Area football roundup from the weekend

The Grand Meadow Superlarks, the No. 3 team in the state in Class 9-man played host the the No. 5 ranked Southland Rebels in a clash of state-ranked teams Saturday afternoon, and a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Evan Oehlke to running back Dusty Copley early in the fourth quarter helped the Larks down the Rebels 22-11.

Copley was personally responsible for Grand Meadow’s opening score of the game as after he picked off a pass at the Superlark 10-yard line to thwart an impressive first drive by Southland, he then raced 90 yards for a touchdown and an 8-0 lead after a 2-point conversion pass from Ben Kraft to Taylor Glynn.

Glynn added a 9-yard TD run in the second quarter and a 15-0 Superlark lead after Evan Oehlke’s extra point, but Southland then battled back when Nick Boe capped off a 64-yard touchdown drive with a 5-yard touchdown run and a 15-8 Grand Meadow lead after 2-point conversion run by Noah Sayles.  On the ensuing Superlark drive, Karter Jax picked off a pass that led to a 30-yard field goal by Ethan Forthun at the end of the half and a 15-11 Grand Meadow lead.

After a scoreless third quarter, the TD pass from Oehlke to Copley proved to be the only scoring of the half as Grand Meadow’s defense dug in and forced four turnovers in the game, and they also did not allow Southland to run a play inside their 25 yard line in the second half.

With the win, the Superlarks move to 4-0 on the season, and they are back in action at Houston Friday night at 7 p.m.  The Rebels are now 3-1 on the season, and they return to action Friday night at home in Adams versus Lanesboro.

In LeRoy Friday night, the host Cardinals of LeRoy/Ostrander played host to the Houston Hurricanes, and in a game where both teams lit up the scoreboard like a pinball machine, Isaac Collier rushed the ball 20 times for 190 yards and four touchdowns, and Chase Johnson added 26 carries for 202 yards and three scores as the Cardinals rallied from a 36-30 deficit late in the first half to win going away 62-48.

Johnson passing in the game was 7 of 14 for 106 yards and a touchdown to Andy Lohuis, who caught three passes overall for 60 yards.  With the win, the Cardinals even their record at 2-2, and they are on the road Friday night at Nicollet, with kickoff at 7 p.m.

The Hayfield Vikings were in Caledonia Friday night for a matchup with River Ridge, Wisconsin after their game in Blooming Prairie was called off due to BP having a COVID-19 contact on its team.  The game was tied 14 with just under a minute to go in regulation time when River Ridge scored the winning touchdown in a 20-14 victory.

Eric Bungum caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Pack in the first half, and later in the half Pack connected with Isaac Matti for an 11-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14.  With the loss, the Vikings drop to 1-3, and they will be home Friday night versus Fillmore Central, with kickoff at 7:00 p.m.

The Lyle/Pacelli Athletics were on the road in Granada Friday night for a matchup with the Jaguars of Granada/Huntley/East Chain/Truman, and Cole Walter ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, plus he threw for 125 yards and two more touchdowns as LP whitewashed the Jaguars 30-0.

Jed Nelson added 11 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown, and Trey Anderson toted the rock 16 times for 46 yards.  Zach Bollingberg added four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown as the Athletics earned their first shutout win since an 81-0 win over Glenville/Emmons on September 6th, 2014.

With the win, Lyle/Pacelli evens their record at 2-2, and they will play their last two regular-season games at home in Lyle starting with Spring Grove on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.