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After struggling to get going in the first two weeks of the season the West Branch offense got the big-time breakthrough it needed on Friday.

West Branch (2-1) rolled up 42 first-half points and cruised to a 52-0 win over Maquoketa Valley (0-3) on Friday in the non-district finale for both teams in Delhi.

The offensive explosion was just what West Branch was searching for after a slow start on offense.

West Branch averaged just 108.5 total yards and nine points through its first two games after being held to 89 total yards and six points in an 11-point loss to Waterloo Columbus last Friday.

The Bears got rolling on Friday scoring touchdowns on its first six drives and finishing with a season-high 340 yards of offense.

West Branch got the spark it needed early as senior wide receiver Peyton Miller returned the opening kick off 89 yards for a touchdown.

After Maquoketa Valley went 3-and-out on its opening possession Wyatt Fiderlein scored on a 13-yard touchdown run to put West Branch up 14-0 less than three minutes into the game.

Miller scored on a five-yard touchdown run and Andy Henson added a 13-yard scoring jaunt as West Branch jumped to a 28-0 lead after one quarter.

Miller caught touchdown passes of 2 and 63 yards from junior quarterback Carver Boelk in the second quarter to put the Bears up 42-0 at intermission.

Henson scored on a 30-yard run and Fiderlein booted a 34 yard field goal in the third quarter as the first seven West Branch drives resulted in points.

Boelk completed 4-of-6 passes for 93 yards with Miller hauling in three passes for 77 yards and finishing with four touchdowns.

Henson rushed for 206 yards and two scores on 18 carries and Carver Boelk added 22 rushing yards.

The 52 points for West Branch matched the highest scoring output for the Bears since scoring 52 in a win over Bellevue on September 27 of 2019 and was the most points in a road game for West Branch since it put up 56 on Osage in a playoff opener in 2018.

Henson and junior Jaxson Kaalberg each had six tackles to lead the West Branch defensive effort with Henson making a pair of tackles for loss.

Fiderlein had had a sack, Holden Arnaman picked off a pass and Logan Wright recovered a fumble for West Branch.

West Branch will host Louisa-Muscatine (0-3) at the Little Rose Bowl next Friday at 7 p.m. to open district play.

WB                 MV

First downs                 16                    4

Rushes-yards              37-247             23-29

Comp-Att-Int              4-6-0               6-15-1

Passing yards              93                    50

Total yards                  340                  79

Punts-avg.                   1-40                 5-29.2

Fumbles-lost               2-1                   4-2

Penalties-yards           5-40                 3-15

West Branch              28  14  10  0  –  52

Maquoketa Valley    0    0    0   0  –   0

WB – Peyton Miller 89 kick off return (Wyatt Fiderlein kick)

WB – Fiderlein 13 run (Fiderlein kick)

WB – Miller 5 run (Fiderlein kick)

WB – Andy Henson 13 run (Fiderlein kick)

WB – Miller 2 pass from Carver Boelk (Fiderlein kick)

WB – Miller 63 pass from Boelk (Fiderlein kick)

WB – Henson 30 run (Fiderlein kick)

WB – Fiderlein 34 field goal

Individual statistics

RUSHING – West Branch: Andy Henson 18-206, Carver Boelk 3-22, Wyatt Fiderlein 3-17, Luke Guseman 3-10, Peyton Miller 1-5, Cale Seydel 1-2, Kinnick Boelk 1-2, Jarrett Ellyson 2-2, Shae Farmer 1-(-2), Team 1-(-17).

PASSING – West Branch: Carver Boelk 4-6-0 93.

RECEIVING – West Branch: Peyton Miller 4-77, Brady Hunger 1-16.

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