Rough week at Burns for Patriots

The Upton-Sundance Patriots took on the Burns Broncs this past Friday in Burns. It was the Patriots who were first on the board Friday night as their explosive offense pushed their way down the field, setting quarterback Keaton Mills up for a one-yard run into the endzone and putting six points on to the scoreboard for the Patriots. Eli Gill would help add two more for the Patriots with a successful two-point conversion, giving them an early 8-0 lead over the Broncs.

The Broncs’ offense, however, was quick to jump on the scoring wagon in the second quarter as they made their way down the field and scored in a similar fashion, a two-yard run into the endzone. With a successful kick for the extra point, the scoring gap narrowed, and put the Patriots up by one over the Broncs, 8-7, as the second quarter came to a close.

The Patriots were without their starting quarterback for the second half of the game. Keaton Mills suffered a shoulder injury and was unable to return.

The Broncs took full advantage of this loss and scored on a 28-yard pass play and a 10-yard run, throughout the second half, putting them up, 21-8, over the Patriots. The Patriots would continue to battle throughout the second half as Catch Downey threw a 34-yard pass to Jesse Harmon late in the game, putting the Patriots in striking distance, but an interception on the next play would give the Broncs the ball back and the victory for the night.

Despite the loss, the Patriots still were able to make strides both offensively and defensively. On offense, Ryder Downey and Eli Gill both contributed 11 runs for 83 and 54 yards respectively. On the defensive end, Chase Mills recovered a fumble and caught an interception for the Patriots, helping to turn the momentum in their favor.

The Patriots will have a quick turnaround this week as they travel to Newcastle on Thursday night to take on the Dogies.

Offensive Stats

Rushing – 37 attempts for 181 yards:

Ryder Downey – 11 carries for 83 yards, long 24 yards

Eli Gill – 11 carries for 52 yards, long 17 yards

Keaton Mills – 12 carries for 56 yards, long 11 yards

Catch Downey – 3 carries for -10 yards

Passing:

K. Mills – 1 completion on 3 attempts, 11 yards

C. Downey – 1 completion on 2 attempts, 34 yards, 1 INT

Receiving:

Jesse Harmon – 2 receptions for 45 yards             

Defensive Stats

Individual Top 5:

Eli Gill – 23.5 points: 9 assisted tackles, 5 unassisted tackles, 1.5 tackle for a loss

Chase Mills – 19.5 points: 4 assisted tackles,2 unassisted tackles, .5 Tackle for loss, 1 INT, 1 Fumble Recovery

Keaton Mills – 11 points: 3 unassisted tackle, 1 INT

Ben Miller – 10.5 points: 9 assisted tackles, .5 Tackle for loss

Jameson Fleenor – 10 points: 10 assisted tackles

Special Teams Stats

Kickoffs:

Keaton Mills – 1 kick for 45 yards and 9 yards returned

Kaedyn Fletcher – 1 kick for 44 yards and 10 yards returned

Punting:

Keaton Mills – 2 punts for 20 yards, 5 yards returned, long 40 yards

Jake Schommer – 1 punt for 23 yards, 0 yards returned

Kickoff Returns:

Keaton Mills – 1 return for 15 yards

Kaedyn Fletcher – 1 return for 20 yards

Punt Returns:

Jesse Harmon – 1 return for 0 yards