Rebels spoil Bluejays homecoming game

Following a recent trend of ups and downs for the Three Lakes-Phelps varsity football team, the Bluejays were soundly defeated 36-6 by the Rebels of Laona-Wabeno in the homecoming game last Friday in Three Lakes.  

The loss falls on the heels of a victory two weeks ago when the Jays dominated Elcho/White Lake by more than 40 points. While the loss is disappointing to the team, their position in the Northeast Conference was barely tarnished as they are tied for second place with a 3-1 conference record and a 4-3 overall record. 

“Hats off to the Laona-Wabeno team,” commented Bluejays head coach Justin Szews. “They are a well-coached group of talented athletes and on Friday night they were a better football team than we were. It’s not fun losing, but our coaching staff was proud of the way our guys played hard and stuck with it until the very end of the game.”

It was a standing-room-only crowd at Three Lakes Stadium as part of the school’s homecoming weekend celebration. Every bleacher seat was filled and fans lined the fence around the stadium to watch a team that at times this season has been explosive. But on this night, the fuse did not ignite and the Bluejays fell behind early.  

“We came out flat to start the game,” acknowledged Szews. “At the same time, the Rebels defensive scheme and athleticism up front significantly reduced the amount of time we had to successfully execute our passing game. Once a team like this gets you into a one-faceted offensive situation, it makes it an uphill battle to scratch back into the game. We did find some traction in the second half and played more like the Bluejays we are used to seeing, but time did not allow the comeback we wanted.” 

There were plenty of highlights for the Bluejays, even without winning the game. Sawyer Szews had his second game in a row with more than 100 yards of rushing production, averaging an impressive 7.7 yards on 15 carries. He excited the Three Lakes crowd early in the second half with a long run that set up the only touchdown of the game for the Bluejays. Owen Liebscher scored the touchdown on a 15-yard pass reception.

At that point, the Jays were down 28-6, but there was plenty of time on the clock for a comeback.  Unfortunately for the home team, the Rebels responded with a touchdown on their next possession and ultimately cruised to victory. Easton Lurvey had another efficient day on the field, going 5-11 for 55 yards in the air with no interceptions.  

Charlie Liebscher also lit up the crowd with an interception and with anticipation for a possible long run on nearly every kickoff play. Coach Szews says that Liebscher’s role is important to the team because his returns usually set the Bluejays up with good field position.  

The combination of Owen and Charlie Liebscher also played well defensively for the Jays. In addition to the interception, they combined for 17 total tackles on defense. Lurvey threw in eight tackles, while Doug Koshuta continued with his dominating defensive play, leading both teams with 18 total tackles as he scrambled through the backfield of Laona/Wabeno all night. Koshuta was followed closely by Szews who had 13 total tackles on the night, in addition to his solid running on offense.

Koshuta was also active offensively as he rushed the ball eight times for 31 yards, helping to fill the void of an injured Carter Flannery who has been the team’s leading rusher. Zach Weavers, Garrett Mandli, Sam Koshuta, Brady Roberts, and Bentley Bills collectively had 20 total tackles.

The game was a special homecoming for Noah Kincaid of the Bluejays who played well with a 22-yard pass reception and six defensive tackles. Also, several of the Rebel players, plus two of their coaches, are teammates or coaches of Kincaid as members of the Rebel-Jays varsity wrestling team, a co-op between Three Lakes, Laona and Wabeno. 

The Bluejays are on the road this Friday, October 4, to face the Bobcats from Florence High School. The next home game for the Jays is scheduled on Friday, October 18, as the team will close out the regular season against Niagara. All remaining regular season games have 7 p.m. start times.