Nodaway Valley falls to Stanberry

By Morgan Guyer

The Thunder Football Team saw their season end at the hands of the Stanberry Bulldogs 78-34 in the first round of district play October 28 in Stanberry.

Nodaway Valley started the game perfectly, as Sophomore Preston Jenkins took a carry 44 yards for a score on the games opening drive. The first half was a back-and-forth affair, as both teams swapped touchdowns and momentum changes. Stanberry was able to jump out to a two score lead on multiple occasions, but the Thunder would bounce back. Junior Quarterback Michael Cook found Senior Blake Bohannon for the 41 yard score right before half to make it a one score game. Head Coach Alan Calfee liked what he saw from his team in the first half.

“I felt like early we competed hard. We struggled on kick-off coverage and with their physicality up-front,” Calfee said.

The second half was a different story, as Stanberry came out hot, scoring a few quick touchdowns to stretch their lead. Even though it was a disappointing end for the Thunder, the team showed much improvement over the course of the season.

“I felt like over the course of the season we improved with being more consistent on both sides of the ball,” Calfee said. “I think we also improved up-front as the season moved along, and we got more experience.”

Cook capped off his impressive junior year season with 181 total yards of offense, and two total touchdowns. He will look to improve even more for next year.

“Like we told the boys, the off-season starts now,” Calfee said. “We have to get in the weight room, and get bigger, faster and stronger. We got some younger guys valuable experience and we have to build off that heading into next season.”