Four losses this season have been by one score or less

Photo by Chad Koenen
Everrett Ruther looks for an opening during a recent game on the road. Ruther rushed for 59 yards to lead the way offensively last week.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The New York Mills led early, but unfortunately Lake Park-Audubon was able to score 20 unanswered points to upend the Eagles 20-14 on Friday night. 

The Eagles wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Creed Mursu found the end zone on a 10-yard quarterback run at the 6:13 mark of the first quarter. Everrett Ruther converted the two-point conversion to leave the Eagles in front 8-0. 

Photo by Chad Koenen
Gage Brasel picks up a block during a recent New York Mills road game.

Lake Park-Audubon quickly answered the score with a touchdown of their own when Ben Newman found the end zone on a one-yard run at the 2:13 mark of the quarter. The two-point conversion failed to leave NY Mills in front 8-6. 

Newman found the end zone for the second time in the half late in the second quarter when he scored on another one-yard touchdown run to make the score 12-8 after the two-point conversion once again failed.

The Raiders gave themselves a bit of breathing room in the third quarter when Luca Beske found Jackson Kastel on a nine-yard touchdown pass to make the score 18-8 in favor of LPA. Beske found Kastel for the two-point conversion to make the score 20-8 heading into the fourth quarter.

NY Mills made a game of it early in the fourth quarter when Mursu found Finn Roder on a five-yard touchdown pass to make the score 20-14. The two-point conversion failed and neither team was able to find the end zone for the remainder of the game to leave the Eagles on the short end of a 20-14 loss. 

The Eagles were led offensively by Everrett Ruther who rushed 17 times for 59 yards, while Mursu rushed eight times for 11 yards and a touchdown. Tony Nichols added nine yards on three carries. 

Mursu went 5-12 passing with an interception and a touchdown through the air, while Roder caught a pair of passes for 17 yards and a touchdown. Carlyle Tumberg caught one pass for 13 yards, Ruther caught one pass for 11 yards,
Nichols caught one pass for three yards and Gage Brasel didn’t catch a pass but was targeted five times in the loss. 

Despite being out gained by the Raiders by 258-123 yards in total offense, the Eagles were able to stop the Raiders on defense and forced an interception to keep them in the game.

On the defensive end of the field, Roder led the way with seven tackles, while Mursu and Blake Hiltner each finished with six tackles, Eli Vaughn finished with five, Wesston Simpson and Brasel finished with four and Nichols finished with three tackles. Also continuing on the defensive end of the field was Ruther, Grady Roberts and Logan Vomhoff with two tackles apiece and Henry Oakes with one tackle. 

Despite starting the season with an 0-5 record, the Eagles have lost four of those games by eight points or less. The team will look to rebound on Friday night when they host the winless Menahga Braves to close out homecoming week festivities. 

The Braves come into the game averaging 17.2 points per game on offense, while surrendering 38.2 points per game on defense. They fell to Wadena-Deer Creek by a score of 36-30 last week, but also have losses to Parkers Prairie by a score of 54-12, Lake Park-Audubon by a score of 27-14, Frazee by a score of 44-6 and Maple Lake by a score of 30-24. 

The Eagles, on the other hand, average 11.6 points per game on offense, while surrendering just 20 points per game on defense.