Search
After leading 8-0 at the half, the West Central Area/Ashby Knights took control of their football game in Staples on Friday night, scoring 12 third quarter points and adding 20 fourth quarter points to register a 40-0 victory over the Staples-Motley Cardinals, improving to 3-0 in the process.
Following a scoreless first quarter, the Knights got on the board with just 4:27 left in the half when Anthony Sykora broke loose for a 55 yard scamper to the end zone. A two-point conversion pass from Cole Anderson to Jaden Norby gave WCA/Ashby an 8-0 advantage.
The Knights went 70 yards on six plays to start the second half, capping off the drive with a 5-yard TD run by Norby to make it 14-0. After a 3-and-out by the Cardinals, WCA/Ashby took the ball 74 yards in 9 plays and scored on an 8 yard Sykora run with 4:29 remaining in the third quarter. The Knights led 20-0 heading into the final twelve minutes of play.
The Cardinals had their best drive of the game at the end of the third quarter, moving the ball from their own 38 to the Knights 10 in thirteen plays before being stopped on downs. The Knights then drove 90 yard sin 5 plays, highlighted by a 32 yard pass from Anderson to Jordan Lohse that led to a 10 yard TD run by Norby, giving West Central Area/Ashby a 26-0 lead. The Knights held Staples-Motley and got possession of the ball on downs at the Cardinals 45 yard line. They wasted no time as Anderson dropped back and fired a laser over the middle to Tate Christenson who ran the ball in to make the score 32-0. A two-point conversion pass from Cole to Lohse upped the Knights lead to 34-0 with 8:47 left. Connor Nadgwick ended the scoring with a one-yard plunge with 3:37 on the clock.
Sykora led the highly potent ground attack for the Knights, carrying the ball 22 times for 287 yards. Norby had 120 yards on 18 carries and as a team the Knights ran for 458 yards. They added 106 passing yards to end up with a total of 564 yards on the night. Anderson was 5-for-10 for 84 yards and Christenson caught two passes for 57 yards.
Sivert Klefsaas finished with 102 yards rushing on 22 attempts for Staples-Motley. Defensively, Nadgwick intercepted a pass and the Knights recorded their first two sacks of the season.
West Central Area/Ashby will take their 3-0 record up against unbeaten Breckenridge on Friday in Barrett.