Football: Superlarks Ride Armagost to Shutout of Kingsland

A pair of teams that won week one games squared off in Grand Meadow in week two. After three straight years of starting 0-2, the Superlarks are 2-0 after a win over Kings-land. Josh Bain’s group rode senior running back Parker Armagost. He ran for 232 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries, the vast majority of GM’s offense. The Lark defense was also up to task, holding the Knights to 96 yards total offense. They held Bently Wiersma, Kingsland top back, to just four first half rushing yards. But the game was still a close affair. After recovering a fumble in the Knight’s end, the Larks scored with 1:02 left in the first quarter. An eight-play, 34-yard sequence was capped by Blake Hubbard’s 1-yard TD run on 4th and goal.  That 6-0 lead held all the way until the fourth. Kingsland had chances. After GM’s first quarter score, Trent Aarsvold returned the kick-off 46 yards to the Lark 26. A horse-collar penalty on the play had the Knights starting their drive at the GM 13. But Armagost had a big tackle for loss on 2nd and 2 from the five. A snap over the quarterback’s head on 4th and 3 from the six was recovered by GM’s Marshall Bleifus, ending the threat. Kingsland also failed to connect on multiple long throws where receivers were open. The Knights best drive started late in the third quarter. A 15-play series covered 54 yards. But three penalties set the Knights back, including an illegal formation call that negated a game-tying Wiersma 55-yard TD run. GM’s Hubbard then had a big tackle for loss on 3rd and 2 from the GM 30. The drive ended via turnover on downs on the first play of the fourth. The Larks then ran 19 of the game’s final 21 offensive plays. A 31-yard Jackson Soltau to Hubbard connection, GM’s only completion of the game, on 3rd and 12 no less, pushed the ball into Kingsland’s end. An Armagost 3-yard TD run with 7:07 left in the game made it 12-0 GM. Two plays later, Hubbard intercepted Knight QB Collin Stuart. GM then ran out the clock with four first downs, Armagost carrying seven times for 65 yards. The win put GM (2-0, 2-0) into an early three-way tie atop the South-East with Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons (2-0, 2-0) and rival L-O/L/P (2-0, 2-0), the team the Larks host in week three. Kingsland (1-1, 1-1), Mabel-Canton (1-1, 1-1), Lanesboro (1-1, 1-1), and Spring Grove (1-1, 1-1) are tied in fourth place.