By DELBERT PETERS

Staff writer

From the start Friday, the Meade Buffaloes dominated their playoff game against the Goessel Bluebirds.

A 30-yard pass play set up the first touchdown for the Buffaloes, scoring after little more than a minute played.

A fumble by the Bluebirds gave Meade another opportunity, and the Buffaloes marched into the end zone again. A perfect pass from the Buffalo quarterback gave Meade a 20-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Goessel defense prevented Meade from converting a fourth down, and the Bluebirds took over deep in their own territory.

A pass from the Goessel end zone was intercepted by the Buffalos and carried in for another score.

With 4:17 to play in the first half, Goessel’s offensive line opened a hole, and Jake Wiens ran 19 yards to score the Bluebirds’ first touchdown. The extra point, carried untouched by Grant Bryant, cut the deficit to 26-8.

Meade would score one more time in the second quarter on a 13-yard scramble. Buffaloes led 34-8 at half.

Bluebird fans celebrated a familiar scene on the second play of the second half when Jake Wiens got free on the right side and sprinted 63 yards for a score.

The Buffaloes scored on a 10-yard pass and took advantage of another Bluebird fumble to score again.

Goessel was unable to convert a fourth down, and Meade scored again on an 11-yard pass to end the third quarter ahead 56-14.

Bryant sneaked into the end zone from the five yard line for the Bluebirds’ last score. Meade responded with a 20-yard scoring pass and took advantage of yet another Bluebird fumble to end the game 70-20 at the 5:54 mark in the fourth quarter.

This game marked the end of high school careers for seven Goessel seniors. Skyler Wuest, Caiden Duerksen, and Logan Sterk played both offense and defense for the Bluebirds. Dylan Riley, Jevin Base, Gunnar Davis, and David Johnson bolstered the defense.

The Bluebirds’ season ended with a record of 7-3. All three losses (to Little River, Canton-Galva, and Meade) were to teams that have advanced to the semifinals in the eight-player Division 1 playoffs.