It was Nick Baer’s 36th birthday on Sept. 6 and after the Seckman football team he’s the head coach of thumped C-6 rival Fox 34-7 that night, his team serenaded him with a loud and hearty, “Happy Birthday.”
The Jaguars thumped the Warriors in front of a packed stadium in Imperial. Seckman improved to 2-0 while Fox dipped to 1-1.
The last time the Jaguars played on Baer’s birthday, in 2019, they lost 20-19 to Windsor, which came from behind with two late touchdowns. That also was the last year Seckman had a losing record; since 2020 the Jags are 35-9 and they have won 19 regular-season games in a row, including four straight over Fox.
“It’s a special moment when you have a group of special guys who have your back and they care for you,” Baer said. “It’s important to let you know all of that time you spend together is worthwhile.
“We know the Fox game always carries more weight than the rest of them. It’s only Week 2; what type of team are we?”
Apparently a more balanced squad on offense. Known for a simple but effective running game, Seckman started sophomore Brody Kube at quarterback and he completed all nine passes he threw, for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Kube’s favorite target was senior wide receiver Devin Gosser, who reeled in six catches for 65 yards and the Jags’ final touchdown of the night.
“We’ve incorporated more pass plays, and being able to hand off to Brady (Ambrose) and Ben (Lewis) is amazing,” Kube said.
“We’ve made a reputation as a running team, and we know we have something special here,” Baer said.
Seckman’s swarming defense held Fox to three-and-out in the game’s first series and on fourth down, senior Dominic Lograsso blocked the Warriors’ punt and the Jags took over at the 10-yard line. On third-and-goal from the seven, Lewis, a senior, caught a TD pass from Kube with 9:06 left in the first quarter. Senior kicker Conner Day’s PAT was blocked and it was 6-0.
Fox gained a first down on its next possession, but had to punt and the hosts took over at their own 45. Kube and Gosser kept the chains moving when they connected on a 12-yard pass on third-and-9. Lewis converted a fourth-and-one with a two-yard run and Gosser ended the first quarter with a nine-yard reception. After Ambrose, a senior, ran for 11, the Warriors were flagged for a personal foul penalty, moving the ball to the Fox four. Ambrose plunged in from three yards, but Fox again blocked the extra point attempt for a 12-0 Seckman lead with 10:44 left in the half.
The teams each committed personal fouls on a Fox drive midway through the second quarter, and then the Warriors lost five yards on a fumbled option pitch. But on the next play, senior running back Tristan Hanks found the corner and outraced the pursuing Jaguars 84 yards up the sideline to the end zone. The PAT was good and Seckman’s lead was the smallest of the night at 12-7 with 5:41 left before halftime.
After forcing a three-and-out to start the second half, the Warriors took over at their own 35 with momentum. But on fourth-and-1, another fumbled exchange on the snap ended with a turnover on downs.
Seckman junior Mason Fowler streaked 49 yards for a TD, Ambrose ran in the two-point conversion and the Jags regained control 20-7.
“We didn’t take the momentum there and that hit us pretty hard,” Warrior head coach Brent Tinker said. “I don’t think we’re playing as tough as we used to. They’re good kids. I don’t want to blame them. I’ve talked with the coaches and we need to find a way to create more stress at practice.
“The good news is, it’s Week 2. The bad news is, it’s another rivalry game where we didn’t perform the way we wanted to. We have to find a way to get our identity back.”
Another personal foul set the Fox offense back to its 13 and they lost two yards on third-and-22. After a punt, Seckman extended a drive with Kube’s third-down completion to Gosser. Ambrose completed the drive with a two-yard scoring run and punched in the two-point conversion to make it 28-7 with two seconds left in the third quarter.
“We knew going in it would be difficult,” Ambrose said. “We were prepared for a hard game, but not the grinder it turned out to be. Fox put up a very good fight, but at the end of the day we’re the (more) physical team.
“We faked the handoffs to throw off the linebackers. We incorporated more passing. Honestly, I think there’s more eye candy in the offense, but nothing has changed from the physical side.”
On the Warriors’ first drive of the fourth quarter, Seckman committed a personal foul but the Jaguar defense forced negative-yardage plays on the next two snaps, with Lograsso making a tackle for a seven-yard loss on third-and-16.
“Coach (Jeff) Taylor does a great job of getting our defense to play fast,” Baer said. “We may lack size, but we make up for that with speed and strength. We’ve got a 165-pound nose guard, Isaac Johnston, taking on double teams. That’s what we value.”
The Jaguars finished the scoring on their next drive with Gosser catching two passes of 15 yards apiece, the second one for a touchdown as he ran to the middle of the end zone uncovered with 4:21 left.
“I’ve said Devin is a special talent and he clicked this offseason,” Baer said. “He put the weight on and he has the ability to go against anybody.”
The Jaguars have won 21 of their last 24 games. The last three seasons haven’t been as kind to the Warriors, who are 6-16.
“The reason why they’ve been having success is because they have a true identity,” Tinker said. “They aren’t wavering. They take pride in what they do. The consistency and the belief isn’t any different. They have another wave of kids coming through with a good coaching staff that’s working hard.”