Greyhounds lose opener

By PAUL DUNLAP

Journal Sports Editor

NEW ULM -- It was a scene that put the game of football in perspective.

Brandon Reinarts laying on the turf, his teammates huddled in prayer nearby.

Reinarts would leave the field by ambulance in the third, with the extent of his injury unknown at press time. His teammates then had to deal with a potent Springfield ground game that scored 27 unanswered points in the second half en route to a 41-6 Southern Minnesota C conference win.

"Tonight our depth got tested, and it showed," Greyhound coach Denny Lux said. "(Matt) Furth got dinged up, then Reinarts went out, and it really limited us to what we could do. You have to give the credit to Springfield though ... they really ran their offense well."

It would be Cathedral that would get on the board first, however, as Furth busted open a draw for a 68-yard touchdown run. The two-point pass failed, but the Hounds had a 6-0 lead with 5:32 left in the opening quarter. Furth would be hurt on the next defensive series, and wouldn't return until the second half.

"Early on, we didn't come out with the intensity I wanted," Tiger coach Paul Dunn said. "Cathedral came out and played very physical, and I was frustrated with our effort. As the game went on, we got better and better."

The Tigers would take the lead for good early in the second on a play that worked all night -- an option to Mike Amsden that went for 29 yards and the score. Adam Timm's extra point gave Springfield the advantage, and Aaron Nelson stretched that lead to 14-6 with a 6-yard plunge late in the half, followed by Timm's second PAT. The Tigers would amass 411 total yards on the ground -- mostly with dives and the option.

"We got our ground game unfurled a little bit, and took care of business from there," Dunn said. "I'm very happy with how my quarterback (Ryan Sturm) played and how my (offensive) line played. Overall I was very pleased."

The game would be 14-6 early in the third quarter when Joey Schugel's pass to Hans Biebl was fumbled. Reinarts and Springfield's Nick Sturm both dove for the ball, with Sturm coming up with the recovery. Reinarts was on the field for 15 minutes before leaving on a stretcher.

That injury seemed to take the wind out of his teammates, and the Tigers took advantage by scoring third-quarter touchdowns on a 10-yard keeper by Ryan Sturm and Nelson's 3-yard plunge for a 26-6 lead.

"We tried to make some adjustments at halftime with our (defensive) ends," Cathedral defensive coach Larry Wellmann said. "We wanted them to key on the quarterback, but (Sturm) did an excellent job running that veer (offense)."

The Greyhound defense was tired, and fresh legs in senior running back Matt Fredin accounted for 40 yards on five carries and a touchdown with 10:41 left on the clock. As time began to wind down, the Tigers pounded the ball with sophomores Jesse Fox and Jacob Marz and junior Nate Potter to the tune of 86 yards on 14 carries for the game's final score -- a 17-yard run around right end by Fox in the final minute.

Cathedral, now 0-1 on the season, will face Minnesota Valley Lutheran Friday, 7 p.m., at Johnson Field. Springfield (1-0) host Faribault Bethlehem Academy, also Friday at 7 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD 0 14 12 15 -- 41

CATHEDRAL 6 0 0 0 -- 6

FIRST QUARTER

CHS-Furth 68 run (pass failed) 5:32

SECOND QUARTER

SPR-Amsden 29 run (Timm kick) 10:18

SPR-Nelson 6 run (Timm kick) 1:59

THIRD QUARTER

SPR-R.Sturm 10 run (kick failed) 6:11

SPR-Nelson 3 run (pass failed) 1:34

FOURTH QUARTER

SPR-Fredin 1 run (Timm kick) 10:41

SPR-Fox 17 run (Marz run) :21