By TOM NYHUIS
Niles Daily Star

BUCHANAN – It was a dark and dreary nearly the entire day in Buchanan and despite the clouds and rain clearing out by the start of the Bucks’ home opener, things did not get much brighter for the varsity football team.

Kelloggsville marched into town and handed Buchanan a 36-6 beating.

Buchanan could only muster 84 total yards of offense, 82 coming through the air on 8-of-16 passing by Bryan Kuntz.

The game began on a positive note for the Bucks as they kicked off to start the game and the Rockets coughed up the ball on the return as Tony Parris covered the wet pigskin. Two consecutive sacks of Kuntz and an incomplete pass forced the Bucks to punt. Eleven plays later Kelloggsville punched the ball across the goal line for a 6-0 lead.

Again it was a three and out for the Bucks and the Rockets marched 70 yards in nine plays to take a 12-0 lead in the first quarter of play.
“We knew they had a solid team and we were concerned about it,” Buchanan coach Joe Austin said following the loss. “We had our opportunities, we made some adjustments in the second quarter and at 12-6 we felt pretty good about that. We had a turnover in the first drive of the second half and give them credit. We didn’t play a great game but they played well and they deserve the victory and the score is indicative as to how it turned in the second half. They are a good football team and our mistakes enhanced their kids,”

The lone Bucks score came on a 12 play, 58-yard drive capped off with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone by Kuntz for the score. In the drive Kuntz was 3-of-3 passing for 30 yards all into the hands of Tyler Ganus. The Bucks went to the locker room at the half trailing 12-6.

The second half didn’t start well for the Bucks as they fumbled the ball away on the second play of the half and the Rockets capitalized on the error and another eight points to the board and climb to a 20-6 advantage.

Kelloggsville added another touchdown early in the fourth to go ahead 28-6 that put the icing on the cake with their final score of the night with 5:59 to play in the game.

Chris Brown finished the game with 138 yards rushing and two touchdowns as the Rockets racked up 324 total yards rushing.
Kelloggsville quarterback Carl Roscoe was a perfect seven for seven passing for 72 yards and one touchdown and passed another two tosses on the extra point attempts in the second half.

Buchanan will travel to Bronson next Thursday as they take on the Vikings in another non-league contest for the Bucks.

Kelloggsville 12 0 8 16 – 36
Buchanan 0 6 0 0 – 6
KV – Ralph Peterson 5 run (kick failed)
KV – Chris Brown 1 run (pass failed)
B – Bryan Kuntz 1 run (kick failed)
KV – Brown 6 run  (run good)
KV – Carl Roscoe pass to Marshal White (pass Roscoe to Brown)
KV – Chris Graves 26 run (Roscoe to Dre Riley)