Photo by Isaac Blocker
#6 Warriors Double Rally for Win Over #5 Cannon Falls
Early in the second quarter, Caledonia football faced an uphill task. Coming off a ranked-versus-ranked 20-13 loss to Chatfield in week three, the #6 Warriors (2-1) trailed #5 Cannon Falls (3-0) 12-0. But Carl Fruechte’s group double-rallied to post their best win of the year. The Warriors scored three second quarter TDs. A 63-yard Ethan Stendel to Tristan Meyer TD pitch-and-catch just before the half tied the game 20-20. Stendel then opened the second half with a 78-yard kickoff return TD and the Warriors then never trailed. They put the game away with a 15-0 fourth quarter, getting a Stendel to Will Allen 24-yard TD pass, and a Ben Stemper 3-yard TD run (his team-best fifth on the year). After trailing 12-0, the Warriors out-scored the Bombers 41-8 to post a 41-20 victory. Stendel (6-12, 128 yards, 3 TDs) accounted for four total scores including the two keys play just before and after half. Stemper (13-118, 2 TDs rushing) accrued most of the Warrior’s yards on the ground. Meyer (63 yards), Allen (24 yards), and Fischer Wait (14-yards) each had a TD catch. Stemper (12 tackles), freshman Cooper Allen (11 tackles), and Stendel (7 tackles) led the Warrior defense. Three different CF backs, Preston Schoenfelder (25-98 rushing), Jack Meyers (62 yards rushing), and Tysen Lind (64 yards rushing) ran for scores. The Bombers ran for 232 of their 292 yards. Caledonia won last year’s ranked/ranked game at Cannon Falls 28-6. The #6 Warriors (2-1, 3-1) and #5 Bombers (2-1, 3-1) are now tied for third place behind #3 Chatfield (3-0, 4-0) and #7 Triton (2-0, 4-0) in the Southeast-White standings. Caledonia, CF and Triton all made state last year.
#3 Gophers Run Over D-E to Improve to 4-0
Chatfield ran for a whopping 482 yards on 41 carries to subdue Dover-Eyota 43-22 in a week four Southeast-White rivalry affair. The #3-ranked Gophers (3-0) trailed only once, 7-6. It was close at half, though. D-E (0-3) scored just before intermission to trail 21-15. But the Gophers won the third quarter 15-0, getting TD runs from Ben Carrier (40 yards) and D’Andre Williams (3 yards), then another Williams TD scamper (67-yards) early in the fourth quarter. Chatfield built a 43-15 lead and prevailed 43-22. The Gophers nearly got three ball-carriers over 100 yards. Carrier (10-184, 2 TDs rushing) and Willliams (11-150, 2 TDs rushing) led the way. Carrier’s first half TD run went for 73 yards. Quarterback Carson Rowland (14-91, TD rushing) just missed the century mark. Rowland (3-9, 49 yards, TD, INT passing) also hit Kaisen Johnson for a 19-yard TD pitch-and-catch. While Chatfield ran at will behind the offensive line of Jacob Stevens (6’5” 270), Ethan Cole (6’3” 250), Mitchel Hinckley (6’0” 210), Westin Nolte (5’11” 200), and Jackson Bernard (6’1” 205), the Eagles had just 87 yards on the ground. Eagle Cooper Kellen ran for two and threw a third TD. Chatfield avenged two losses to the Eagles last year. The Gophs (3-0, 4-0) narrowly lead #7 Triton (2-0, 4-0) atop the Southeast-White with #6 Caledonia (2-1, 3-1) and #5 Cannon Falls (2-1, 3-1) tied for third place. The Warriors beat CF in week four.
