McLeod advances on Evans' legs

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

LAMBERTON -- McLeod West tailback Tyler Evans now has 3,229 yards this season and 7,052 in his high school career. But late Friday evening, Evans could have cared less about those particular numbers.

Much more important to Evans and his McLeod West teammates are the numbers that are sending the top-ranked Falcons to the Metrodome in Minneapolis for the Class 1A semifinals. McLeod West pounded the No. 10 Red Rock Central Falcons 38-12 Friday night in the Class 1A quarterfinals.

"All I want is that state title, I don't care how many yards I get," Evans said. "I don't care how many touchdowns. I want a state championship. I'm satisfied with my career numbers, but right now they don't mean anything to me at all."

Evans and the McLeod West Falcons (12-0) moved one step closer to their goal. They advance to meet Goodhue -- a 20-0 winner over Royalton Friday night -- in the semifinals at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Metrodome.

Evans was impressive, yet again. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound senior rushed for 351 yards and four touchdowns on 44 carries. Evans was again the workhorse for McLeod West just a week removed from a 56-carry, 227-yard performance against Sleepy Eye St. Mary's in the Section 2-1A title game.

"Tyler was ready," McLeod West co-coach Curt Strand said. "He was going to do whatever he had to do."

RRC (10-2), in the game early despite Evans' first touchdown, had its hopes deflated when senior tailback Colby Pack was injured returning a punt. Pack was taken off the field by ambulance after a delay of more than 10 minutes and transported first to Springfield and then to New Ulm. Pack was reportedly undergoing surgery for a dislocated right ankle late Friday night.

Pack, RRC's main weapon on offense, came into the game with 1,144 yards and 17 touchdowns rushing, and 456 yards and three touchdowns receiving. Pack had one carry for two yards when he was injured at the end of an eight-yard punt return with 5:24 in the first quarter.

"I think the emotion part of it really hurt us," RRC coach Brian Walker said. "We came out flying high. They scored early, we held them, we forced a punt and then the punt return is when it happened. And we had good field position. Everything seemed to be going our way until (Pack) did not get up off the field."

As valuable as Pack was on offense, he was equally missed on defense. Pack had five interceptions entering the game and had returned three for touchdowns.

"It hurts us, because of things he's done all year," Walker said. "He's been a starting defender for three seasons. ... He's just a leader on the field with just his presence, if nothing else."

With the loss of Pack, and RRC's inability to maintain ball control, Evans and McLeod West dominated. But not right away.

McLeod West's power running game wasn't running on all cylinders late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter. Evans scored on a 3-yard run to give McLeod West an 8-0 lead with 9:08 in the first quarter, but McLeod West's next two drives ended in punts, the third in a fumble.

McLeod West went three and out on its second drive of the game, gaining only two yards. On the next McLeod West drive, a holding penalty set the Falcons back. On McLeod West's second, third and fourth drives, McLeod West only produced two first downs.

"It was pretty lackadaisical at times," Strand said. "The first three drives, we didn't do what we were supposed to do. We were just a little lackadaisical, at times."

But after forcing another RRC three and out -- RRC didn't get its initial first down until a pass interference penalty with about a minute in the first half and picked up only eight in the game -- the McLeod West offense was back in high gear. McLeod West went 49 yards in eight plays, picking up three first downs; quarterback Nathan Strand finished the drive with an 8-yard run on a bootleg.

The next two McLeod West drives also resulted in touchdowns. Evans scored from 36 yards on a counter play to give McLeod West a 24-6 lead with 4:35 in the first half and scored again, this time from the 1, to put McLeod West up 32-6 with 1:27 in the second quarter.

McLeod West twice turned the ball over on downs in the third quarter after driving deep into RRC territory, but ate up up more than half the clock in the quarter. McLeod West scored its final touchdown on a 1-yard blast by Evans with 9:44 in the game.

McLeod West did it all on the ground, pounding out 403 yards on 67 carries. McLeod West threw only one pass -- it was incomplete.

"The offensive line started blocking," Strand said. "And we started doing the things we wanted to do in the second quarter. That's what we wanted to do right away."

With its typical power game stopped up in the first quarter and early in the second, McLeod West began to run counters, as well as some trap plays and the occasional bootleg by Strand.

"We made an adjustment," Evans said. "Last year, it worked against them. We didn't want to have to use it. We thought we could power them, but they're a good defensive team. We had to come back with misdirection. They had their linebackers stacked and they were reading real well. We had to come back with that counter."

The McLeod West gameplan might have been delayed and adjusted somewhat, but it was no less lethal to RRC.

"We crowded the ball and stopped their off-tackle blast play, I thought, fairly well," Walker said. "But then they hurt us with the counter play. When they pull and trap and bring some big guys through, they were breaking containment, getting around the outside. When (Evans) is running on our small corners and free safety, it's a tough night for us."

RRC had a tough night offensively, too. Without Pack, the offense was lethargic.

RRC generated only 121 total yards and without the threat of Pack from the backfield, the RRC passing game also lagged. Senior quarterback Corey Fishel finished 6 of 16 for just 57 yards with one interception and one touchdown.

But the McLeod West defense also had something to say about that. McLeod West gave up only one touchdown on defense -- a 24-yard pass from Fishel to junior wide receiver Kirk Engen -- and it came with the outcome already decided in the fourth quarter.

"Defensively, we played very, very well," Strand said.

Senior Lee Schaffran scored RRC's other touchdown. After McLeod West went up 16-0, Schaffran returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards. Schaffran ran into a pile in middle of the field at about the RRC 35, emerged from the melee and headed to the left sideline before outrunning the McLeod West defenders to the end zone.

The touchdown with 5:57 in the second quarter cut the McLeod West lead to 16-6 and briefly gave RRC some much-needed hope. But McLeod West added two Evans' touchdowns on its next two drives for a 32-6 margin at half.

MCLEOD WEST 8 24 0 6--38

RED ROCK CENTRAL 0 6 0 6--12

1st Quarter

MW--Evans 3 run (Evans run), 9:08

2nd Quarter

MW--Strand 8 run (Gettel pass from Strand), 6:13

RRC--Schaffran 84 kickoff return (pass failed), 5:57

MW--Evans 36 run (Strand run), 4:35

MW--Evans 3 run (Evans run), 1:27

4th Quarter

MW--Evans 1 run (run failed), 9:44

RRC--K.Engen 24 pass from Fishel (kick failed), 2:27