Forcing several turnovers and coming up with big plays all game long, the Red Rock Central Falcons scored in every quarter and claimed a 33-14 victory over the Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda Coyotes last Thursday night (October 17) in a 9-man high school football game at Lamberton to conclude the regular season.
HL-O/F finished the regular season with a record of 2-6. The Coyotes were seeded fifth in the Section 3 9-man tournament and played at fourth-seeded Madelia (2-6) last night (Tuesday).
“It was a tough night overall, but our kids fought hard and battled,” Coyotes co-head coach Jonathon Curry said. “We knew that RRC would be really big and physical. They just wore us down in the second half with their physicality.”
The first half featured five touchdowns, and the Falcons (4-4) struck first — turning a Coyote turnover into a score just a minute and 23 seconds into the game. Tavion Ryker found Hayden Determan for a 46-yard touchdown, and Jonah Hansen booted the PAT to give RRC a quick 7-0 lead at the 10:37 mark of the first quarter.
HL-O/F countered with a nice, sustained drive to take the lead. Matt Madsen capped the series with a nine-yard touchdown run and also added the two-point conversion, giving the Coyotes an 8-7 edge with 7:20 remaining in the opening period.
“That was a great drive for us,” Curry said. “We played well for most of the first half, with our defense forcing a couple of key turnovers, as well.”
