Wickard, receivers star for Elmwood

VAN BUREN – Mason Oliver gets plenty of attention. The Elmwood tailback torched Van Buren for 347 yards in last year's season opener leading the Royals to a rout. Coming into Friday's rematch between the teams, there were plenty of eyes on Oliver. That opened the door for quarterback Hayden Wickard and his receivers. Wickard completed five touchdown passes to three receivers, threw for 216 yards and led the Royals to a 45-3 trouncing of the Black Knights. "All the kids that we have out there are all playmakers," Wickard said. "Just give them a chance, they get the ball, you never know what's going to happen with them." What happened were plenty of big plays. But it didn't start right away. Van Buren's defense – under first-year head coach Chris Henry -- came out fired up, and forced the Royals into a three-and-out. "We figured out, 'OK, they want to stop Mason Oliver,'" said Elmwood coach Greg Bishop. "Which, kudos to them, they had a great gameplan to try to limit him." When Elmwood got the ball back, Wiackard hit Alex Arnold on a 78-yard catch-and-run to the end zone. Later in the quarter, Wickard and Arnold connec ted again, this time on a 27-yard score. Arnold finished the quarter with three catches for 106 yards. He didn't catch another pass, but late in the second quarter, he intercepted Van Buren QB Grady Mason, taking the ball back 31 yards to the end zone. In the second quarter, Mason Mossbarger was Wickard's target. The two connected on touchdowns of 45 and 35 yards in the period, as Elmwood built a 38-0 lead. "They run hard. They get the ball in their hands, they're gonna explode and go," Bishop said of his receivers. "They're tough to take down. Our receivers are solid kids, and they have grit when they get after it." Wickard also completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Micah Oliver in the third. Henry wasn't pleased with his team's defense. "Football's a sport of blocking and tackling, and we kind of lost those basics," he said. "They got the ball out on the edge, and were able to make some big plays because we didn't come up with tackles." Meanwhile, Elmwood's defense made it tough on Van Buren quarterbacks. It sacked Mason four times in the first half, and then took down Parker Beilharz – who was under center after halftime – once. The attack was led by Cannon Endicott, who finished with three sacks. "Cannon, he just gets after it like his brother (Gunner) did last year," Bishop said. "He does a great job of just being in the right spots at the right time." Owen Seedorf and Adam Meyer each added a sack for the Royals. For Van Buren, Mason went 2 for 6 passing for 40 yards and an interception. Beiharz went 2 for 8 for 28 yards. Lucas Brown ran for 26 yards for the Black Knights. Defensively, Reese Reichley intercepted Wickard in the first half. Just before the break, Van Buren's Baylor Wilkin sacked Wickard and forced a fumble, which set up Van Buren's only points – a 25-yard field goal by Jackson Gregory, just as time expired in the second quarter. Gregory also pinned the Royals inside their own 1 with a punt in the third quarter. "He's a great weapon to have; he's doing very well in the kicking game," Henry said of Gregory. "He's just working everywhere." Mason Oliver didn't score a touchdown, but he still had a big night, with 152 yards on the ground, which included single runs of 50 and 73 yards. Most nights, that would make him the star. But on this night, Elmwood's other playmakers stepped forward.