Your Prep Sports

Tanner Lukavsky entered the season as one of the top returning running backs in Class 1A.

The West Branch senior showed on Friday he can do a lot more than just run the football.

Lukavsky scored three touchdowns all in different ways to lift West Branch to a 28-6 win over West Liberty in the season opener for both teams at Memorial Field in West Liberty.

Lukavsky returned an interception for a touchdown, ran for a score and caught a touchdown pass as West Branch broke open a scoreless game after the opening quarter.

Behind 154 rushing yards from Lukavsky the Bears piled up 264 yards on the ground and finished with 356 yards of total offense.

Junior Gavin Hierseman went 14-for-17 passing for 92 yards and also ran for 77 yards and a score in his first career start.

It was Lukavsky who stole the show.

The senior broke a scoreless tie when he picked off a tipped pass and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Lukavsky put West Branch up 14-0 when he caught a 6-yard scoring strike from Hierseman.

He then helped the Bears put the game out of reach with a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

That was more than offense for West Branch as the Bears didn’t allow an offensive touchdown.

Dalyn Pedersen led the defensive effort with 8.5 tackles while Brad Hunger had six tackles for the Bears.

West Branch  0  14  0  14  –  28

West Liberty   0   6   0   0   –   6

WB – Tanner Lukavsky 33 interception return (Cael Fiderlein kick)

WB – Lukavsky 6 pass from Gavin Hierseman (Fiderlein kick)

WL – 86 kick off return (Kick blocked)

WB – Lukavsky 1 run (Fiderlein kick)

WB – Hierseman 6 run (Fiderlein kick)

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