The Pioneers of the Jonathan Alder football team ended their season on Friday, November 4 with a loss to the defending division IV state champions, the Hawks of Bishop Hartley High School. The matchup was the first between the two teams since 2006 when Alder rolled past the Hawks on their way to a state championship game appearance. The 2016 contest began with similar hopes for the Pioneers, fresh off a 9-win and 1-loss regular season record, but ended up short, losing by a score of 35 to 21.

      The Hawks came out firing on offense, scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter, all at the hands of senior running back Marquette Dixon. Two of his scores came on runs of over 50 yards. Dixon would end the game with two more scores, one coming in the third and one in the fourth quarter.  Dixon also stacked up an astounding 354 rushing yards on just 24 carries. Alder’s defense was able to gain back their composure and capitalize on Hawk mistakes, however, holding the Hawks to just 14 points the rest of the game.

     After being shut out in the first quarter, the Pioneers would score once in the next three quarters. The touchdowns came at the hands of seniors Andrew Koenig and Austin Fooce. Fooce scored twice, in the second and fourth quarters. Koenig returned from a five-week stint on the injured reserve and scored on an impressive catch in the third quarter.

      Despite their outstanding bounce-back, Alder’s mistakes in the first quarter were too much to overcome. The Pioneers end their season with a 9 and 2 record. Alder will graduate 13 seniors before next season, when they will look for another successful season in a new conference.