Bluejays fall in physical playoff battle

Published 2:36 pm Thursday, November 12, 2026

By Mike O'Brien

Pads were popping for all four quarters, but at the end of the night, it was Anselmo-Merna who had a little more ‘pop’ as they captured a 46-20 home win over Guardian Angels Central Catholic in the quarterfinals of the Class D3 State Football Playoffs on November 6.

“That was a very physical football game, one of the hardest hitting games I can remember,” GACC head coach Matt Schlaebitz said.

“Anselmo-Merna just had more weight behind them in the middle and made some incredible plays when they had the opportunity. Number 44 [Dane Duryea] for them was a load carrying the football.”

Duryea finished the game with 191 rushing yards on 33 carries and three touchdowns.

As for GACC, they struck first with a Joe Eames touchdown run. Then closed out the first-half scoring when Luke Guenther hit Trevor Steffen for a Bluejay TD, making it a 16-14 game at halftime.

But in the second half, Anselmo-Merna scored the next four touchdowns to seize control.

“We did not take advantage of our opportunities when we had them, and we failed to make a few key plays,” Schlaebitz said. “We got turned away three times in the red zone, which you can’t recover from in the playoffs.”

Despite the loss, Schlaebitz said the one thing that couldn’t be questioned was his team’s effort.

“Our effort was excellent,” he said. “Our guys started fast and hit hard the entire game.”

With the loss, GACC ends their season with an 8-3 record.

“This group exemplified what it means to be a team,” Schlaebitz said. “We have a lot of selfless guys who put in a lot of hard work. We’re a family.”

This marked the final game for six Bluejay seniors: Luke Guenther, Timmy Gerrish, Elijah Steffensmeier, Trevor Steffen, Henry Wooldrik and Sam Hass.

“These six seniors are exceptional young men. They’ll always be a part of the GACC football program,” Schlaebitz said. “They played a lot of good football, and I’m excited for the futures God has planned for them.”

GACC   7 7 0 6 –  20

Anselmo-M.   8 8 14 16 –   46

Scoring Summary

First quarter

GACC: Joe Eames 2 run. (Sam Hass kick)

A-M: Dane Duryea 21 run. (Caenyn Priest run)

Second quarter

A-M: Duryea 1 run. (Duryea run)

GACC: Trevor Steffen 15 pass from Luke Guenther. (Hass kick)

Third quarter

A-M: Priest 2 run. (Creighton Marsh pass from Priest)

A-M: Duryea 5 run.

Fourth quarter

A-M: Priest 32 run. (Priest run)

A-M: Priest 65 run. (Priest run)

GACC: Kaidyn Strehle 27 run.

Team statistics

  GACC A-M

First downs   14   19

Rushing   22-118 57-364

Passing   10-22-2 3-4-0

Passing yards   172   44

Total offense   290   408

Fumbles lost   0   0

Bluejay Stats

Rushing: Kaidyn Strehle 5-70, Luke Guenther 10-54, Joe Eames 4-0, Tucker Steffen 1-0, Timothy Gerrish 1-(-2), Hudson Bramlet 1-(-4).

Passing: Bramlet 6-of-12 for 108, Guenther 4-of-9 for 64, Gerrish 0-1.

Receiving: Trevor Steffen 2-55, Guenther 3-34, Gerrish 2-31, Jaxson Wegner 1-20, Bramlet 1-18, Eames 1-14.

Leading Tacklers (Total Tackles): Keyden Throener 1, Jaxson Wegner 5, Eames 4, Gerrish 10, Landon Schuetze 1, Levi Strehle 1, Henry Wooldrik 3, Mason Strehle 6, Bramlet 5.5, Trevor Steffen 5.5, Rexton Stratman 0.5, Guenther 12, Owen Eby 0.5.