The Buffaloes were unsure of their postseason fate going into Friday night’s final regular season matchup at Gettysburg. With the uncertainty of how the other games they needed to go their way would shake out, they did know that above all else they would need to win to have a shot.
Coming off the bye, the Buffaloes were able to get just about all of their starters back to 100% to close out the year. The Buffaloes came in healthy, and played like it.
After an early 4th down conversion on the games first drive, Weston Prince found one of his favorite targets in Paxton Deal for a quick six to put the Buffaloes out in front 8-0 after a succesful two-point conversion. The Stanley County defense would take care of the offense with a Landon Bame strip-sack fumble to set them up deep in Battler territory. Moments later, Bame paid off his great defensive play with his first of a few scores, sprinting in a 34-yard touchdown on the ground.
The lone Battlers score came on a Chase Furuli near 80-yard kick return for a touchdown to make it 14-6. But Stanley County had found a rhythm, and from that point on it was all Buffaloes to the end.
Paxton Deal maybe saved his best game for his last as a Buffalo, scoring multiple touchdowns, but maybe his most impressive came a play after he should have scored a pick-six. A Deal interception was blown dead 25-yards away from him taking in one of his two picks on the night. Penalties and a possible injury behind the Deal return forced officials to blow the whistle, taking away a sure-score for Deal. Though Deal was going to get his score one way or the other, catching a 25-yard TD pass from Prince on the very next play.
In the end, Stanley County would win in commanding fashion 52-6, getting multiple scores from Landon Bame, Paxton Deal and Case Kolda. Weston Prince played a masterful game dictating the offense after a slow start. All seniors making a huge impact on the game.
Tegyn Breitag had an early exit, but still provided a tough edge for his defense and was often avoided by opposing offenses. Brendon Bothwell had to exit the game early as well, but his impression on the team was certainly felt as a player who was needed in multiple positions. Trevor Caldwell stepped up throughout the season in his new role on the offensive line, where he played next to Case Kolda who also flourished in his increased 2025 workload. Weston Prince was introduced as the starting quarterback for his toughness, and helped lead Stanley County to an improved ’25 campaign. Coy Ludemann was a bench player most of the year, but his effort on special teams caught the eye of head coach Max Foth which led to Ludemann seeing time on the field as a starter, a role well earned.
The Buffaloes did not get the help they needed around the state, finishing the season ranked 17th and one spot outside of the playoffs. Stanley County finished with a 3-5 record.
Comments