Being a linebacker wasn’t an easy task for East Grand Forks Senior High on Wednesday.
Visiting Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton piled up yardage on the ground as the Rebels, ranked seventh in this week’s Minnesota Class AAA high school football poll, rolled past the Green Wave 35-8.
Dilworth-G-F made it tough on the defense with its deep arsenal of ball carriers. The starting backfield consisted of Joe Flatt (16 carries-157 yards), Alex Fuchs (9-150) and Brandon Wayne (16-91).
“Their backs ran hard,’’ senior linebacker Brady McDonald said. “Their line was pushing. Their stats say it all. We couldn’t stop them.
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“It’s hard with three backs working like that. They could do multiple things.’’
That balance isn’t unusual for the Rebels, who closed the regular season with a 6-2 record.
“We’ve got 3-4 guys with around 400 to 500 rushing yards,’’ D-G-F coach Anthony Soderberg said. “We have the privilege of having several guys who can do the job. We give it to all of them and keep defenses guessing.’’
The dominance of that running game was apparent early. On the second play of the game, Fuchs broke loose for a 63-yard touchdown run. “He goes that far untouched. That’s 11 guys doing their jobs,’’ Soderberg said.
Senior High stayed close in the first quarter, converting a turnover into a Jordan Young touchdown run to pull within 7-6.
But the Rebels scored on three straight possessions to close the first half.
Ethan Johnson hauled in a 4-yard scoring pass on the opening play of the second quarter from Blake Kragnes, who finished 6-of-13 passing for 95 yards. Fuchs scored on a 38-yard run. Then, with 15 seconds left in the half, it was Kragnes-to-Flatt for a 15-yard touchdown pass.
“That one really hurt,’’ Senior High coach Ryan Kasowski said. “We had good coverage. We tipped the pass. But they made the play. And that was a big momentum swing.’’
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But the D-G-F running game carried the momentum most of the way. The Rebels also got a 5-yard TD run by Fuchs in the third quarter.
“They run their plays so quickly, and they’re so packed in on offense,’’ Kasowski said. “We didn’t know who had (the ball). If you’re not reading keys, you get burned. And we got burned on big plays.’’
Senior High’s primarily offensive threat was the throwing of Trevor Selk. The junior was an efficient 8-of-13 passing for 63 yards. Top target Cole Hammargren had four catches for 31 yards.
“We struggled trying to run the ball, so we decided to throw more,’’ Kasowski said. “Trevor made some good reads. And our receivers did a good job.’’
Senior High closed the regular season with a 1-7 record.
