PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Dutchmen, Patriots both win big in season openers

EDGERTON — Scoring six touchdowns on 10 plays in the first quarter Thursday evening, the defending Minnesota State 9-man football champions — the Edgerton/Ellsworth Flying Dutchmen — opened up a 46-0 lead by the period’s end and claimed a 66-16 victory over Alden-Conger.

Racking up 550 yards of total offense — 402 rushing on 35 carries and 148 yards passing on a five-of-six performance by senior Isaac Heard — the Dutchmen were nearly unstoppable when their starters were on the field.

A-C scored a pair of touchdowns after intermission, returning a fumble 40 yards for a score in the third quarter and crossing the goal line after completing a drive late in the game.

But the Knights, who finished with 142 total yards, generated only 23 yards of offense in the first half and trailed 58-0.

Sophomore fullback Tyler Kurrasch scored the game’s first touchdown from three yards out and Blake Jouwstra caught a pass from Heard for the two-point PAT.

Devin Hulstein (three catches — all touchdowns —for 114 yards) hauled in a 30-yard strike from Heard for E/E’s second six-pointer. Kurrasch bulled in for the extra two-points, making the score 16-0.

Austin LaFollette ripped off a 45-yard run for the Dutchmen’s third touchdown and then Hulstein scored on a 60-yard bubble screen pass play.

E/E crossed the goal line two more times in the first quarter as Hulstein caught a 24-yard TD pass from Heard and Nathan Paulson broke loose for a 47-yard touchdown run.

Jouwstra scored two more two-point PATs in the quarter (once on a pass and once on a run), while Jorge Lopez ran in for one two-pointer.

Derek Voge scored both of E/E’s second-quarter touchdowns, catching a 34-yard scoring strike from Heard (four TD passes) and running in from seven yards out.

Jesse Berning scampered in with a nine-yard touchdown run for the Dutchmen in the fourth quarter with Paulson scoring the two-point conversion.

Paulson (six carries, 66 yards), LaFollette (two carries, 51 yards) and Kurrasch (five rushes, 47 yards) were the leading ground gainers for E/E, which was led on defense by Voge and Kurrasch with seven tackles each.

LaFollette intercepted a pass and Derek Claar had a quarterback sack for the Dutchmen, who travel to Hills Sept. 7 to tangle with rival Hills-Beaver Creek.

Alden-Conger 0 0 8 8 —16

E/E 46 12 0 8 — 66

H-BC 62, Randolph 8

HILLS — Dalton Bass scored five touchdowns and intercepted two passes to help Hills-Beaver Creek to a convincing 62-8 win over Randolph.

Bass, who rushed eight times for 103 yards, had touchdown runs of 54, one, one, and 34 yards, respectively. He also caught a 36-yard scoring strike from Dylan Gehrke (seven-of-11, 177 yards, two TD’s).

Tate Bork (10 carries, 52 yards) and Caleb Vis (seven carries, 47 yards) each capped a Patriot drive with a three-yard touchdown burst and Gehrke fired a 10-yard TD pass to Jeff Sandbulte (two catches, 17 yards).

Braden Ellingson (73 yards) and Carey Taubert (51 yards) each caught two of Gehrke’s passes.

The Patriots rushed 39 times for 248 yards, while limiting the Rockets to just 46 yards on 41 carries.

Randolph did complete six-of-nine passes for 60 yards, but three of those throws were intercepted, as Gehrke also picked off a Rockets’ aerial.

Bork topped H-BC’s tackle chart with eight, while Zach Wagenaar had six tackles and the trio of Vis, Nathan Taubert and Justin Kerkhove-Brandt each came up with a quarterback sack.

Randolph 0 0 0 8 — 8

H-BC 24 22 8 8 — 62

W-WG 34,

G-H-EC/Truman 21

GRANADA —Dana Madson scored a pair of touchdowns, rushed for 140 yards (25 carries) and caught five passes for 71 yards as Westbrook-Walnut Grove opened the season with a 13-point victory over the combination of Granada-Huntley-East Chain and Truman.

Madson also intercepted a pass and came up with a team-leading 10 tackles for W-WG, while Shane Buchman also had a stellar night on defense with eight tackles and an interception.

Levi Bunting and Aaron Hass both had six tackles, including a sack each.

The winning Chargers had 318 yards of total offense, while the Jaguars had 202.

John Elzenga completed eight of 14 passes for 143 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Hass —which was W-WG’s third score of the game.

Madson, who scored the Chargers’ first two touchdowns, ran in the two-point conversion following the Elzenga to Hass connection.

A safety off a quarterback sack by Hass completed the first half scoring with the Chargers holding a 22-7 lead.

Matt Otto scored on a six-yard run in the third quarter and Elzenga crossed from a one yard out in the fourth.

Bunting caught two passes for 45 yards and Tyson Berg recovered a fumble.

The Chargers host Fulda Sept. 7.

W-WG 6 16 6 6 — 34

G-H-EC/T 7 0 6 8 — 21

JCC clobbers VHS 59-6

JACKSON — Jackson County Central wasted no time versus Virginia High School Thursday night, as the Huskies took a 28-0 into half en route to a 59-6 win in the Huskies’ first football action of the season.

Tanner Menke was 10-of-19 passing for 211 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Two of those touchdowns went to JCC wide receiver Zach Copley, who hauled in touchdown receptions of 20 and 27 yards. Copley finished with four catches for 115 yards.

Darick Vancura had seven carries for 42 yards, including a four-yard touchdown run and Spencer Johnson made his touches count, finding the end zone on both of his carries of three yards. Ryan Salzwedel also had a 65-yard kick return for the Huskies (1-0).

JCC finished with 203 yards rushing.

Defensively, the Huskies hauled in an interception each from Kyle Luhmann and Darnell Taylor-Breck.

Cade Stackpool (15-of-27, 97 yards passing) scored the lone touchdown for Virginia on a three-yard run.

JCC will host Worthington Sept. 7.

VM 0 0 6 0 — 6

JCC 14 14 31 0 — 59

Cleveland too much for Fulda, Raiders fall 34-14

CLEVELAND — Cleveland pounded the ball versus Fulda, racking up 310 yards on 56 carries en route to a 34-14 win over Fulda in football action Thursday.

Todd Peterson was 9-of-18 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns for Fulda (0-1). A reverse on the kickoff between Trevor Ruesch and Zach Holt set up a 39-yard touchdown reception from Nate Getting (three receptions, 58 yards). Holt caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from Peterson for Fulda’s second trip to the end zone. Mason Trejo added the 2-point conversion for the Raiders.

Holt finished with four receptions for 78 yards to go along with 13 tackles and an interception on defense. Getting added 11 tackles and an interception and Ruesch had eight tackles to lead the Raider defense.

Fulda rushed for 27 yards on 26 carries.

Fulda will head to Westbrook-Walnut Grove Sept.7.

Tags: westbrook walnut grove, hills beaver creek, jackson county central, sports, prep, football, edgerton, ellsworth, fulda