By Greg Seubert
WAUPACA – Seymour’s football team mustered less than 100 yards of offense in its season opener, a 27-0 loss to Shawano.
It was a different story the next time the Thunder hit the field, as they had more than 100 yards in the first quarter alone, including a couple of scores to boot.
Those two touchdowns helped Seymour hand Waupaca a 26-21 Bay Conference loss Oct. 2 at Comet Field.
Waupaca’s opening drive lasted only two plays, as the Comets fumbled the football at midfield.
It didn’t take long for Seymour to take advantage of the turnover after quarterback Peyton VanDeHei scrambled for a 50-yard touchdown run on the Thunder’s first play.
The Thunder added a second 50-yard touchdown later in the quarter when VanDeHei connected with Logan Mattson for a 14-0 lead.
The Comets answered with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, and the teams headed to halftime tied at 14-14.
Both teams found the end zone once in the third quarter.
VanDeHei connected with Mattson for a 14-yard touchdown with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter, but the Thunder missed the extra point.
Waupaca took its only lead, 21-20, on the next possession with less than four minutes remaining in the quarter.
VanDeHei came up with his third touchdown pass of the game – a 15-yarder to Brett
Tetzlaff – with 9:07 left in the game for the final margin.
The Comets turned the ball over on downs on their next two drives.
The final drive ended with an incomplete pass at the Seymour 29-yard line.
The Thunder took over with 1:38 remaining and were able to run out the clock.
Editor’s note: Greg Seubert is the sports editor of the Waupaca County Post, an MMC publication in Waupaca.