Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 135 No. 1 Fall 2013 | Page 21

WSD vs. Wayland Academy 44-28

WSD vs. Kansas School for the Deaf 50-12

Wayland surprised the Firebirds by scoring a touchdown on their opening drive in ten plays. Undeterred, our mighty Firebirds fought back by scoring
four straight unanswered touchdowns. Two rushing
touchdowns were from Jose Zepeda-Amador and
two additional rushing touchdowns were from Daniel
Romero. Tanner Evans chipped in before halftime by
catching a twenty two-yard pass from Damon Hopp.
The second half was a hard-fought battle. WSD scored
only one rushing touchdown by Zepeda-Amador while
the opponents were able to score two rushing touchdowns. The WSD defense was able to clamp down one
of Wayland’s outstanding runners, limiting the player
below his average yardage for this game. Tanner Evans and Zominque Walker led the team with ten solo
tackles each.
WSD vs. Abundant Life Christian School 6-0

The stunned Jackrabbits were outmatched by the
Firebirds’ offense which controlled the time of possession in both halves of the game. The Firebirds led
28 to 6 at halftime. Zepeda-Amador had two rushing touchdowns in the rst half with Damon Hopp
and Zominique Walker dancing their way to rushing
touchdowns of their own. In the second half, the
coaches sent in second stringers who also dominated
the Kansas team. Zepeda-Amador rushed for another
touchdown while Romero made sure that he scored a
rushing touchdown in the game as well. Excited about
this unusual scoring opportunity, Damon Hopp recovered a blocked punt by Romero to close the game.

The Firebirds looked forward to extending their
winning streak to two games after a great win over
Wayland Academy. Abundant Life had several injured
players which forced them to forfeit the game with
the Firebirds. The forfeit contributed to the Firebirds’
stellar 3-1 record at the midway point of the football
season.
WSD vs. Iowa School for the Deaf 40-14
Celebrating our school’s Homecoming heritage, the
Firebirds came out inspired for the game against the
Bobcats of the Iowa School for the Deaf. Even though
thunderstorms came through the area, the game began
45 minutes after the scheduled start of the game.
Both teams agreed to play eight minutes each quarter
instead of the regular 12 minute quarters. The Bobcats
were the rst to draw blood due to great eld position
after Daniel Romero muffed the punt. Tanner Evans
then inspired the Firebirds with a stellar kickoff return
that resulted in a touchdown. The Firebirds then ew
all around the Bobcats with 16 unanswered points
from a rushing touchdown by Romero and a 67-yard
pass to Romero who ran nimbly along the sidelines for
a touchdown. Jose Zepeda-Amador, who was named
WSD’s Homecoming king before the game, came out
roaring for the Birds with two rushing touchdowns in
the second half. The Bobcats were overwhelmed with
the Wisconsin defense which swarmed all over the
big Bobcat quarterback. The Firebirds look forward to
running the table in the last three games of the season,
starting with Kansas School for the Deaf.

WSD vs. Arkansas School for the Deaf 50-12
Seeking to continue their winning streak to ve
games, the Firebirds ew all around the Leopards
who were not able to catch the Birds in the air. WSD
opened the rst quarter with three quick rushing
touchdowns - two from Zepeda-Amador and one from
Romero. In the second quarter Zominique Walker and
Zepeda-Amador added a 45 and a 47-yard rushing
touchdown, respectively to close the half with a score
of 40 to 8. The coaches sent in the substitutes to gain
experience. However, Romero and Zepeda-Amador
were able to score rushing touchdowns after long runs
of 46 yards and 52 yards respectively. The Firebirds
defense led by Tanner Evans pecked the Leopards off
one by one with multiple stops of Arkansas’ offense.
WSD vs. Missouri School for the Deaf 80-34
In the epic clash of the ying fowls, the Firebirds
proved that they are still kings of the air. The Eagles
could not stop the Wisconsin offense which scored
on almost every possession while breaking a school
record for most points scored in a single game. Daniel
Romero ran 26 times for 251 yards with SIX touchdowns. Romero tied the WSD 8-man record for most
touchdowns in a game. Senior Jose Zepeda-Amador
will be sorely missed by Wisconsin as he has provided
great leadership to the team. Zepeda-Amador also set
a single game rushing record by amassing 326 yards
as well as a season record of 961 rushing yards. As a
result of his ve rushing touchdowns, Jose’s entered
the record books for a third time by tying Tony Davis’
2010 record for 18 touchdowns in a season. The Firebirds ended this great season with a six game winning
Fall 2013 - 21
streak.