92.1 KMZA Broadcast - Axtell at Pike Valley (1st round 8-Man DII Playoffs) - click here to listen

Back in the playoffs after just two years removed from back to back runs to the Sub-State round the Axtell Eagles were back in the 8-Man Division II playoffs. In the opening round the Eagles had to go on the road and took on #2 ranked Pike Valley and saw their season come to an end with a tough 62-16 loss. 

Pike Valley started the scoring early in the contest as they notched a 44-yard touchdown pass from Davante Hammer to Cole Strickler and with two-point conversion led 8-0 just 14 seconds into the game. Hammer added a 33-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 before Axtell took flight into the endzone for the first time as Quinn Buessing capped a scoring drive with a five-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion good it was 14-8 with 7:58 left in first quarter. Plenty of more scoring happened in just the first quarter as Pike Valley notch touchdown runs of two and eight yards by Hammer and Strickler with the second score coming after a muffed punt by Axtell and Panther recovery on the eight-yard line Axtell added a 42-yard touchdown pass from Buessing to Hunter Koch but couldn't score on a short field off a Pike Valley fumble the Eagles recovered and at the end of one it was 26-16. 

The second quarter belonged to Pike Valley had they took advantage of two more Axtell turnovers picking off to passes and then putting together scoring drives that were capped with a nine-yard Strickler run and 19-yard Brody Carlgren run, while also scoring on a 20-yard Hammer pass to Anton Reeves and adding a 38-yard scoring pass to Ben Jenson before halftime making it 56-16 entering intermission. 

Second half Axtell had to punt on their first possession but came back to force a Pike Valley punt to get the ball back but two plays later had their fourth turnover of the ballgame this time a fumble and the short field led to Pike Valley scoring the game ending points on a two-yard Hammer run ending the game with 8:47 remaining the in third quarter. 

In the loss Axtell had Quinn Buessing throw for 200 yards on 18-29 passing with a touchdown (INT), while Koch caught 10 passes for 109 and a score. Koch with his performance surpassed 1,000 yards receiving on the year and earned Community National Bank "Player to Bank On" honors on KMZA. Pike Valley in the win had 363 yards of total offense led by Hamm who was 7-8 for 150 yards with three touchdowns and ran for three more with 86 yards on 14 carries. 

The Axtell Eagles wrapped up their season with a 6-4 record.