T-Birds try to bounce back in homecoming affair with Hermann

KINGDOM CITY - There are a lot of things the North Callaway football team can take away from last week's loss to state ranked Tipton. They kept it close and put a scare into a team that hadn't lost a regular season game since the 2006 season opener.

They just couldn't take away a victory.

The T-Birds will now have to take some of the progress that was made in that 50-26 loss to the Cardinals - No. 1 in Class 2 - and utilize it in tonight's homecoming game against Hermann. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Kingdom City.

North Callaway (1-4) led by scores of 7-0 and 14-8 during the game and had a perfect balance of running and passing, accumulating 138 yards of each. After managing to be down just 22-14 at halftime, the T-Birds were outscored 28-12 in the second half, including a string of 21 unanswered Tipton points to put the game out of reach.

North Callaway junior quarterback Jacob Haubner finished the game with 138 yards and four touchdowns (three passing) for an offense that can use the new-found balance on the right team at the right time.

Hermann (0-5) is coming off a defeaning 54-34 loss to Owensville in which they gave up 599 yards of total offense. Most of that total came on the ground as Owensville racked up 449 yards rushing as they kept the Bearcats winless on the season.

Hermann dropped North Callaway to 3-3 with a 34-21 win in the two team's meeting last season. Bearcat senior quarterback Lucas Budnick threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns in the game, two of which went to junior receiver Justin Wurtz.

Wurtz - who caught 10 passes for 133 yards in that game - along with junior tailback Armando Matech will be two of the main Hermann weapons returning from 2010.

Hermann led 34-7 in the fourth quarter of that game before two T-Birds touchdowns made the deficit look more respectable. The Bearcats came out swinging early as Wurtz scored his two touchdowns from distances of 50 and 29 yards respectively.

North Callaway ran for 197 yards and threw for 192 in the loss to Hermann in 2010.