Turnovers prove costly against Riverside

ELGIN — A cold, wet night better suited for ducks, spelled defeat for Elgin Public-Pope John Friday night.
Four first half turnovers were all the Riverside Chargers needed to claim a 62 to 6 victory on Homecoming night for EPPJ. Riverside quarterback Michael Bernt threw for two touchdowns and ran for four more in leading the Chargers to the victory.
The Chargers took control on the game’s opening play, Wolfpack quarterback Paiton Hoefer’s pass to Adam Dreger was picked off by Tony Berger on the 32-yard line. Five plays later the Chargers were in the endzone when Bernt connected with Berger on a touchdown pass.
The Wolfpack’s next possession ended in an interception by Bernt on the Chargers 25-yard line. On the very next play, Jeffrey Schmeits raced 55 yards to the endzone.
The Wolfpack put together a drive, capped by an 11-yard run by Conor Ramold, to move across midfield. However, the drive ended when they turned the ball over on downs on the Chargers’ 32-yard line.
Once again, the Chargers scored with a big play, this time a 35-yard pass from Bernt to Lane Swerczek.
The Chargers’ fourth touchdown of the quarter was set up when Charlie Keehn recovered a Wolfpack fumble deep in Wolfpack territory. Bernt then scored on a 14-yard run to make the score 28 to 0. Three Wolfpack turnovers turned into 20 points for Riverside.
Coach Randy Eisenhauer turned to the option and it worked as the Wolfpack went down the field to score on their next possession. Freshman Jack Wemhoff had a big 12-yard run. Two plays later Riverside was flagged for a horse-collar tackle, moving the ball to the 21-yard line. Three plays later Wolfpack senior Cory Romej danced his way into the endzone on a 16-yard run, giving fans plenty to cheer about on a dreary night.