The Menomonee Falls football team decided they wouldn’t wait long to strike first in Friday’s 28-7 victory over the West Bend East Suns.
On Falls' first play from scirmmage, junior quarterback Brett Krause snuck up the middle of the Suns’ defense and didn’t slow down until he reached the end zone to put the home team up 7-0.
The Indians defense showed they could awe the crowd as well when senior lineman Jared Bratchett sacked East quarterback Zach Lemke for a loss of three yards and more importantly forced the Suns to punt.
The Indians defense showed they could awe the crowd as well when senior lineman Jared Bratchett sacked East quarterback Zach Lemke for a loss of three yards and more importantly forced the Suns to punt.
With the ball back in their possession, Krause decided he liked scoring early in a drive, as he rifled a 58-yard touchdown pass to junior Justin Johnson to make the score 14-0.
The first half wasn’t all good news for Falls as senior running back Otis White was helped off the field with an apparent leg injury in the second quarter. He did not return to action.
Luckily for Falls, sophomore Christian Almonte, who had 91 rushing yards last week against Slinger, filled in nicely for the Indians.
“Losing Otis hurt a lot,” Krause said. “We’ve got some younger guys stepping up and thankfully they were able to step up.”
Almonte managed just 21 yards on the ground, but helped the Indians wear the Suns down throughout the game.
Falls head coach John Baker said his team fought well, but there’s always room for improvement.
“We have to be more aggressive upfront on the offensive line,” Baker said.
Last week, Falls as a team rushed for 258 yards total. On Friday, the Indians only produced 149 yards on the ground.
Late in the first quarter, East closed the gap as Lemke threw a 13-yard score to Brandon Herbst to slash Falls’ lead to a mere seven points.
Falls’ defense again stepped up as Bratchett recorded his second sack of the game.
“I was really proud of the guys,” Baker said. “Defense really stepped it up, so I’m really proud of the group effort.”
Falls made it a two-touchdown game when Krause connected with senior tight end Nic DeMore for a 26-yard score, which put the Indians up 21-7 going into the half.
Throughout the game, Lemke proved to be a thorn in Falls’ side. The Suns signal-caller ran the ball 23 times but only averaged 2.4 yards a carry, netting 56 yards total.
Baker credited East’s veteran squad, which returned 20 starters, for giving the Indians a tough battle.
“[East] is a good football team,” Baker said. “Hats off to them, they punched us up on the defensive line.”
The third quarter didn’t see much scoring action until Almonte broke through for a 6-yard run and put Falls up 28-7. It was Almonte’s second straight game with a score, as the sophomore made up for his lack of size (listed as 5-4 and 144 pounds) with impressive speed and quickness.
“It was only [Christian’s] second varsity game, but he stepped it up big time,” Krause said.
Senior linebacker James Ulicki sealed East’s fate with a fourth quarter sack.
“Our [defense] really came up big tonight,” Krause said. “That’s a pretty good West Bend East team, and they’re very experienced.”
The Indians start the year 2-0 after beginning last year 0-4. They also avenged 2010’s 14-13 heartbreaker to the Suns.
Next week, Falls will begin conference play on the road against Wauwatosa East (1-1).
E-mail Newsletter
Your link to the biggest stories in the suburbs delivered Thursday mornings.
Enter your e-mail address above and click "Sign Up Now!" to begin receiving your e-mail newsletter
Get the Newsletter!
More from Sports
- Hamilton golf team delivers school-record effort
- Van Alstyne, other seniors lead Menomonee Falls boys to second in GMC outdoor
- Menomonee Falls softball team defends Greater Metro Conference title
- SPORTS SHORTS
- Olapo earns chance to wrestle in the big time, will attend Michigan
- Falls wrestlers earn all-state honors
- Falls' track invite only five years old, but is already a high-level "must-see"event
- Falls soccer, softball teams may vie for GMC crowns Saturday
- Sports Shorts: May 13
- New middle school tennis program has Falls' players believing they can compete again
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.