Staples-Motley hands WDC a 32-0 loss

By news@wadenapj.com

October 01, 2008 at 11:00 PM

After a half-quarter of smash-mouth football between Wadena-Deer Creek and Staples-Motley, the Cardinals took flight the rest of the way en route to a 32-0 Heart O' Lakes Conference victory over its storied rival.

The dominant duo of Staples-Motley sophomore quarterback Alex Jansson and senior running back Trevor Ness put up fantasy football-like numbers to dismantle the Wolverines' defense.

Jansson, splitting the quarterback duties with senior Devin Becker, connected with Ness in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard scoring strike with 3:44 left in the first quarter. He also had a three-yard run midway in the second quarter to give Staples-Motley a 12-0 lead.

Just before the break, Jansson hit Brandon Wing streaking along the sideline for a 39-yard touchdown pass. He capped off his big night with a 56-yard touchdown run with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter to push the Cardinals' lead to 26-0.

Jansson finished the game with 143 yards passing to go with his four touchdown performance in the Cardinals' homecoming victory.

Ness, who plays for the Wolverines boys hockey team, teamed with both Jansson and Becker to overmatch the Wolverines' secondary.

He caught his second touchdown of the game when Becker found him for a quick pass near midfield. Ness then used his speed to run by the pursuing Wolverine defenders for an 89-yard touchdown to cap the Cardinals' scoring.

He also had a 75-yard touchdown reception negated by a Cardinal penalty late in the second quarter. Ness finished with five receptions for 223 yards as Staples-Motley racked up 301 passing yards in the victory.

"They made big plays when they needed to," Wolverine coach Tom VanErp said. "We did what we needed to do as far as take away their run game; we just didn't have the same success defending the pass. Jansson and Ness are very good players"

The Wolverines didn't have much success in the air. They didn't complete a pass the entire game and gained their entire 129 yards on the ground.

Aaron Kern led the Wolverines with 31 carries for 73 yards with Riley Snyder adding 46 yards on 12 carries.

Defensively, Jordan Rentz had two interceptions for the Wolverines in his first varsity start and Josh Sherman recovered two fumbles in the loss.

"I thought Jordan Rentz played a great game considering it was his first varsity start," VanErp said. "Getting two interceptions and three or four tackles is a very good start to his varsity career."

The Wolverines (0-5) will look for their first win of the season when they host winless Crookston at 7 p.m. Friday for homecoming.

WDC at Staples-Motley on Sept. 26

Cardinals 32, Wolverines 0

WDC 0 0 0 0-0

SM 6 12 8 6-32

First Quarter

SM-Trevor Ness 10 pass from Alex Jansson (run failed) 3:44

Second Quarter

SM-Jansson 3 run (pass failed) 6:34

SM-Brandon Wing 39 pass from Jansson (run failed) 1:06

Third Quarter

SM-Jansson 56 run (Ness run) 2:05