WORTHINGTON -- Shut out in their previous two games, the Worthington Trojans high school football squad got on the board Friday night against a strong Waseca outfit. But the end result was another loss, 49-6, at Trojan Field on Senior Night.
Worthington ’s only score came with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter. Already trailing 35-0 to the Bluejays, senior quarterback Jake Brandner went back to pass, found pressure, then burst forward through defenders and veered right to the sideline on a 60-yard touchdown run. Once he got into the clear, he out-raced all would-be tacklers for the last 40 yards.
All season, Brandner has arguably been Worthington ’s best big-play threat, and several of his longest runs have been after he’s set up to pass.
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Friday’s score excited the hometown WHS crowd, which didn’t have much to cheer about for most of the evening. Waseca upped its record to 6-1 with the victory while Worthington fell to 0-7. The Trojans’ final game of the regular season is a road game Wednesday against the New Ulm Eagles who, like the Trojans, entered Friday night winless.
Waseca scored touchdowns on its first three possessions Friday, collecting the first score on a 6-yard run by Mason DeKruif. Still in the first quarter, the Bluejays scored their next TD on a 26-yard run by junior quarterback Oliver O’Brien.
Touchdown No. 3 came early in the second stanza as O’Brien completed a 10-yard scoring pass to Max Neaves.
O’Brien was most of Waseca’s offense in the first half, completing six of 11 passes for 86 yards. He also rushed the football for nearly 100 yards.
Meanwhile, the Trojans were held to 64 total yards in the first two quarters.
The first time the Jays touched the ball in the second half, they scored again. It came on the end of a Worthington punt and covered 42 yards. Sophomore Kaeden Johnson sprinted right upon making the catch, and ran through several would-be Trojan tacklers into the right corner of the end zone.
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Worthington attempted to make a first down on a fourth-down play near midfield in its next possession, but failed. A few plays later, Waseca scored again as O’Brien threw a short pass to Isaac Potter, who covered most of the distance -- 32 yards -- with his feet.
On the Trojans’ only scoring drive, they received a nifty 11-yard run by freshman running back Jacari Swinea who started left, then reversed himself right. Shortly after that, Brandner found paydirt on his 60-yarder.
But the Trojans could not make their lightning strike twice.
Waseca scored late in the third quarter on a 5-yard DeKruif carry, which occurred moments after the Trojans were whistled for an encroachment penalty as Waseca set up for a fourth-down and three play. A 4-yard TD run by Armando Balderas, with 3:35 to go during a running fourth-quarter clock, finished the scoring.
Final unofficial totals showed Waseca passing for 128 yards and rushing for 224. Worthington passed for nine net yards and rushed for 109.
O’Brien completed eight of 15 passes for 128 yards. Brandner completed three of 12 for nine yards and had two passes intercepted.
Swinea had 10 carries for 30 yards and Andrew Dorcey carried seven times for 15.
Waseca 14 7 21 7 -- 49
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Worthington 0 0 6 0 -- 6
