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In a hard-fought battle, the Heat showcased their physicality and complementary football to secure a 26-18 win over the Galva Wildcats.
The game started with a bang as Cooper Gibb ignited the Heat’s offense with a strong kick return, aided by a face mask penalty on Galva, setting up the Heat at the Wildcats’ 46-yard line.
Just two plays later, Gibb broke free on a 38-yard counter for the game’s first touchdown. Colton Spence punched in the two-point conversion, giving the Heat an early 8-0 lead.
The Heat’s defense set the tone early, with Graham Kelly intercepting a pass at the Wildcats’ 37-yard line.
The Heat quickly faced a 4th-and-11. Despite an offsides penalty on Galva that gave the Heat a free 5 yards,Gibb was stopped a yard short, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Galva struggled to capitalize, as a holding penalty and a tackle-for-loss by Cody Wade forced a punt, handing the Heat prime field position at their own 42.
Kelly took charge, powering his way to a pair of first downs, including a bruising run to the Wildcats’ 32.
Kelly continued his dominance, breaking free for a 29-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. The two-point try fell short, leaving the score at 14-0 with 11:52 left in the half.
Galva’s offense sputtered, and a tipped pass by Jordan Kane led to an interception by Nolan Forbes, giving the Heat possession at the Wildcats’ 31.
Gibb struck again, scampering for a 17-yard gain to set up a 12-yard option-pitch touchdown, pushing the lead to 20-0 after Spence was stopped short on the two-point attempt.
The Heat got the ball back after recovering a squib kick but couldn’t convert on 4th-and-2, turning the ball over at the Galva 27.
Galva responded with a spark from Blake Stahl, who ripped off a 54-yard run to the Heat’s 9-yard line.
MJ Louck scored on a 7-yard quarterback keeper, but a failed two-point try kept the score at 20-6.
Gibb’s 40-yard kick return set up another Heat drive, but the Heat ran out of time with the half ending and the Heat leading 20-6.
The second half saw Galva start with the ball. The Wildcats overcame penalties and losses on early downs to move into the red zone.
Galva drove down to the Heat’s 8-yard line, setting up first-and-goal. Kane made a tackle for no gain on first down. The second-down run by the Wildcats was quickly stopped by Noah Johnson and Gibb, bringing up 3rd-and-goal from the 7.
Kane came up with a big interception at the Heat’s 11-yard line with 3:15 left in the third quarter, ending the Wildcats’ drive.
The Heat’s offense, however, faced challenges, including a fumble to start the fourth quarter, giving Galva a chance at the Heat’s 38.
Galva’s own miscues, including three fumbled snaps, handed the ball back to the Heat at their own 46 after a turnover on downs with 8:20 left in the game.
Kelly and Cameron Robinson moved the chains, but the Heat stalled on 4th-and-8, punting to Galva with 5:02 left in the game.
The Wildcats, facing 4th-and-1, were set back by a false start, and Gibb’s pass breakups forced another turnover on downs.
The Heat couldn’t capitalize and quickly turned the ball over on downs after Robinson was tackled for a loss on 4th-and-4, giving the Wildcats the ball back at their own 28.
After losing 7 yards on a scramble on first down and a pair of incomplete passes, Galva struck with a 79-yard touchdown pass from Louck to JP Sloan on 4th-and-18, narrowing the gap to 20-12 with 2:28 left.
Eli Vancil’s recovery of an onside kick set the stage for Kelly’s 52-yard touchdown run, making it 26-12.
Galva answered with a 53-yard hook-and-ladder touchdown from Louck to Sloan, who pitched it to Stahl, but the two-point try failed, leaving the score at 26-18.
Kane’s recovery of another onside kick allowed Kelly to power through for a first down, enabling the Heat to run out the clock in victory formation.
Kelly led the way with 21 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns, while Gibb added 12 carries for 100 yards and two scores.
Coach Kirby praised Kelly’s physicality, noting, “Graham (Kelly) ran behind his shoulder pads. We moved him back about six inches in his stance, and it just gave him more confidence.”
Kirby also highlighted the team’s defensive progress and complementary style, saying, “We don’t typically give up big plays on defense, and then we get first downs and play a physical style on offense. That complimentary football tends to make sure that we’re going to be in games against good (opponents).”
The Heat improved to 5-1 and head to Flanagan on Friday to take on the 4-2 Falcons.
Kirby emphasized the team’s focus: “All we care about is going 1-0. They know that this is a Ridgewood-type football game.”
With their sights set on another victory, the Heat are poised to continue their physical, disciplined approach as the season progresses.