Yale JV football finishes with a four-game winning streak

HOLLY — The Yale junior varsity football team finished the second half of the season strong, winning its final four games to finish with a 5-3 overall record. 

One game, against North Branch, was canceled because of heavy thunderstorms.

The Bulldogs closed the season with a 42-6 victory over Armada two weeks ago and a 36-6 win over Holly last week.

Yale coach Brian Fowler and his staff were pleased with how well the team came together during the four-game winning streak.

“Every player played well, and their hard work in practice, film study and the weight room paid off in a good way,” Fowler said. “This group is fun to be with. They are loud and confident, and it shows on the gridiron. If they put in the required work in the offseason and get stronger, they will be fun to watch at the next level.”

Against Holly, Yale scored early and often, building a 22-0 lead by halftime and leading 29-6 after three quarters. Kason Soucy scored two touchdowns for the Bulldogs, while Karder Soucy punched in a rushing touchdown to spark the offense. Jace Hoskins hauled in a touchdown pass from Ayden Rhodes for another score.

Kason Soucy led a balanced rushing attack with 38 yards on just four carries, while Rhodes and Karder Soucy each rushed for 22 yards. Logan Frost added 20 yards on two carries. 

Rhodes remained active all night, kicking four extra points and converting a 2-point attempt.

Kason Soucy also led the Bulldog receivers, catching two passes for 62 yards as Yale generated more than 250 yards of total offense. Both teams added a touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.

In the matchup against Armada, Fowler said his team was motivated to knock off the Tigers.

“The players and coaching staff were really looking forward to this game, as it was a chance to re-measure how far we have progressed since the Richmond game, and it’s safe to say that we have come a long way,” Fowler said. “The kids have always been competitive as a whole, but have made it a point to get stronger and more dialed into watching film to find ways to raise their football awareness.”

Fowler added that the team’s depth began to show late in the year.

“For the last three weeks, more and more players have stepped up, and it shows on film and on the stat sheet,” he said. “There seems to be some friendly competition going on, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I’m not sure who leads the team in tackles, but it feels like four or five guys are averaging close to eight per game. We need to continue this progress, but at this point, the kids don’t care who it is because they know that we have a great group moving forward who really trust each other.”

Rhodes led Yale against Armada with 99 rushing yards on 12 carries. Quaide Ott caught five passes for 101 yards to help push the offense past the 300-yard mark. Rhodes capped the outing with three touchdowns, while Ott scored twice — once on a reception and once on the ground. Defensively, Kason Soucy recorded 10 tackles and added a rushing touchdown.

Although the roster was young, Fowler said he expects several players to make the jump to varsity next year, creating optimism for the Bulldogs heading into next fall.