The Spring Grove defense had a record-breaking night while the Lions scorched the visitors with a Bryce Berns-to-Jaxon Strinmoen passing blitz. While blanking Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons, 35-0, Grove limited the Knights to only 47 yards of offense, the fewest allowed by the Lions in the in the 23 seasons, for which individual game stats survive! AC/GE came in averaging 307 yards and nearly 28 points per game.
Photo by Lee Epps
Berns completed 9 of 20 passes to five different receivers for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The jaw-droppers were three long tosses to Strinmoen for 33, 35 and 40 yards. The 33-yarder came only two plays before Strinmoen scored with the 35-yard reception for a 13-0 lead. The lanky 6-foot-4-inch wideout was ruled down one yard short of the goal line after collecting the 40-yard bomb. He promptly ran the ball into the end zone on the next play on the way to a 21-0 halftime spread.
Berns also hit Zach Brumm (3-27 yards) with a 12-yard TD toss. The quick-footed quarterback gained 99 yards on only three carries, including a 45-yard scamper that closed scoring in the third period. Berns’ 38-yard sprint had set up the first Lion score when Strinmoen carried in from the two yard-line. Strinmoen thus scored the first three touchdowns, 2 rushing, one receiving.
Jacob Olerud was the leading rusher with 129 yards on 22 carries. Ben Udstuen was successful booting through all five extra points, held by Berns after snaps from Olerud. With junior lineman Shawn Crouch now out for the season with an injury, sophomore Tysen Moen drew his first varsity start at offensive center. Junior Troy Reinhardt plus sophomores Noah Heppner and Dash Ranzenberger drew starts on defense.
A 26-yard run by Weston Anderson accounted for most of the Knights’ meager 47-yard total. No other AC/GE play went for double-digit yardage while the Knights lost yardage on eight plays with no gain on five other snaps. AC/GE junior signal caller Landon Mattson completed four passes for 16 yards, but he lost 23 yards on sacks. Lion lineman Brandon Jahnke had two sacks, Olerud one. Olerud was the tackle leader with 10, including three for loss.
All three AC/GE first downs came on the same possession, a 10-play, 59-yard drive (aided by a 15-yard SG penalty) that ended on downs at the Lion 21 yard-line. Ethan Crouch was in on both tackles as SG stopped third-and-one and fourth-and-one plays. The Knights were only 1 for 10 on third down conversions and 0 for 3 on fourth down. Most impressive for the visitors was punter Hunter Brown who averaged 44.5 yards on six punts.
Spring Grove has won both games against the combined AC/GE program after going 13-0 versus Glenville-Emmons and 4-0 against Alden-Conger.
Earlier in the Week, the B-team (3-0) won at Southland, 36-14. The Lion junior high boys (1-2) fell to the Rebels, 26-13.
YARDAGE
Team total (rush+pass): SG 415 (256+161), ACGE 47 (31+16)
RUSHING: att.-yards (avg.) SG 38-256 (6.7) 3 TD; ACGE 27-31 (1.1)
PASSES: comp-att-int, yds. (TD): SG 10-21-0, 167 Yds. (2TD); ACGE 4-9-0, 12 yds.
Sacks allowed: SG 0, ACGE 3
TD: SG (3 runs, 2 pass)
PAT: SG 5-5 (kick 5-5)
TOTAL PLAYS: SG 59, ACGE 36
AVG. yards per play: SG 7.0, ACGE 1.3
FUMBLES – LOST: SG 2-1, ACGE 1-0
TURNOVERS: SG 1, ACGE 0
PENALTIES: SG 4-25, ACGE 3-25
3rd downs: SG 8 for 12, ACGE 1 for 10
4th downs: SG 2 for 2, ACGE 0 for 3
Red zone: SG 3 for 4, ACGE 0 for 0
First downs: SG 20, ACGE 3
Plays of 20+ yards: SG 6, ACGE 1
INDIVIDUALS: RUSHING 38-256: Jacob Olerud 22-129; Bryce Berns 3-99, TD; Sylas Flatin 7-17; Ricardo Reynolds 1-8; Jaxon Strinmoen 4-7, 2TD; Team 1-(-4). PASSING: Bryce Berns 9-20-0, 159, 2TD; Jaxon Strinmoen 1-1-0, 2 yds. RECEIVING 10-161: Jaxon Strinmoen 3-108, TD; Zach Brumm 3-27, TD; Braedon Solie 2-20; Ethan Crouch 1-4; Ben Udstuen 1-2. SCORING 35: Jaxon Strinmoen 18, Zach Brumm 6, Bryce Berns 6, Ben Udstuen 5. PUNTING: Ben Udstuen 2-74 (37.0). INTERCEPTIONS: none. PASS BREAKUPS: none. FUMBLE RECOVERIES: none. FUMBLES FORCED: none. SACKS 3: Brandon Jahnke 2, Jacob Olerud 1. TACKLES for LOSS (incl. sacks) 8: Jacob Olerud 3.0; Brandon Jahnke 2.5; Noah Heppner 1.0; Jacob Solum 1.0; Dash Ranzenberger 0.5. TACKLES (solo+assists): Jacob Olerud 10 (5+5); Brandon Jahnke 6 (2+4); Jacob Solum 4 (2+2); Brumm 4 (0+4); Ethan Crouch 3 (1+2); Jaxon Strinmoen 3 (1+2); Caden Gerard 2 (0+2); Braedon Solie 1 (1+0); Sylas Flatin 1 (1+0); Josh Newgaard 1 (1+0); Troy Reinhardt 1 (1+0); Ben Udstuen 1 (0+1); Tysen Moen 1 (0+1). KICKOFF RETURNS: none. PUNT RETURNS: Jaxon Strinmoen 2-73
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Spring Grove Varsity Football 2023
4-0 (3-0 East Sub-District)
W at Mountain Lake Area 28-7
W vs. Southland 13-12
W vs. Grand Meadow 34-12
W at Lanesboro 13-8
W vs. Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons 35-0
09/29 at Mabel-Canton (SG has won the last 18, but M-C leads all-time)
10/06 open
10/13 Kingsland (SG has won all four games against the Knights)
19/18 at Houston (SG has won their last 18 meetings)
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Spring Grove B-team Football 2023
W at Kingsland 14-6
W vs. Lanesboro 44-0
W at Southland 36-14
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Spring Grove Junior High Football 2023
W at Kingsland 33-13
L vs. Lanesboro 19-26
L at Southland 13-26
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