The Galena Pirates played the Stark County Rebels in the first round of the IHSA 1A football playoffs on Saturday, November 2. The final score was 43-42, ensuring that the Pirates would play again at Coach Korte Field in the second round on November 9.
In the first quarter, Galena came out strong and scored early on a rush from senior standout Myles Schumacher ‘25. “Scoring the game’s first touchdown was a great feeling,” he said. “It really got us pumped up.” Even though they started on a positive note they could not hold the lead and the Pirates ended the first quarter down 14-7.
In the second quarter, Galena tied it up 14-14 at the half.
After halftime Stark County returned a kick to score 21-14. After the third quarter, the Rebels were leading 35-21. “It made me nervous that we weren’t ready to play,” said Gus Nack ‘26, “But I knew that we could overcome it and come back and that’s exactly what we did.”
In the 4th quarter, Galena ended up on top thanks to a 67-yard touchdown by Branden Kevern ‘25 and a crucial onside kick by Jose Hernandez ‘25. “I knew this kick would be crucial in the victory for us because if we didn’t get the ball back, who knows if the defense would have stopped them,” he said. The Pirates won the game 43-42.
Roman Romer ‘26 led the team in passing with 203 yards and Kevern led the team in receiving with 90 yards which included a 67-yard touchdown to turn the tides for Galena. Schumacher carried the ball 13 times for the Pirates and had 84 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. “I couldn’t have gotten that touchdown without giving credit to my offensive line and quarterback Roman Romer,” said Kevern
The Stark County Rebels had Dillion Steelman pass for 120 yards with 2 touchdowns. Nolan Orwig led the Rebels on foot with 25 attempts for 135 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Rebels leading receiver, Conner Daum, had 7 catches for 113 yards and 1 touchdown.
After this win, the Pirates have broken their 10-year playoff drought and will face Ottawa Marquette on Saturday, November 9 at 1:00 in Galena. Tickets can be purchased for $7 on GoFans or are available for $8 at the gate.