Falcons Down Trojans 28-12 in Rivalry Game
Rushford-Peterson (1-2) started its homecoming game with a big kickoff return and scored first. Fillmore Central (2-1) then scored 21 unanswered points and never trailed in posting a Mid-Southeast Blue rivalry win. Trojan Jaxson Meldahl returned the opening kick 66 yards. A Caden Johnson 25-yard pass to Domanick Corcoran and a Meldahl 1-yard TD covered the rest of the way, as R-P took its only lead, 6-0. FC answered with a 10-play scoring drive that had two fourth down conversions. A Bridon Bahl 1-yard TD run plus PAT made it 7-6. FC then scored twice in the second quarter, as Bahl hit Davis Penhollow for 43-yard TD strike. After a Trojan fumble, Anthony Kiehne capped a seven-play drive with a 7-yard TD run for a 21-6 Falcon lead. R-P scored just before the half, as Johnson found Creighton Hoiness for a 17-yard pass play. But where FC’s Atlee Hershberger was 3 of 3 on PAT’s, R-P failed each of its conversions. The Falcons led 21-12 at intermission. R-P got inside FC’s 10 in the third but turned the ball over on downs. Late in the fourth, Bahl hit Greg Kennedy for an 84-yard TD strike to cement it. The Falcons got the victory 28-12. Bahl (11-19, 255 yards, 2 TDs passing, TD rushing) accounted for three scores. Kennedy (3-134 receiving) and Penhollow (2-59 receiving) had receiving TDs. Kiehne (13-42 rushing, 3-17 receiving) had a score on the ground and two interceptions on defense. Josh Haugerud (3-45 receiving) and Kane Larson (14-44 rushing) chipped in offensive work. FC won the takeaway battle 4 to 1. Johnson (10-14, 109 yards, TD, INT passing), Meldahl (5-36 receiving; rushing TD), and Hoiness (2-31, TD receiving) led the Trojans. Meldahl had five kickoff returns for 136 yards. R-P ran for under 50 yards. FC finished with 356 total yards, R-P 200. Chris Mensink’s Falcons (3-1, 3-1) are tied with Lewiston-Altura (3-1, 3-1) atop the MSE-Blue ‘East’. Fourth-ranked Goodhue (4-0, 4-0) notably topped BP (3-1, 3-1) in other MSE “West” action. R-P fell to 1-3, 1-3.
Unbeaten Cards Get Ahead Early, Down Houston 48-34
LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle/Pacelli (3-0) grabbed a pair of first quarter turnovers from Houston (1-2) and turned both into points. Trevor Carrier’s Cardinals got ahead early and never looked back in posting their fourth win in as many tries. Houston’s first offensive play was a fumble. Nine plays later, Camden Hungerholt hit Carter Sweeney for a 12-yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead. With the score 14-6 Cardinals later in the first quarter, Sweeney intercepted Houston’s Morgan Rohweder. Three plays later, on 3rd and 7, Hungerholt hit Talan Lewison for a 37-yards TD strike. With Ryder Stern PAT, L-O/L/P went ahead 21-6 after one. Houston would then pull within one score once, and had a chance to do so another time. With seven seconds left in the first half, Rohweder scored on a one-yard sneak. The conversion failed, leaving L-O/L/P up 28-20 at the half. But Hungerholt raced 74-yards early in the second half to prop the lead to 35-20. The ‘Canes answered with a 12-play, 58-yard drive. Rohweder’s second one-yard score got Houston to within 35-26, but the two-point conversion failed leaving it a two-score game. Houston’s plight was then sealed early in the fourth. Four straight goal-to-goal chances were dashed by the Cardinal defense. On L-O/L/P’s next series, Hungerholt hit brother Reid Hungerholt for a 50-yard pitch-and-catch, and Tysen Stevens then raced 29 yards to paydirt. The Cards went ahead 41-26. They used their speed to notch a 48-34 win. Hungerholt again was a force (7-14, 140, 2 TDs passing; 22-268, 3 TDs rushing – TD runs of 36, 55, and 74). He also forced and recovered a fumble and had an interception. Reid H. (2-67 receiving) was the top receiver, though Lewison (2-45 receiving) and Sweeney (12 yards) caught scores. Carson Roe (8-48 rushing) and Stevens (3-30 rushing) had rushing TDs. Stern (18 total tackles) and Dylan Christianson (14 total tackles) were busy slowing Houston’s ground game. Lee Klunder (20-98) and Rohweder (10-20, 165 yards, 2 INTs passing) each had two rushing scores for the Hurricanes. Zach Olson (8-92 receiving) and Axel Vix (2-72 receiving) were Houston’s top receivers. Freshman Lucas Burt capped the game with a 76-yard TD run late. Seventh-ranked L-O/L/P (3-0, 4-0) trails #8 Spring Grove (4-0, 4-0) by a half game in the South-East standings. Houston fell to 1-3, 1-3.
