Card gridders head to Section 8AAAA finals
Alex's defense was stellar in the 21-7 win over Detroit Lakes Halloween night.By: By Lori Mork, Sports Editor, Alexandria Echo Press
- Card defense
- Johnson
Hunkered down in the mud on Saturday night, Alexandria’s defensemen were probably the scariest thing about Halloween.
They were everywhere – knocking down passes, knocking down runningbacks and knocking down quarterbacks.
They sacked Detroit Lakes quarterback Joe Molberg twice as Ethan Favor-Jackson and Steven Carlsen each took a turn at knocking him to the ground.
They intercepted him twice as Cards Tyler Iverson and Ross Thompson each had one pick.
They held the Lakers to just 15 yards rushing on 23 attempts and 177 yards passing on eight of 27 attempts.
And, eliminating Detroit Lakes’ one big play of the game – a 96-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter – the Lakers would have been held to just 81 yards through the air.
Trevor Zolin proved to be a key cog in that fearsome defensive line as he finished the night with four solo and five assisted tackles, adding one pass breakup.
Lucas Betterman had three solo tackles and one assist, while Cody Erkkila had four assists.
Alexandria jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, and, with that defense keeping the Lakers in check, it was more than enough for the Cardinals to earn their ninth win in a row and a spot in the Section 8AAAA football championship game Saturday as the Cards defeated Detroit Lakes 21-7 Saturday at Citizens Field.
Alexandria’s offense was on target as well and came into the game with its own bag of tricks.
Mark Whiting scored on a 11-yard pass from quarterback Colin Erickson to open the attack and Mike Joerger quickly followed with a four-yard touchdown run.
Matt Peterson finished off the Lakers as he scampered 46 yards for the final TD of the night.
And Nick Schmidt rounded things off as he kicked three extra points and put two of his kickoffs into the end zone.
In all, the Cardinals put together a total of 318 yards rushing on 50 carries and Erickson hit three of his 10 passes for 15 yards.
Peterson led the ground game for the Cards with 152 yards rushing on 14 carries.
The win gives the Redbirds an opportunity to face an undefeated Sartell team for the first time this season. That game will be at St. John’s University this Saturday at 1 p.m.
Sartell moved to 10-0 on the season after defeating Little Falls 35-7.
The two teams have six teams in common this season, with both teams having won five of those contests.
Alexandria’s only loss came at the hands of Sauk Rapids-Rice 14-7 in the season opener, while Sartell defeated the Storm 38-13 on October 14.
ALEXANDRIA 21, DETROIT LAKES 7
DETROIT LAKES 0 0 0 7 7
ALEXANDRIA 14 0 0 7 21
FIRST QUARTER
ALEX – Mark Whiting 11-yard pass from Colin Erickson. Nick Schmidt kick good.
ALEX – Mike Joerger 4-yard run. Kick good.
FOURTH QUARTER
DL – 96-yard TD. Kick good.
ALEX – Matt Peterson 47-yard run. Kick good.
ALEXANDRIA STATISTICS
16 first downs, 50-318 yards rushing, 3-10-15 passing, 1 fumble lost, 6 penalties-3 yards.
RUSHING – Parker Giroux 16-2, Mark Whiting 1-3, Colin Erickson 15-66, Michael Joerger 4-25, Matt Peterson 14-152. PASSING – Colin Erickson 3-10-15. RECEIVING – Whiting 1-11, Peterson 2-4.
DEFENSE (solo tackles-assists) – Felix Coleman 1-2, 1 pass breakup; Tyler Iverson 1-0, 1 interception; Ross Thompson 0-1, 1 interception, 1 pass breakup; Trevor Zolin 4-5, 1 pass breakup; Lucas Betterman 3-1; Parker Giroux 0-1; Michael Joerger 0-1, 1 pass breakup; Cody Erkkila 0-4; Cody Koudela 0-1, 1 pass breakup; Ethan Favor-Jackson 1-4, 1 quarterback sack; Steve Carlsen 1-3, 1 quarterback sack; Derek Bullock 0-1; Ross Carlson 0-2; Joe Hurlbut 1-3.
KICK & PUNT RETURNS – Mark Whiting 2-22 punts; Matt Peterson 1-3 kick return.
KICKING & PUNTING – Mark Whiting 4-99 punts; Nick Schmidt 4-221 kicks.
SECTION 8AAAA
1. Sartell, 2. Alexandria, 3. Sauk Rapids, 4. Rocori, 5. Little Falls, 6. Detroit Lakes, 7. St. Cloud Apollo, 8. Fergus Falls.
OPENING ROUND
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 7 P.M.
Sartell-St. Stephen 33, Fergus Falls 7
Little Falls 21, Rocori 7
Alexandria 37, St. Cloud Apollo 8
Detroit Lakes 14, Sauk Rapids 0
SEMIFINALS
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 7 P.M.
Sartell-St. Stephen 35, Little Falls 7
Alexandria 21, Detroit Lakes 7
CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1 P.M.
ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY
Alexandria vs. Sartell-St. Stephen
Tags: alexandria sports, sports, home, team, cardinals, football, section, 8aaaa, detroit, lakes
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