Trojans blast Rockets on Homecoming

The New Prague football team gave the pyrotechnics crew a workout last Friday night at Trojan Stadium, as the fireworks team was responsible for setting off a barrage of fireworks after every score. The Trojans crushed Rochester John Marshall 55-6 before a packed stadium in this year’s Homecoming game.

The game was back and forth early, as a scoreless first quarter went by quickly. The Trojans ended a promising 12-play drive inches short on fourth down at the Rockets’ 15 yard line, and the Rockets punted after controlling the ball for several minutes of their own.

But New Prague finally got on the board just minutes into the second after senior Nathan Burkhardsmeier capped off an 8-play, 40-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run.

After senior Frank Deichelbohrer intercepted a Rochester pass at midfield on the ensuing drive, Burkhardsmeier got loose again, scampering on a 43-yard run to the 2-yard line, and then finished in the end zone on the following play, giving New Prague a 14-0 lead.

The Rockets went 3-and-out, and junior quarterback Will Seymour led the Trojans on a 2-minute drill with a 30-yard run of his own, then letting senior Aiden Jackson take over and put the Trojans up 21-0 at halftime.

“It was great to see our kids respond after last week,” said head coach Jake Norby. “We got some confidence back and cleaned up some of those things that creeped in. We finally got some things going in the second and it snowballed from there.”

New Prague kept it going after halftime, scoring 28 points in the third despite having only 3 offensive snaps in the quarter. After Jackson had a good point return, Burkhardsmeier scored again on the Trojans’...

To see more on this story pick up the October 6, 2022 print edition of The New Prague Times.