Heights falls to Belmont

There were no surprises. No mysteries. Just frustration. Wisconsin Heights’ football team suffered its first loss of the season last Friday, falling to Belmont, 43-16. The same two teams met during a scrimmage in August, so Heights (3-1 overall) knew just how good Belmont (3-1) was. “When we scrimmaged in August, they presented the same challenges that we faced on Friday,” Heights coach Trevor Steiner said. “They’re huge, athletic, and very tenacious. So going in, I don’t think anyone was surprised by what they brought to the game.” For the most part, that was toughness and a stout running game that totaled 379 yards on 43 carries (8.8 yards per carry). Belmont’s Riley Christensen had 204 rushing yards on 19 carries (10.7) and two touchdowns. Waylon Palzkill added 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. “Belmont is a very large and athletic group,” Steiner said. “They did not do much of any trickery, they simply ran at us and challenged us to stop them, and we struggled with their physicality and tackling to the ground.” Heights did put up 401 total yards, but had a pair of critical interceptions. Ozur Kepler and Hunter Walz had rushing touchdowns, but it wasn’t nearly enough for the Vanguards. “As we suspected and prepared, they played to our ability to throw deep and forced us to play a short game underneath the coverage,” Steiner said. “It was an effective strategy because we struggled sustaining drives. We struggled with patience and taking what they were giving us, and ultimately our execution failed.” Heights hopes for better Friday when it travels to Sturgeon Bay for a 7 p.m. game. And Steiner expects a much better performance from his team. “They (Sturgeon Bay) are a solid group, and we do not have time to feel sorry for ourselves,” Steiner said. “I like the fact we can hop right back on the horse. No one was happy with their performance on Friday. “As I have been saying for the past month, the football season is a long one. There will be ups and there will be downs. We can’t ride the roller coaster. Don’t get too high with success, nor too low with failure. It’s a life lesson. We move forward and compete!” BELMONT 43, HEIGHTS 16 Wis. Heights.......................... 8 0 0 8 — 16 Belmont............................. 21 15 7 0 — 43 BEL — Westemeier 62 pass from Christen (Christen run) BEL — Christen 38 run BEL — Christen 3 run (Christen kick) WH — 20 run (Ayers pass from Kepler) BEL — Palzkill 1 run (Christen run) BEL — Christen 25 pass from Palzkill (Christen kick) BEL — Palzkill 14 run (Christen kick) WH — Kepler 49 run (Walz pass from Kepler) TEAM STATISTICS First downs— WH 18, BEL 12. Rushes-yards— WH 37-243, BEL 44-293. Passing yards— WH 150, BEL 148. Comp-Att-Int— WH 17-28-2, BEL 4-8-0. Total yards— WH 393, BEL 441. Fumbles-lost— WH 8-4, BEL 2-1. Penaltiesyards— WH 6-55, BEL 8-70. INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing: WH, Hanson 17-94. BEL, Christen 21-196. Passing: WH, Kepler 17-28-150-0. BEL, Christen 3-7-123-0. Receiving: WH, Ayers 8-58. BEL, Westemeier 0-77.