Ptarmigans defeat the Polars 12-8 to win 65th Sno-Bowl
Posted December 29, 2024
On an unseasonably warm day with the temperatures in the 40’s the Ptarmigans defeated the Polars 12-8 at the 65th Sno-Bowl. The Polars still lead the overall series with 32 wins to the Ptarmigans 20. There have been 13 ties. However, the last victory for the Polars came in 2017, since then it has been three Ptarmigan victories and three ties.
The first half was dominated by the Polars. On the opening drive quarterback Ryan Haugen marched the Polars down the field. He connected on several passes to receivers Zack Shetka, Dylan Eaton, Nate Zweber and Kyle Zweber. With first and goal from the inside the five-yard line the Ptarmigans stood their ground with a goal line stand to keep the Polars out of the endzone.
The Ptarmigans moved the ball on their first drive after narrowly escaping a safety on the first down from their own one-yard line. After moving the ball out to midfield with a long run from Kevin Korbel, the Ptarmigans would lose yards when quarterback Chad Skluzacek would be sacked on consecutive plays by Gaige Giles and Zack Dubanoski.
The Polars would quickly score on their next possession with strong runs from Haugen and Giles. On third and goal Haugen would run an RPO play and hit Giles in the flat for the game’s first touchdown. A two-point conversion would be successful with a catch in the back of the endzone by Kyle Zweber.
At halftime Sno-Bowl Hall of Famer Paul Frykman gave an inspiring speech to the Ptarmigans that would end up resulting in 12 unanswered points. On the opening drive Skluzacek connected for a long pass to James Fuerniss to move the Ptarmigans into the red zone. Ben Buthe would add a long run to get the Ptarmigans down to the goal line and then Korbel would punch it in with a short run. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful as Korbel was dragged down by Travis Wick and Kevin Pexa.
The Polars would not get much going in the second half as the defensive line of Ptarmigans consisting of Jake Schoenecker, Evan Beranek, Alex Smisek, Nick Schoenecker, and Paul Frykman supplied the pressure. Linebackers Michael Coldagelli and TJ Scharf made several drive ending tackles. The Ptarmigans would get the ball back toward the end of the game when Coldagelli stood up the runner and Jake Schoenecker would punch the ball out causing a fumble. The Ptarmigan big play would come next when Skluzacek connected with Austin Weinandt on a long crossing route for a touchdown to take the lead 12-8. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful as Matt Novak supplied the pressure forcing a bad pass that was deflected by Carter Vaughan.
It looked like the Polars were done with a 4th and long on their final drive. However, with Haugen getting sacked he heaved the ball back handed as far as he could and a diving Dylan Eaton hauled it in for a first down. That was followed by a long run from Haugen down the sideline where Neil Fischer made a game saving tackle as Haugen was pushed into longtime chain-gang member Keith Rynda. No injuries were reported. With only seconds remaining Haugen launched a pass to the endzone but Korbel intercepted it to end the game.
Awards handed out after the game consisted of: Rookie of the Year: Peter Lim, Goat: Tony Beranek, Lineman of the Year: Gaige Giles, Offensive MVP: Ryan Haugen, Defensive MVP: Jake Schoenecker, MVP: Austin Weinandt.
Ownership was sold following the game. New Owners for the Polars are Dyaln Eaton, Nate and Zyle Zweber. Ptarmigan Owners are now James Fuerniss, Kevin Korbel and Austin Weinandt.
