The South Fork Ponies put together an explosive offensive performance against the Cerro Gordo Broncos, jumping out to an early advantage and never looking back on their way to a 60-26 victory.
South Fork found the end zone early behind quarterback #4 Colton Puccetti, who connected with #6 Hudsen Hout on a short pass that Hout turned into a touchdown with 7:58 remaining in the opening quarter. The Ponies converted the two-point attempt to take an 8-0 lead.
Hout wasn’t finished.
Facing fourth down later in the quarter, Puccetti again found Hout on a short pass. Hout did the rest, breaking into the open field, making a defender miss and taking the ball all the way to the end zone. Another successful two-point conversion extended South Fork’s lead to 16-0 with 2:40 remaining in the first.
Cerro Gordo answered less than a minute later when a pass to #20 Lucas Meinders resulted in a touchdown. The Broncos were unable to convert the two-point attempt, leaving South Fork ahead 16-6 after the score.
Shanks Takes Over
The second quarter belonged to #10 Stephon Shanks and the South Fork rushing attack.
Shanks scored his first touchdown of the game with 9:34 remaining in the half, taking a handoff into the end zone before the Ponies added the two-point conversion for a 24-6 advantage.
He struck again at the 4:30 mark, breaking off a 14-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 30-6.
Cerro Gordo responded quickly, once again getting the ball into the hands of Meinders for a touchdown. This time the Broncos converted the two-point attempt, cutting the deficit to 30-14 with 4:16 remaining.
South Fork, however, made sure it carried momentum into halftime. With just 35 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Shanks powered through the line for his third touchdown of the period. The Ponies converted the two-point attempt and entered the break firmly in control.
Ponies Pull Away in Second Half
South Fork continued to lean on Shanks after halftime. With 8:33 remaining in the third quarter, he found the end zone again to extend the Ponies’ advantage.
#12 Brady Jones joined the scoring with 6:11 remaining in the third, running the ball into the end zone before South Fork successfully converted the two-point attempt to make it 52-14.
Cerro Gordo continued to battle, scoring on a short pass to #4 David Bates with 2:06 remaining in the quarter.
Just 15 seconds later, Shanks delivered his biggest run of the night. The South Fork back broke free for approximately 40 yards and another touchdown. The successful two-point conversion gave the Ponies a 60-20 lead and brought on a running clock.
Cerro Gordo added one final touchdown as time expired, running the ball through the line and into the end zone to establish the 60-26 final.
South Fork’s Offense Delivers
The Ponies received contributions throughout their offense, beginning with Puccetti directing the attack at quarterback and Hout turning two early receptions into touchdowns.
Shanks then became the driving force on the ground, scoring five rushing touchdowns, including three in the second quarter alone. Jones added another rushing score as South Fork reached the end zone eight times on the night.
Cerro Gordo showed resilience despite falling behind early, with Meinders accounting for two touchdowns and the Broncos continuing to find the end zone into the final seconds.
But South Fork’s combination of big plays through the air and a dominant rushing attack proved too much to overcome, as the Ponies finished off an impressive 60-26 victory over the Broncos.
