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Winless Flivvers seek 1st win of season against Braves

KINGSFORD — How good are the winless Kingsford Flivvers?

After losses to three of Wisconsin’s finest football programs, Kingsford should get a handle on that question when Great Northern Conference play begins Friday with Gladstone at Flivver Field.

Menasha, St. Mary’s Springs and top-ranked Fond du Lac have handed defeats to the Flivvers this season.

“We’re 0-3 but those three teams are probably going to be 9-0,” said Kingsford coach Chris Hofer. “Who’s going to beat them?”

To lock up a state playoff berth, Kingsford needs to run the table for six wins on the season. Although five has also sent the Flivvers to the postseason.

“We have to play every game like a playoff game now,” said Hofer, noting past Kingsford teams have reeled off winning streaks to qualify for the postseason

The Flivvers of 2005 recovered from a 1-4 start to make the playoffs. Teams in 2006 and 2007 both notched four straight wins after 2-3 records.

In last week’s game with Fond du Lac, Trevor Povolo rambled 89 yards for a touchdown to put the Flivvers up 6-0 in the first quarter.

“Misdirection and good execution,” Hofer said of the Povolo run. “When he gets in the open he’s hard to catch.”

But as one Flivver official noted, that seemed to be like poking a bees’ nest, as Fondy then rolled to a 42-6 halftime cushion and a 49-6 win.

“We didn’t play very disciplined on defense,” Hofer said. “We have to do a better job.

“Granted they’re good and their execution was really good. But, still, we have some things that counter some of that and we didn’t execute them as good as we can.

“Once momentum starts flowing, it goes downhill quickly, especially with a good team like that.”

Povolo rushed for 101 yards on seven carries against Fondy. Nate Rutter and Jack Zimmerman each made 12 tackles.

Gladstone (2-1, 1-0) blanked Menominee 14-0 in their GNC opener last week at Walton Blesch Field. The Braves beat the Maroons for the first time since 2008.

“Any time that you can get a win against Menominee, a state championship program, is a big feather in our cap for our program.” Gladstone coach Jeff Hansen said.

The Maroons had six fumbles, three in each half.

Brody Sanville led Gladstone with 175 yards rushing on 32 carries. Quarterback Jared Crow, who threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns last week, connected on 3 of 14 for 8 yards and 3 interceptions against the Maroons.

“Gladstone is playing pretty well,” Hofer said. “They’ve got some momentum going and confidence.

“They play hard. They always come at you. They have a very aggressive style and, hopefully, we can exploit some of that.”

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