Klaerner Powers Punchers to Big Win over Wall, 100th Win for Kade Burns

WALL, TX-- The Mason Punchers and Wall Hawks lived up to their hype, putting on a true heavyweight bout to open the 2018 season.

Mason held off a furious Hawk rally to claim a 27-21 win in the season opener. The win was Puncher head coach Kade Burns' 100th career win.

"I was very proud of the kids," Burns said. "[Wall has] so much tradition. They know how to win. They have a great staff. They have great kids. So when we went up 14, we knew it wasn't over. We expected them to come back."

[[{"fid":"45268","view_mode":"wysiwyg","fields":{"format":"wysiwyg"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"2":{"format":"full"},"3":{"format":"wysiwyg"}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-wysiwyg","data-delta":"3"}}]]Above: Mason head coach Kade Burns talks about his Puncher's big win over Wall.

The Punchers outgained the Hawks in total yardage 420 to 329. Both teams took to the air more than expected. Wall put up 155 yards passing and Mason 144 yards.

Otto Wofford went 8-for-13 through the air with all 144 yards for Mason. The Puncher's signal caller also put up 43 yards rushing with a touchdown.

Hawk defensive end Gage Weishuhn made sure Wofford knew he was there, posting 2.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for a loss for Wall.

Coleman Coon was Mason Fuchs' deep target, catching six passes for 155 yards and a score. Senior running back Sutton Braden led the way on the ground, racking up 96 yards.

Mason Kindle and Fuchs each scored one touchdown on the ground for Wall.

"I thought Mason [Fuchs] did a fantastic job," said Wall head coach Houston Guy. "He settled down [in] the second half. He ran the option really well in the second half. He threw some great passes in the second half. He got us back into it, you know. He stayed poised and that's what we got to have from him."

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Above: Wall head coach Houston Guy talks about what he saw from Friday's loss to Mason.

Junior Klay Klaerner stole the show for the Punchers, rushing for 175 yards and a pair of scores in the win. It was Klaerner's 29th game at the varsity level, according to Burns.

"He's got a lot of playing experience," Burns added. "For him to do that, he's got to have guys doing their job up front. We feel like we did that tonight." 

It took a quarter before the scoring in this old school dogfight got going.

Otto Wofford punched it in with a short 2 yard run and tacked on the extra-point to make it 7-0 Mason to start the second period.

Klay Klaerner then gave Mason their second score of the night on a 14 yard run. Mason held that 14-0 lead at the half.

Wrap-up of the first half with Joe Hyde and Sam Fowler:

Wall came out firing to start the second half, however.

A 2 yard run by Mason Kindle and a 60 yard touchdown pass from Mason Fuchs to Coleman Coon pulld the Hawks level at 14 midway through the 3rd quarter.

"I thought, going into halftime, I thought they regrouped really well," Guy said. "We bounced back at halftime, made our adjustments and we came out really hot...I think it surprised us how fast they were able to get to our pitch man and how fast they were able to disrupt our option game."

Klaerner would then break for a big, 80-yard run to put Mason up 21-14 with 4:45 left in the third period.

Fuchs then rushed for 5-yards and a score to even it up at 21 late in the third.

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Above: Wall's Lex Dusek (50) takes on the Mason offensive line in their matchup on Aug. 31, 2018. (LIVE! Photo/Sam Fowler)

Wall had a chance to take a slim lead, but Will Ferreira's 28-yard attempt fell short, leaving the door open for the Punchers.

Jake Cockerham gave Mason the lead once again with a 5-yard run of his own. A blocked PAT made it 27-21.

While it may just be game one, a win like this can go a long way for a team.

"This is a confidence builder for our kids," Burns said. "We have some guys who haven't been on varsity before...They were in some crucial spots tonight, playing a dive option team. So that should give them some confidence going through the next game."

Wall starts 0-1 on the season while Mason is 1-0.

The Hawks will host Cisco next Friday while Mason will host Johnson City.

Here's the end of game wrap-up with Sam Fowler and Joe Hyde: