Team Prospect Report: Elk River Elks

Tied at fourteen after the first quarter, the Elk River Elks scored the next 22 points and cruised into the AAAAA state tournament with a <a style="color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.northstarfootballnews.com/2018/11/elk-river-runs-over-and-around-sauk-rapids-rice-advances-to-state/">52-28 victory over Sauk Rapids-Rice</a>. In true Elks' fashion, they scored 52 points without throwing a pass. Unlike the Elks for most of this season the defense – which has given up over thirty points four times this season stepped up and turned the Storm over and kept the potent Sauk Rapids' offense controlled in the second half. For my money, the game was won primarily by the Elk River offensive line. The Elks completely wore out the Storm's front eight. Obviously, the running backs benefited greatly. Two plays into their first possession Carter Otto ran in a 25-yard touchdown. On the very next drive, he would cap off a three-play drive with a 48-yard touchdown run. On another run, he didn't score, but Otto showed his good feet with a nice cut on a run off tackle. Tight end Lorser Wuantl, tackle Seth Hopkins, guard Elijah Bicek with guard Jacob Ballenger usually supplying a trap block, wore out the right side of the Sauk Rapids defense. They were particularly effective in the third quarter. An over seven-and-a-half-minute drive was capped off with Otto scoring from 20-yards out behind those four blockers. The Elks' workhorse back is Adam Nelson. He was effective on an inside run behind Bicek and center Cody Newhouse. Later, Nelson made a move at the line of scrimmage and then another at the five-yard line for a touchdown. On another inside trap, he scored on a 27-yard touchdown. Ballenger and tackle Lafayette Bade made the key blocks on Nelson's next run. Faced with a fourth and four they ran yet another inside trap, and Nelson picked up the first down. On that same drive, Nelson scored on a five-yard touchdown run. Nelson has an upright, long-striding running style. I didn't think he would be breaking as many tackles as he did. When he needed it, he would lower his pad level and dish out the punishment to defenders. Bicek and especially Ballenger are quick and are both effective pulling on the Elks' quick inside traps. They were so effective – along with the other linemen and tight ends – that the Elks didn't need to go to much of their faking game. It was usually obvious who had the ball, but the Storm rarely stopped the ballcarrier before the Elks had picked up positive yards. Although Nelson and Otto carried most of the rushing load, Kevin Egbujor and Arik Nordenstrom showed this was not just a two-back attack. Egbujor broke a tackle for a fifteen-yard run. Nordenstrom ripped off two good runs to the outside. The second run he showed good balance shaking off a tackler, putting his hand in the ground to keep his balance and getting upfield for a first down. Defensively, the Elks struggled at times – especially in the first half – but adjusted. They shut down the Storms' offense in the second half until the game was well in hand. In the first half, Egbujor made an open field tackle on the outside. He came up strong on a throw into the flat and did it again in the second half. He also dropped into pass coverage and intercepted a 2-point conversion pass. Nelson impacted all three phases of the game. He made a big hit on the kickoff team. From his linebacker spot, the senior stuffed a run up the middle. Later, he stoned another inside run late in the game. He also was able to get to the outside and make a play against the option for a short gain. Defensive tackle Ballenger made at least a pair of tackles for little or no gain on inside runs. At the other defensive tackle spot, Bicek beat a block and stood up a running back. In the secondary cornerback Bobby Heinzen – who at the start of the year was not even in the starting lineup - came up with an interception and return that turned the game around. It not only stopped Sauk Rapids from tying or taking the lead late in the first half, but it also led to a touchdown run to put the Elks up two scores heading into halftime. In all fairness, the ball was thrown right to him. It looked like a miscommunication between quarterback and receiver, but Heinzen still had to make a play on the ball and get downfield. Cornerback Zach Stroh also picked off a pass. Sauk Rapids tried to throw a deep ball down the sidelines, and Stroh had the better position. He looked like he was the intended receiver. The Elks play Spring Lake Park next in the AAAAA state quarterfinals on Saturday night.