A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Cromwell-Wright's Dylan Nyberg makes a run for it in a state 9-player quarterfinal game Thursday, Nov. 7 against Fertile-Beltrami in Moorhead, Minnesota. The Falcons won 48-7, ending the Cardinals state run.
Cromwell-Wright head coach Jeff Gronner gives his players a pep talk during the state 9-player quarterfinal game Nov. 7.
The Cromwell-Wright football team entered the state 9-player quarterfinals with a good feeling after a Section 5 championship win over defending state champion Nevis a week prior.
Fertile-Beltrami dashed that groove Thursday night in Moorhead, handing the Cardinals a 48-7 defeat.
The Falcons cruised with star running back Isaiah Wright, who rushed 10 times for an amazing 292 yards and four touchdowns, including the first play from scrimmage from 61 yards out. Wright would score on other runs of 53, 69 and 73 yards.
"We thought heading into the game we had some momentum coming off the Nevis win," said Cardinals head coach Jeff Gronner.
Gronner said the team decided Fertile-Beltrami was likely the top team in the state.
"Nevis won the state championship last year, but we thought after playing them twice they were not the same team we played last year. On film, we watched and thought Fertile-Beltrami was the best team we watched all year."
Fertile-Beltrami held a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and then scored three times in the second for a 34-0 halftime lead.
Evan Petry, Jonah Harstad and Wright all scored in the second quarter, as the Cardinals defense could not find a way to stop the Falcons rushing attack.
"Their running game was strong, big and fast, and their line did a good job," Gronner said. "Our defense had been playing very good down the stretch and against Nevis, but their size was a huge factor in wearing us down some."
He praised the Cardinal defenders. "These guys continued to battle and fight the entire game."
Still, Wright added two more touchdown runs in the third quarter to really put the contest out of reach for the Cardinals. The star running back has 2,036 yards rushing in 11 games. He now has more than 5,500 yards in his high school career.
The Falcons return to the state semifinals for the fourth year in a row.
Cromwell-Wright put together one late drive, leading to a Brady Dahl score on a 2-yard touchdown run.
The Falcons improved to 11-0 on the season and advance to the state semifinals Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis against LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli, which knocked off Renville County West.
"We have a lot of returning talent for next year," Gronner said. "I am proud of how hard these kids worked this year, and look forward to next season."
The Cardinals finish the season 10-2.
