Area football roundup from Friday

The Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms, the Class A champions from 2019 opened the 2020 season at home Friday night versus rival Rushford Peterson, and quarterback Drew Kittelson threw for 300 yards, surpassed 150 yards rushing and was a part of six touchdowns as the Blossoms downed the Trojans 37-22.

Blooming Prairie returns to action Friday night at Medford.

The Lyle/Pacelli football team opened the 2020 season on the road Friday night in Spring Valley versus the Kingsland Knights in nine-man action, and it was the Knights pulling away in the second half with 22 unanswered points to down the Athletics 44-14.

Jed Nelson caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cole Walter early in the third quarter to pull LP as close as 22-14, but it was all Kingsland from there on in.  Walter wound up going 21 for 36 passing for 262 yards, a touchdown and an interception, Zach Bollingberg led the Athletics in receptions as he snagged nine passes for 142 yards, Nelson wound up with eight catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, Jake Truckenmiller had one catch for 27 yards, Jon Wahlen had two receptions for 14 yards and Trey Anderson caught one pass for seven yards.  Nelson led LP in rushing with one carry for 25 yards.

The Athletics open up 0-1, and they are back into action Friday night for their home opener against Madelia in Lyle at 7 p.m.

The Grand Meadow Superlarks, Section 1 nine-man champions from last season opened the new season in Mountain Lake against the team that ousted them from the State Class Nine-Man tournament, the eventual champion Wolverines from Mountain Lake Area.  Evan Oehlke threw two second half touchdown passes to Dusty Copley and Luke Speer as the Superlarks opened the season with a big win and gained a bit of revenge as well as they blanked the Wolverines 13-0.

Oehlke wound up going 6 for 11 passing for 60 yards and the two scores, and he also carried the ball 18 times for 33 yards.  Copley had two catches for 33 yards and a touchdown, Luke Speer tallied the one catch for 15 yards and a score, Taylor Glynn pulled in two passes for five yards and Ben Kraft had one catch for seven yards.  Copley added nine rushes for 19 yards, Daniel Smith led the Larks in rushing with seven carries for 40 yards and the Superlark defense came up big in forcing five turnovers in the shutout.  Kraft piled up four sacks and recovered a Wolverine fumble, Glynn recovered two Mountain Lake Area fumbles, Riley Paul added a fumble recovery and Speer intercepted a pass in helping Grand Meadow to the win.

Grand Meadow is 1-0 to start the season, and their three-game roadtrip to start the 2020 campaign continues Friday at LeRoy/Ostrander.

Speaking of the Cardinals, they hosted Lanesboro Saturday to open the new season, and Chase Johnson was a one-man wrecking crew as he was 10 of 18 passing for 216 yards and three touchdowns, plus he carried the ball 21 times for 72 yards and intercepted a pass to help lead the Cardinals past the Burros 27-20.

Tristan Lewison hauled in four passes for a whopping 108 yards, and Brodi Nessler tallied three catches for 67 yards.  Besides Johnson’s 72 rushing yards, the Cardinals were led in rushing by Isaac Collier who toted the pigskin 20 times for 150 yards and a score.

The Southland Rebels opened the 2020 season at Mabel against the Cougars of Mabel-Canton, and both Noah Sayles and Nick Boe rushed for two TD’s apiece, plus Brendan Kennedy added a rushing touchdown of his own to help lead the Rebels to a 35-14 season-opening win.

Sayles wound up with eight carries for 80 yards and the two scores, Boe toted the ball six times for 31 yards and the two TD’s and Kennedy wound up carrying the ball four times for 60 yards and the one touchdown.

Quarterback Harrison Hannah was 8 of 19 passing for 102 yards, and Kennedy was the leading receiver for the Rebels with three catches for 45 yards.  Boe snagged two passes for 34 yards and Eli Wolff added two catches for 21 yards.