Dillon Card scored three times and Dakota Finck scored twice as the Verndale Pirates topped Ashby 44-22 Tuesday.
Card led the Pirates with 149 yards on 25 carries. Finck was right behind with 129 yards on 20 attempts.
The Pirates were all over the Arrows in the first quarter, outscoring Andy Campbell's squad 24-8 on the same Ashby field where the Arrows hammered them 62-26 last year. Finck opened the scoring with a 5-yard run and Card followed up with runs of 3 and 67 yards, and hit Dallas Ehrmantraut with an 18-yard scoring pass.
The Arrows came back strong with Blake Ohren hitting Reed Hanson on a 35-yard scoring pass and running in a 2-yard run. After Card scored from 10 yards out for a 30-14 lead, Ohren capped an impressive drive just before the half with a 9-yard pass to Tanner Langlie for six. Ohren added the conversion himself to cut Verndale's lead to 30-22 at the midway point.
The Arrows seemed poised to tie the game at the beginning of the second half when they recovered an onside kick at midfield. A rock-solid defensive stand by the Pirates on the series that followed silenced the Ashby's euphoria and set the tone for a scoreless second half.
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"That was key," Mahlen said of Verndale's defensive stand after the turnover. "We made some defensive adjustments at halftime."
The Arrows racked up 118 points in their two previous games with Hancock and Ortonville.
Mike Mahlen's Verndale club dominated the second half 16-0. Card added to Verndale's lead with a 10-yard scoring run in the third quarter. Finck iced the win with a 13-yard gallop in the final quarter.
Ehrmantraut and Alex Walsvik both had two catches for the Pirates and racked up a combined 37 yards. James Kveton caught one pass for 26 yards before leaving the game with an injury.
Ehrmantraut led the Verndale defense with 13 tackles while Cory Uselman notched 10 stops. Ehrmantraut and Uselman also picked off one pass apiece.
The Arrows, who brought a two-game winning streak into the game, dropped to 3-3. The victory shook a tough 27-22 loss to Prairie Valley off Verndale's shoulders and gave the Pirates a 4-2 mark.
The Pirates return to action Friday, hosting Brandon-Evansville in a 7 p.m. game.
Verndale 24 6 6 8 -- 44
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Ashby 8 14 0 0 -- 22
Vern: Dakota Finck 5 yd run (PAT Dillon Card), Card 3 yd run (PAT Card run), Card 67 yd run (PAT Dallas Ehrmantraut run), Ehrmantraut 18 yd pass from Card (PAT failed), Card 10 yd run (PAT failed), Finck 13 yd run (PAT Card run)
Ash: Reed Hanson 35 yd pass from Blake Ohren (PAT Ohren run), Ohren 2 yd run (PAT failed), Tanner Langlie 9 yd pass from Ohren (PAT Ohren run)
Vern. Ashby
First Downs 18 12
Yards Rushing 298 153
Yards Passing 63 98
Total Yards 361 251
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Passes 5-8 10-20
Penalties 4-20 3-27
Prairie Valley 27,
Verndale 22
Logan Riedel went in from the one with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter Thursday night to lift the Nighthawks over the Pirates at Mike Mahlen Field.
Riedel's winning plunge capped a 17-play, 73-yard drive and gave the newborn Nighthawks a 3-1 record. The team formed this season when Eagle Valley joined forces with Parkers Prairie.
The Nighthawks built a 21-8 halftime lead as Luke Mock scored twice and Grant Yohnke caught a 15-yard scoring pass from Riedel.
Dillon Card scored all three touchdowns for Verndale. The sophomore quarterback went in from the one in the first half and then lifted Verndale into a 1-point lead on runs of 1 and 14 yards in the second half. His second 2-point conversion of the game put the Pirates on top 22-21 early in the fourth quarter.
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Card logged 75 rushing yards on 23 carries, while Dakota Finck gained 67 yards on 12 attempts. Card was picked up twice in completing just five of 13 passes for 29 yards.
Dallas Ehrmantraut was Verndale's top tackler with 18 stops. Card and Cory Uselman were right behind with 14 apiece. Dan Fisher recorded 11 stops. Josh Gilb had a big night with two interceptions.
Prairie Valley 7 14 0 6 -- 27
Verndale 8 0 6 8 -- 22
PV: Luke Mock 4 run (PAT Alexander Ghahremany kick), Grant Yohnke 15 yd pass from Logan Riedel (PAT Ghahremany kick). Mock 4 yd run (PAT Ghahremany kick), Riedel 1 yd run (PAT failed)Vern: Dillon Card 1 yd run (PAT Card run), Card 1 yd run (PAT failed), Card 14 yd run (PAT Card run)
PV Vern.
First Downs 20 13
Yards Rushing 195 146
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Yards Passing 85 29
Total Yards 280 175
Passes 7-13 5-13
Intercepted by 2 2
Fumbles lost 1 1
Penalties 0-0 2-20
