Scrappy Defense leads to Narrow Victory

Jake Evans

September 14, 2019 @ 06:55 PM

Luverne "This rivalry has always been one of the best games on our schedule each season." Luverne Head Coach Todd Oye said after the 14-13 win Friday night in Pipestone. "No matter who the better team is on paper, the has always been close each year. We always prep for this game as if it was the Prep Bowl, because for both of these towns, it is the Prep Bowl." After trailing early, Junior Quarterback Bailey Cowell took the option keeper for a 61-yard score, following the extra point, the Cardinals lead 7-6. The first Cardinal drive in third quarter, Cowell took another keeper 26 yards for their last score on the night. The Luverne defense played a scrappy, opportunistic game, forcing 6 fumbles and recovering 4 of them, 3 of those in the red zone. Luverne puts a young team on the field, having 7 seniors on the roster. Players Highlighted from Luverne: 2020 Running Back/Linebacker- Nick Feit had a good defensive game, he flew around and had his hand in on many tackles. Tight End/Defensive Lineman- Ishaiah Bartels was a primary target in the game and wreaked havoc for the opposing lineman. 2021 Bailey Cowell- Kevin Kyle, Pipestone County Star Quarterback/Defensive Back- Bailey Cowell ran the read option well and had great bursts of speed for the two scores. Running Back/Linebacker- LaShad Smith had some good runs to draw attention to him to open up other plays on offense. Pipestone "It's always tough to lose a rivalry game like this," Pipestone Head Coach Clay Anderson remarked after the game, "we have a lot of season left that we can't focus on this one loss. We'll need to clean some things up and prepare better for tough teams like this for the rest of the season." Senior Quarterback JT Tinklenberg opened up the scoring with a 68-yard touchdown scamper. Following a short field in the third quarter, Eric Lange pounded in a 1-yard score to close the gap. Tinklenberg & Steenstra- Kevin Kyle, Pipestone County Star Players Highlighted from Pipestone 2020 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back- Carter Pottratz had a solid game defending the receivers and making some key big catches on offense. Offensive/Defensive Lineman- Hunter McKinney controlled the line pretty well on both sides. 2022 Linebacker- Cole Paulsen read the defense, flew around the field and made a lot of tackles. Rest of the season: Both teams are now 2-1 on the year. Pipestone will travel to St. James next week and Luverne will travel to Norwood-Young America.