will work to turn things around.
“It’s disappointing, and our back’s against the wall, we’re facing some adversity,” Burke said. “I can guarantee you, this team is going to come out and fight.”
In the second half, and throughout the game at certain points, the team just didn’t click, according to Burke. The contest was the second straight in which the Lions had led at the end of the first quarter, only to fall at the final horn.
“We start fast, we don’t finish strong,” Burke said. “We’ve got to find some answers for that as a staff, as a team. We’ve got to be one team, one family.”
On the other sideline, Essig credited the Tigers’ defensive coordinator, Randy Hospelhorn, for the team’s success in shutting down the Lions.
“Our defense is very good,” Essig said. “It’s well-run with Coach Hoseplhorn. You can’t say enough about those defensive guys.”
Essig noted how important it was for the Tigers to pick up the win in this game, which improved their season record to 1-1 overall.
“You have to be proud about getting the win here,” Essig said. “We haven’t been on their schedule in quite some time. It’s nice to get another rivalry game going. We’ve got another one next year, then we’ll see what our schedule holds for the future.”
Next year’s game is slated to be played in Bethel. That was the site of the Tigers’ previous win over the Lions in 2006. Bethel-Tate’s last win in New Richmond is up for debate, as the last recorded victory was in 1967. The Tigers won a contest 13-8 in 1971, but that date falls in the midst of a reported 24-game winning streak by New Richmond.
Even still, the victory by Bethel-Tate was an important one for the program, especially given the way the game ended. The Tigers had to punt the ball back to New Richmond late in the fourth quarter, but the defense held.
“We’d have liked to have gotten that first down so we didn’t put it on our defense, but I’m confident in what Randy does and how our kids play it,” Essig said. “You’ve got a minute to try and score on a very good defense with experienced kids. last year, they struggled a bit but now they’re one year older. it shows this year.”
Lytle finished the game with 12 completions in 24 attempts for 115 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted once. Jacob Duty led the Lions in rushing with 8 carries for 75 yards. Lytle carried the ball 18 times for 42 yards and a score.
Jack McDonough led New Richmond’s receiving corps with five catches for 89 yards. Defensively, Dallas Duncan recorded the Lions’ lone sack of Manz.
Manz finished the game 23 of 36 for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing attempts with 16 and yards with 50.
Dunn led the Tigers with 10 catches for 97 yards and a score. Jaycob Storer had five catches for 47 yards, while Dylan Poff recorded four catches for 48 yards. Burton finished with three receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Owen Mattes recorded two sacks and a fumble recovery. Dylan Poff also had two sacks, with Hank Williams tallying the team’s fifth sack. Dunn had Bethel-Tate’s interception of Lytle.
Both teams are on the road in week three. Bethel-Tate travels to Scott County (KY) while the Lions are slated to visit Monroe.