Raiders unfazed by windiness

BY STEVE RODEWALD

Journal Sports Writer

NICOLLET -- When the winds of November come early, you had better be prepared.

The Nicollet Raiders seemed unfazed by the strong winds Saturday afternoon as they were able to dispatch of a young Westbrook/Walnut Grove team 41-22 in Section 2 Nine-man playoffs.

"Well, we got some big plays," Raiders coach Tom Murphy said. "We got some breaks."

The Raiders were able to strike first as they stopped the Chargers on fourth down. Four plays later, quarterback Jeff Zimmerman hit wide open wide receiver Mike Nourie for a 25-yard score.

On the next possession, the Raiders forced a fumble and took over with good field position. After a beautiful 34-yard completion from Zimmerman to Nourie, Zimmerman leaned in from one yard out for the touchdown. Zimmerman hit Ryan Grommersch for the two point conversion.

The Chargers came back with a methodical drive behind running backs Dominick Madson and Jake Wahl. Wahl eventually scored on a 14-yard scamper. Zimmerman knocked away the two point pass attempt.

Kicking with the wind, the Chargers hit a kick that bounced once before Mike Rosin grabbed it. He found a huge seam on the right side and took it 80 yards for the score. Zimmerman hit Justin Fischer for the conversion to make it 22-6. The score stayed that way until halftime.

The Raiders got the kickoff to start the second half but turned the ball over on downs the first two times they had the ball. The Chargers took advantage, doing all their damage on the ground with Madson scoring from 25 yards out. Quarterback Brian Thiesen hit Jake Severson for the conversion to make the score 22-14.

The Raiders responded on the next drive by going to the air even though they were going into the wind. Zimmerman lofted the ball, Nourie ran across the middle to snare it and sprinted 45 yards for the score.

"When we were driving into the wind, my assistant coach Ryan Hulke told me we should take a shot, they didn't have a safety," Murphy said. "We got that pass to Nourie and he just kept running with the ball. Jeff [Zimmerman] put the ball where only Mike could get it.

"He's a good receiver and Zimmerman had the confidence to get him the ball," he said.

On the next series the Chargers tried to get creative, attempting a halfback pass from Madson to Thiesen. Nourie jumped on the route, intercepted it, and flew 45 yards down the sideline for the touchdown.

"We got a good read on that halfback pass and you pick it off you go the other way," Murphy said.

After that, the Raiders pounded the Chargers with a steady dose of 200-pound halfback Rosin, who finished with 32 carries for 117 yards.

"Mike Rosin gave us hard yards today," Murphy said. Rosin capped off the scoring with an 18-yard run late in the fourth quarter. Rosin kicked the extra point.

Madson scored on an 81-yard run with 45 seconds left against Raider reserves for the final score. Wahl ran in the conversion.

"Our kids played hard today; I was happy with the way we played," Murphy said.

Nourie finished a fantastic day with nine receptions for 165 yards. He also ran eight times for 43 yards and had 10 tackles to go along with the interception return for the touchdown.

"He's a heck of a weapon; he had 52 receptions for over 1,000 yards coming into today," Murphy said. "The kids up front did a nice job,too."

Zimmerman finished 9-of-14 for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Madson finished with 171 yards on 18 carries, while Wahl carried 18 times for 93 yards. The Chargers were 2-of-12 passing for 16 yards.

Nicollet (10-0) will host Edgerton Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

"Edgerton's a real strong team. I know we want to throw the ball, so I'm a little concerned about the wind." Murphy said. "I know we have to come back and play better."

Steve Rodewald can be reached at sports@nujournal.com