Knights Hammer Knights, Grab Third Straight Win
Coming off a season-opening tough loss to LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle/Pacelli, defending 9-Man section champion Kingsland has since faced three foes and hammered all three. In week four, a battle of Knights was all Kingsland as Matt Kolling’s group (2-1) nailed Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons (1-2) by 53-6 final. Junior quarterback Kaaleem Reiland accounted for 335 yards total offense and six total TDs (8-207, 4 TDs rushing; 9 of 16, 128 yards, 2 TDs passing). AC/G-E had no answer for the fleet and quick junior on the ground, where he averaged almost 26 yards a carry. Zach Reiland (9-50 rushing; 2-38 receiving) had a touchdown rushing and receiving. Caden Reiter (53 yards) caught K-Reiland’s other score. Sam Howard added two catches for 45 yards. Eighth grader Tate Rasmussen also hooked up with Trent Aarsvold for a 25-yard scoring play. The Knights, all told, completed 11 passes, and they went to eight different receivers. Kingsland’s defense also wreaked havoc with numerous tackles for loss including six sacks. Parker Johnson had three and K.D. Reiland two. Kingsland collected six turnovers, four interceptions and two fumbles. Reiter notably had two interceptions and a recovery. Sam Howard had a team-best 14 total tackles. The Knights (3-1, 3-1) and Mabel-Canton (3-1, 3-1) sit tied for third in the South-East behind #8 Spring Grove (4-0, 4-0) and #7 L-O/L/P (3-0, 4-0) in the South-East
Fourth Quarter Score Propels M-C to 3-1
Mabel-Canton (2-1) and Southland (2-1) went back and forth. The teams alternated scoring the first eight touchdowns of the contest. Included was a span of four third quarter offensive plays that netted three scores. Each team finished with five touchdowns. But a third quarter Cougar conversion proved to be the difference. It allowed M-C quarterback Isaac Underbakke’s 18-yard fourth quarter TD run to give M-C a slim 34-32 advantage. His score capped a 12-play, 66-yard M-C drive. It came after Southland grabbed a Cougar fumble, and turned it into points, and the Rebels’ only lead at 32-28. Up 34-32, M-C stopped Southland’s next drive on downs. M-C then ran out the clock with a 14-play, four-first-down series. The Cougars moved to 3-1 with a tight 34-32 win. Of the 10 total touchdowns scored, only three were converted. M-C had two two-point runs and Southland one. Kale Tollefsrud (22-154 rushing; 4-88 receiving) led M-C. He had a 57-yard TD run and a 74-yard TD catch in the third quarter. Underbakke (7-11, 122 yards, 2 TDs passing; 6-34, TD rushing) had the game-winning score. Tyler Larson (17-68, TD rushing) and Darian Hershberger (9-yard TD reception) also scored for M-C. Beau Sathre (18-155, 2 TDs rushing) led the Rebels. M-C ran for 282 yards, Southland 351. Each team went over 400 yards total offense, Southland 409, M-C 404. Each team lost two fumbles. M-C was 5-of-5 on fourth down. The Cougars (3-1, 3-1) and Kingsland (3-1, 3-1) trail #8 Spring Grove (4-0, 4-0) and #7 L-0/L/P (3-0, 4-0) in the South-East.
#8 Lions Blitz Burros with Quick Scores
Hosting Lanesboro in South-East action, Spring Grove scored on five straight possessions, using only 11 offensive plays. Those five quick-strike TDs converted a 7-6 lead into a 42-6 margin early in the third quarter, a score that held as the final. At that point, the Lions had faced only one third down. Quarterback Bryce Berns (6 for 167 rushing) ran for two TDs on back-to-back 35 and 80-yard carries and passed (5-8, 77 yards) for two TDs. Troy Reinhardt caught a 35-yard TD toss and set up TDs with a 45-yard kickoff return and a 31-yard punt runback along with a fumble recovery and team-high nine tackles. Ben Udstuen scored with a 21-yard reception, was 6 for 6 on extra-point kicks, and averaged 40.5 yards on two punts. Dash Ranzenberger scored on TD runs of 2 and 21 yards. Lanesboro scored with a fourth-down, 4-yard pass from Mason Gilbertson (8-14, 60 yards passing) to Levi Rogers. David Harvey (20-91 rushing) and Cole Sass (14-68 rushing; 4-27 receiving) led the Burro ground game. The win kept the #8 Lions (4-0, 4-0) atop the South-East ahead of L-O/L/P (3-0, 4-0). Lanesboro fell to 0-3, 0-4.
South-East Football (9/21)
Grand Meadow 14, Edgerton 44 (GM: Brady Hrykas 3-73, TD rushing; Teague Alden 6-55, TD rushing. Edgerton built a 38-0 lead and GM did not score until the fourth quarter. Larks are 0-3 in the South-East, 0-4 overall)