Stillwater's defense, running game dominates

For three quarters of football, the Stillwater defense was about as good as Ponies fans could have hoped for. The Woodbury Royals kicked a field goal on their first drive – but most of the yardage came off the opening kickoff return. The defense didn't give up another point until late in the fourth quarter – keying their 34-15 victory.   Trailing 3-0, the Ponies' offense didn't waste any time getting on the scoreboard. They found something they liked in the running game: junior Emilio Rosario-Matias. He picked up twenty-five yards to put his team in scoring position, but a throw from quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='224134' first='Nick' last='Kinsey'] to [player_tooltip player_id='343080' first='Owen' last='Egge'] on third and long for 27 yards was the drive's pivotal play. A few plays later, Rosario-Matias finished the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run.   Facing a third and long, Woodbury tried to throw, but outside linebacker Joe Fredkove came hard off the edge and put pressure on the quarterback – forcing a bad throw. It would not be the last time Fredkove would be in the backfield.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Joe-crop-1107x727-1725601508.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1422997" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Linebacker/tight end Joe Fredkove</figcaption></figure>   "Our defense played aggressive," Fredkove said. "We played hard; we played physical, smashmouth football."   The Royals would get the ball right back, but Fredkove was in the backfield again. This time, he got his man for a seven-yard loss. Two plays later, he pressured the quarterback and forced a rushed throw that was completed well short of the first down.   After a turnover, Stillwater's defense was back on the field. Fredkove made another play for a short gain, and then defensive back Riley Runk had good coverage on a deep ball down the sidelines. A great read by linebacker Jack Mellgren on the option resulted in another Ponies' tackle for loss and another Royals punt.   Two possessions later, Stillwater put together a great two-minute drive. With no time outs, Rosario-Matias started the drive off with a catch on a wheel route to get the offense to the Royals' 32-yard line. Later, junior receiver Bjorn Naatjes made a diving catch on a deep out and picked up 15 yards. They didn't get into the end zone but set up kicker Landon Huber with a 27-yard field goal at the buzzer.   Leading 10-3, the Ponies' offensive line came out of the locker room on fire. Rosario-Matias bounced back-to-back runs to the outside for 35 and then 20 yards. Offensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='615516' first='Siwon' last='Youn'] and Jeffery Akwuba threw outstanding blocks in space on a screen pass, springing [player_tooltip player_id='1633442' first='Carter' last='Zollar'] for a 24-yard touchdown.   "Our hogs up front are the heartbeat of this team," Fredkove said. "They are the reason why we won this game."   Back on defense, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='945901' first='Cal' last='Nitti'] got up in the air and batted down a pass, and then Fredkove was at it again – forcing Woodbury into a rushed throw.   "Our defense was very stout," Stillwater head coach Beau LaBore said. "We had a lot of negative plays and kept them in second and third and longs."   Stillwater was having a lot of success running Rosario-Matias to the outside, so they used that look again – but this time, Rosario-Matias pulled up and lofted a pass down the sidelines to Egge for a first down. Rosario-Matias would find the end zone again – from twenty yards out.   "Number six (Rosario-Matias) is the heart of this team," Fredkove said. "He is a great leader and a smart player."   "We have some experience on the offensive line and it is nice to lean on them," LaBore said. "We have run the ball more in these first two games than we have in some of the last few seasons. That is a credit to those guys up front being able to do some good things on the line of scrimmage."   Mellgren—lining up opposite Fredkove—harassed the Royals' quarterback, too. His sack in the third quarter was the key play, eventually forcing a fourth down. Woodbury tried to move the pocket to give the quarterback some time, but Fredkove didn't over-pursue. He moved down the line of scrimmage with the quarterback and knocked down the fourth-down pass.   "Our offensive line and defensive line were physical all game," Fredkove said. "That is what we needed – to make it a physical game."   Huber would add a second field goal from 26 yards out to extend the lead to 27-3 late in the third quarter.   Just when it looked like Woodbury was dead in the water, Royals' defensive back Adrian Heath picked off a Kinsley pass and sprinted 61 yards for a touchdown. Royals' defensive lineman John Worth stuffed a run on fourth and one – giving the ball back to his offense. The Woodbury offense put together their best drive of the game – capping it off with a touchdown pass from Emmett Snuggerud to [player_tooltip player_id='234844' first='Dominic' last='Ebensteiner'].   With the score 27-15 midway through the fourth quarter, Woodbury had a chance to really get back into the game when they recovered an onside kick. However, the Stillwater defense held one more time. On fourth down, Fredkove harassed the quarterback again, forcing a rushed throw, which fell incomplete.   Rosario-Matias capped off the night with a touchdown run with under ten seconds to play to make the final score 34-15.

For three quarters of football, the Stillwater defense was about as good as Ponies fans could have hoped for. The Woodbury Royals kicked a field goal on their first drive – but most of the yardage came off the opening kickoff return. The defense didn't give up another point until late in the fourth quarter – keying their 34-15 victory.