Detroit Lakes quarterback and UND football recruit Joe Mollberg hadn't displayed much of the running portion of his dual-threat style so far this season because of an ankle injury.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior unveiled his rushing capabilities Friday night against East Grand Forks Senior High.
Mollberg rushed for 74 yards, passed for 79 and scored four first-half touchdowns en route to the Lakers' 31-14 victory over the Green Wave at Senior High's field.
"East Grand Forks was taking our fullback away, so we had to run Joe more than we would have liked," said Detroit Lakes coach Flint Motschenbacher, who pegged Mollberg's recovering ankle at 90-percent health.
All of Mollberg's 15 carries came in the first half as the Lakers built a 28-0 lead thanks to a three-touchdown second quarter.
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The Lakers scored three times in less than eight minutes. Mollberg started the scoring spree with a 10-yard run to make it 14-0 with 9:58 to go in the first half.
Mollberg then went through the air to push the lead to 21-0. He hit Rick Hutchinson for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 4:58 to go in the second quarter.
Then after Steven Labine picked off a failed wide-receiver pass by the Green Wave, Mollberg punched in a 1-yard run for a 28-0 edge with 2:39 left before halftime.
"Detroit Lakes is a good football team, and they're well-coached," Senior High coach Scott Oliver said. "They executed as well as I've seen a team execute."
Mollberg also scored on a 3-yard run in the first quarter.
"(Mollberg) pushes piles," Oliver said. "He's strong and deceptively shifty. He was very effective running the ball, which is something we hadn't seen on film because of that injury."
The Lakers' veer offense was methodical in dismantling the Green Wave. Detroit Lakes built a 28-0 halftime lead, despite having just one play go more than 16 yards -- a 30-yard screen pass between Mollberg and Michael Herzog.
Detroit Lakes finished the half with 213 yards of total offense to Senior High's 32.
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"We didn't tackle very well, but their athleticism had something to do with that," Oliver said. "They're athletic and quick. Their perimeter players are awfully good."
Mollberg's 153 yards of total offense paced the Lakers, who were aided by Herzog's 49 rushing yards and Brian Labat's 44.
The Green Wave were led by quarterback Nick Erickson, who rushed 19 times for 92 yards. However, many of Erickson's yards came in the fourth quarter against Detroit Lakes' subs.
Erickson completed one of his five passes for 16 yards.
"I was happy with the way our kids came out and played hard," Motschenbacher said. "East Grand Forks is a scrappy team that plays hard."
The Green Wave scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns -- a 3-yard rush by Ryan Boushee and a 1-yard run by Jake Kallock.
"We've had a tough stretch of our schedule," Oliver said. "We've faced two very good football teams the past two weeks."
