HORTONVILLE — With only three games into the 2024 season, the Kaukauna Galloping Ghosts football team looked to be in mid-season form Thursday.
Kaukauna defeated Hortonville 35-7 to move to 2-1 on the season and 1-1 in the Fox Valley Association conference.
The Ghosts were able to move the ball efficiently from early in the game, scoring four times in the first half.
The Ghosts jumped on the scoreboard first with a Bron Schaefer 3-yard keeper. A Linkoln Xiong PAT put Kaukauna up 7-0 with 9:53 in the second quarter.
The Ghosts followed that with a Schaefer to Parker Schuh 61-yard touchdown bomb with 6:13 in the second.
A Kavanaugh Weyenberg 10-yard pass reception pushed the Ghosts lead to 21-0.
That was followed by a Luke Tetzlaff interception that put an end to a late second quarter drive by the Polar Bears.
The turnover led to a 32-yard Schaefer to Schuh touchdown pass to push the lead to 2-0 at the half.
Schuh, who celebrated his birthday Thursday, had three catches for 108 yards in the first half alone.
Kaukauna kept up the offensive firepower going into the second half with a 33-yard Weyenberg touchdown reception that pushed the lead to 35-0 and forced a running clock for the remainder of the game.
Cole Smith grabbed an interception with 4:28 in the third and the Ghosts began substituting freely.
A late-game score by Hortonville made the final 35-7.
