Eagles edge St. Peter, 19-14

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Sometimes, a little blind luck -- in this case two fumble recoveries -- can make the difference between winning and losing.

New Ulm's Blake Thorson recovered a St. Peter fumble on the St. Peter 18 yard line to set up its go-ahead score, and the Eagle's 230-pound junior Travis Aufderheide recovered a fumbled punt return in the waning minutes of the game to preserve an the Eagles 19-14 win over St. Peter Wednesday afternoon at Johnson Park.

St. Peter senior Kyle Wills fumbled the punt and Aufderheide grabbed it, giving New Ulm the ball on their own 37 yard line.

"The ball bounced in front of me and I just jumped on it," Aufderheide said. "I got kneed a few times."

New Ulm Coach Rick Van Roekel realized charity helped his team to its fifth win in eight games.

"The fumble recovery was a big break, a turning point. We got lucky," Van Roekel said. "Both teams ran the ball really well all night."

The Eagles drove to the St. Peter seven yard line in the final minute of play only to lose possession on downs with 3.1 seconds left. The Saints completed a pass on the right sidelines but gained little as time ran out.

The win helped determine where the Eagles play in the opening round of the section tournament next Tuesday. If Marshall defeated state-ranked Redwood Valley, New Ulm would play at Marshall. If Marshall lost to Redwood Valley, they will play the Eagles in New Ulm.

New Ulm got good yardage out of its triple option offense early with junior tailback Kevin Neidecker doing much of the damage, taking pitches around both ends in the first quarter.

St. Peter held New Ulm to third and nine but was called for a five-yard penalty, helping keep the Eagle drive alive. Neidecker ran through tackles and reversed his field for a big gain.

Eagle junior quarterback Jon Koeckeritz hit senior split end Peter Meier over the middle for a 15-yard completion. On fourth and one at the six, 210-pound junior fullback Spencer Dickinson ran hard to the three yard line.

Dickinson ran up the middle to score on the next play. Luke Gronewold's PAT kick was good with 5:21 left in the first quarter.

St. Peter responded with senior quarterback Matt Mogensen running several keepers in key situations. Mogensen hit senior halfback Josh Leonard with a 37-yard touchdown pass with 1:48 left in the first period. Brandon Borgstahl's PAT run put St. Peter up, 8-7.

The Eagles came right back, running the option often and passing a little, getting help from a defensive pass interference call on St. Peter, giving them first and 10 on the Saints 20.

Neidecker ran the final six yards to score. A two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving New Ulm up 13-8 with 10:04 left in the first half.

St. Peter recovered New Ulm's on-side kick attempt at the Saints 46 yard line. On fourth and goal at the eight, a fake field goal attempt was foiled when Bob Wellmann and Bryan Kamm tackled Borgstahl at the one yard line.

Wellmann intercepted a St. Peter pass late in the half and Koeckeritz took a knee as the first half ended.

St. Peter took a 14-13 lead early in the third period when Ben Olsen scored on a one yard run. A two-point conversion attempt failed.

New Ulm's Blake Thorson recovered a fumble, giving the Eagles the ball on the St. Peter 18. After a couple option plays around the ends, Neidecker scored from two yards out. A PAT pass failed, leaving New Ulm up, 19-14.

Neidecker carried the ball 24 times for 171 yards to lead New Ulm. David Ganske had nine solo tackles, Travis Aufderheide had six tackles, three assists and one fumble recovery for the Eagles.