Dodge drives Knights over Maranatha

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Most of the eyes were on Chris Rathje -- Martin Luther's new quarterback. But by late Saturday afternoon, David Dodge had caught a lot of people's eyes.

The MLC sophomore running back scored four touchdowns, all in the first half. Dodge, who was working behind a rebuilt offensive line, ran for 91 yards as MLC crushed the Maranatha Crusaders 41-13 in the season opener for both teams at "The Bowl."

"The offensive line did a great job," Dodge said. "They opened up the holes for me. I'm real proud of them."

Dodge scored on runs of 31, 3, 1 and 5 yards. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Dodge gave the Knights a 14-0 lead with his first two touchdown runs and put the game out of reach with his second two, giving MLC a 35-6 lead.

"Dave's a good football player," MLC coach Dennis Gorsline said. "Obviously, when you can run the ball, that's really sweet. We knew he was good and he really likes to play."

Oh, and that new quarterback, Rathje, he had a pretty good first game, too. The senior was 7 of 17 for 128 yards with a pair of touchdown passes.

"It wasn't an outstanding performance, by any means, but I got in there, and I got to be a little more comfortable with the offense," Rathje said. "It was just a good first game to get under by belt."

It was a pretty good day all the way around for the Knights (1-0). Concerns about the offense's lack of depth in the 90-degree heat never came to fruition. The Knights racked up 353 yards of total offense, 214 of the yards coming in the first half before Gorsline began substituting liberally.

Gorsline had no depth concerns when it came to his defense. Depth there ensured a rotation system that kept the Knights fresh and dominant at the line of scrimmage throughout the game.

"The running game never got established, and we've got to do that," Maranatha coach Terry Price said. "So, we'll just have to go back to work. I commend coach Gorsline for doing a nice job. I know he's had some tough things with some kids who didn't come back, and with some injuries. But they were a pretty typical Martin Luther team. They play hard, they always do."

Maranatha (0-1) generated only 146 yards of total offense. The Crusaders running game, considered very important by Price for offensive consistency, picked up just 60 yards on 47 attempts.

"I felt our defense would do well because they had been doing well (in practice)," Gorsline said. "We got on top, and that always helps the confidence."

Dodge put the Knights on top on the first drive of the game. His 31-yard jaunt put MLC up 7-0 with just 2:04 off the clock. Maranatha turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and one play later Dodge took it in from the 3 for a 14-0 advantage.

Maranatha cut the lead to 14-6 with 3:58 in the first quarter. Jeff French intercepted Rathje and returned the ball 47 yards to the MLC 23. On the next play, Crusaders quarterback Nathan Duffie connected with Craig Christenson on a 23-yard touchdown pass.

But Rathje atoned on the very next drive, connecting with Phil Stuebs on a 41-yard touchdown pass with 2:07 remaining in the first quarter. Rathje placed the pass perfectly into the Crusaders' double coverage. Stuebs grabbed the throw at the Maranatha 15 and then went down the left sideline into the end zone.

Rathje got his second touchdown pass of the day, and the Knights' final points, when he hooked up with Paul Schupmann from 14 yards for a 41-13 MLC lead.

"The offensive line did a great job," said Rathje, who was only sacked once. "They did a great job of keeping people off the quarterback and opening up some big holes for (Dodge)."

That made it an easier day for both Rathje and Dodge. Not a small deal with the temperature hovering around 90 degrees.

"It wasn't bad," Dodge said. "I had no legs, it felt like, the whole first half -- just those first-game jitters, I guess. But it felt good out here. It wasn't too bad."

But it was another story for the Crusaders.

"It seemed to be a big factor for us," Price said. "As soon as they got ahead, I think it took some of the steam out of us, and they seemed to be on top of their game, still. It was hot, no doubt about that, for both teams."