Rivalry Week Recap
Week One of Minnesota High School football has finally come! What better way to kickoff an usual season than to start with one of the State’s longest running rivalries? Pipestone and Luverne met up again for the 63rd time for the coveted Battle Axe on Friday night. The Luverne Cardinals brought back a load of experience from last season, returning 8 of 11 starters. The Pipestone Arrows on the other hand, were a young group, returning 4 of 11 starters from last season. This game was again close until the experience from Luverne ultimately proved to be the difference in the second half.
Scoring Summary:
2nd Quarter- (Luv) Sandbulte 15 yard rush, 2-pt Good, 8-0
3rd Quarter- (Luv) Cowell 4 yard rush, PAT Good, 15-0
4th Quarter- (Luv) Cowell 7 yard rush, PAT Good, 22-0
Players Highlighted from Luverne:
WR/DB: Bailey Cowell– used in many positions on offense proved to be a playmaker in each, has a lot of speed, agility, and is tough to contain.
LB: Nataniel Cole-Kraty– very athletic LB, good guy to send on a blitz and an excellent tackler.
DL: Zach Ahrendt Zach Ahrendt OL Luverne | 2021 State MN – very big frame and quick enough to get into the backfield almost every play.
WR/DB: Cade Wenniger– just made plays in the secondary and was a reliable target in the pass game to move the chains.
FB: Ashton Sandbulte– ran the ball hard and ran through tacklers, very hard to stop.
Players Highlighted from Pipestone:
LB/RB: Cole Paulson– flowed really well on defense and was always in position to make the play, good tackler as well.
FB/DT: Wyatt Stueven– great blocker out of the backfield, and quick off the ball, wreaked havoc in the backfield every play.
WR/DB: Dawson Schelhaas– good in pass defense, good vertical threat in the pass game offensively.
RB/LB: Joe Kooiman– hard runner, ran over a lot of defenders, also a good tackler on the defensive side.
QB: Kellan Johnson– made some good, hard runs and has a good arm. Once he got into a rhythm, the offense was hard to stop.