McLeod

West just

holds off

Chargers

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

STEWART -- Tyler Evans gained 259 yards Friday night. The Minnesota Valley Lutheran Chargers made the McLeod West senior earn almost every yard of it.

The Falcons running back did it the hard way, needing 41 carries to get his yards, but Evans also scored five touchdowns to help Class 1A No. 2 McLeod West hold off MVL 36-28 in Tomahawk Conference football.

"They were a tough team, they hit hard," Evans said. "I'm all battered up. My lip's cut. They did a great job and their record doesn't show how good they are."

And as hard as Evans had to fight for his yards, the Falcons had to fight to hold off a second-half rally by the surging Chargers. Trailing 24-6 at halftime after scoring with just 1:38 remaining, MVL (0-2) outplayed the Falcons in the final two quarters, which left the Charger wondering what might have been if not for the opening 24 minutes.

"We gave them a game after we gave them the game," MVL coach Jim Buboltz said. "We gave them 24 points in the first half. ... But I'm not going to take anything away from them. That's a power football team. Those boys can lay it down."

Two fumbles and a botched fake punt caused by a mishandled snap figured largely in McLeod West's 24-0 lead before the Chargers began their rally. But the Falcons also proved they can play power football, totaling 325 yards rushing on 61 carries in the game.

The combination was just enough for McLeod West (2-0) to escape with a victory.

"It was a good victory," McLeod West coach Curt Strand said. "They had some momentum. We gave them some momentum in getting that touchdown right before half. That's what this game is all about is momentum."

Capitalizing upon MVL's early miscues, the Falcons got out to a 24-0 lead on the stunned Chargers. McLeod West capped 58-, 67- and 60-yard drives with Evans' touchdown runs of 33, 5 and 29 yards.

"My line, I'd like to thank them all, they're great," Evans said. "They're what I am. Without them I don't get the yards. And I got to thank my blocking backs -- Jeremy Gettel, Kameron Hanjani, Brent Pichotta and Nick Pichotta. They're just phenomenal."

It was power football by the Falcons. Evans' longest run of the night was his 33-yard romp with 6:39 left in the first quarter. There were a lot of shorter runs as the gang-tackling Chargers stuck to their gameplan of containing Evans.

And there was plenty of punishment both ways.

"I think we made him earn it," Buboltz said. "But he earns it. He not only gets his yards, he delivers some punishment. Our guys who were getting the tackles were coming off the field and they were shaken up for a little while there, too."

MVL began to deliver some punishment with its offense late in the first half. The Chargers mounted a nine-play, 70-yard drive, mixing the pass and the run, and closed to 24-6 on Josh Dettmann's 4-yard quarterback keeper with 1:38 in the second quarter.

That drive put the Falcons on the defensive the rest of the night.

MVL forced a McLeod West fumble on the first drive of the second half and needed only one play -- an 8-yard sweep by senior Joel Russow -- to cut the deficit to 24-14 with just 55 seconds gone in the third quarter. Evans answered with his fourth touchdown, a 17-yard dash on a counter, for a 30-14 McLeod West margin with 6:15 in the third.

But two drives later the Chargers answered with a 43-yard scoring run by Dettmann on a perfectly executed quarterback draw to pull within 10 points with 16 seconds in the third.

MVL got the ball for the final time with 2:18 in the game down 36-20 after Evans' fifth touchdown run of the night. They needed just four plays to reach the end zone when Dettmann connected with junior tight end Jacob Firle for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 1:47 in the game. The key play of the drive was a 42-yard pass from Dettmann to Karl Struck that took MVL to the Falcons' 9.

But McLeod West went back to Evans on the ensuing drive and the senior picked up a critical first down on 3rd-and-2 with a 10-yard burst to end MVL's rally.

But the Chargers did have success against the Falcons' defense. MVL totaled 255 yards. Dettmann finished the game 8 of 19 for 138 yards and the Chargers rushed for 117 yards.

"We gave them the ball twice and you can't afford to do that, give them a short field," Strand said. "Yeah, I'm concerned, we have got to play better on defense. We got to see what we can do."

MVL 0 6 14 8--28

McLeod West 8 16 6 6--36

1st Quarter

MW--Evans 33 run (Strand run), 6:39

2nd Quarter

MW--Evans 1 run (Brugman pass from Strand), 9:58

MW--Evans 29 run (Strand run), 5:23

MVL--Dettmann 4 run (pass failed), 1:38.

3rd Quarter

MVL--Russow 8 run (Dettmann run), 11:05

MW--Evans 17 run (run failed), 6:15

MVL--Dettmann 43 run (run failed), :16

4th Quarter

MW--Evans 6 run (pass failed), 2:25

MVL--Firle 9 pass from Dettmann (Dettmann run), 1:47.