By Nate Woelfel
September 28, 2012
Stevens Point- A big second half wasn’t enough to help Pacelli overcome a slow start against Bonduel on Friday night.
The Cardinals dropped a Central Wisconsin-Eight Conference game 21-19 at the hands of the Bears at Goerke Field.
Bonduel got right to work in the first quarter, taking an early lead thanks to a 1-yard TD run from Brad Barron midway through the first quarter.
Barron found the end zone again a short time later, this time from 4-yards out to make it 14-0 in favor of Bonduel.
The Bears tacked on seven more points in the waning moments of the first half when Jacob DeBauch connected with Barrett Bohm for an 11-yard touchdown pass, making it 21-0 Bears heading into the break.
Pacelli head coach Steve Raczek described the sense of urgency that filled the Cardinals locker room during half time.
“We had a gut check. We told them that your season could hinge on this game,” Raczek said. “It’s kind of make or break time”
Raczek went so far as to have a work with his senior linebacker/running back Mike Fuller.
” I challenged him personally. Last week, he showed what he could do. I think maybe the great game last week got him a little starry-eyed,” Raczek said. “He settled back in and played football like I know he could in the second half.”
Fuller’s response was felt almost immediately.
The Cardinals engineered a scoring drive right out of the gates that was capped off by a 7-yard run from Fuller. A missed PAT kept the deficit at 15 entering the fourth quarter.
Fuller found the end zone from a yard out on the first play of the fourth, but a failed two-point conversion kept the Bonduel lead at nine.
The senior running back punched it in a third time with just under four minutes remaining in the game to bring the Cardinals within two.
Pacelli elected to kick the ensuing kickoff deep and hope for another defensive stand. The Cardinals regained possession on their own five-yard line with 12 seconds remaining in the game, but were unable to complete the comeback.
“They rebounded well in the second half. The adjustments we made worked,” Raczek said. “But, too little, too late.”
With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 2-4 overall and 1-4 in the CWC-8. While talking to his team after the game, Raczek tried to keep the loss in perspective.
“You play the game because these kids will learn from these lessons. That’s why football emulates life. That’s what I told them after the game,” Raczek said. “I said, you know, in 20 years you’re going to come across something that’s just going to be a gut-wrenching tough thing to deal with and you know why you;re going to be able to get through it? It’s because of times like this.”
