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Greyhounds outrun Raiders in playoff match.

Posted on by Goldteelic
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Portner and Finstad power Cathedral to 329 rushing yards. NEW ULM — No. 4-seeded New Ulm Cathedral dominated No. 5-seeded Nicollet in the opening round of the Section 2, Nine-Man Football Tournament, racing to a 47-0 lead and securing a 47-12 win on Tuesday at Johnson Field. Cathedral’s ground game was the key, racking up 329 rushing yards.

“We’ve been building all year,” Cathedral head coach Denny Lux said. “We started the season under center, but as it progressed, we shifted more to the shotgun, allowing us to move players around. We’ve worked hard and found the right spots for our guys.”

Alex Portner led the rushing attack with 123 yards and three touchdowns after lead back Josh Bentler left early with an ankle injury, though Bentler returned in a limited role. Jake Finstad added 99 rushing yards on 11 carries and threw for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

“It’s all the linemen,” Finstad said. “They’re working hard and doing everything right. I’m just playing behind them.”

Colin Anderson contributed 86 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Cathedral, while Rylan Koopmann and Lane Ruch each caught a touchdown pass. On defense, Brock Carlson recorded 11 tackles, three sacks, and a deflected pass, with Joe Gillis adding 10 tackles, a sack, and an interception. Ruch also had 10 tackles and a sack, while Bentler contributed 10 tackles.

Both of Nicollet’s touchdowns occurred in the fourth quarter when Cathedral substituted in backup players. Henry Oscarson scored one touchdown on a rush and recovered a fumble for another.

“Pass protection was crucial,” said Nicollet head coach Cory Jans. “Henry was under constant pressure. Cathedral did an excellent job of creating one-on-one situations, and their athletes were often more skilled than our front line… Their coverage was effective, leaving us with few opportunities to throw.”

Cathedral’s defense played a vital role, successfully limiting Nicollet’s perimeter-focused offense and applying pressure on Oscarson.

“We recognized they were a strong offensive team capable of scoring a lot,” Cathedral defensive coordinator Jesse Nosbush stated. “Our guys needed to step up, and we were able to apply pressure. Our defensive ends contained him well; once he got out of the pocket, he was hard to contain and could throw on the run. Our corners were also aggressive in tackling, which made it exciting to watch.”

Nicollet turned the ball over on downs during its first possession, giving Cathedral the ball at its own 30-yard line. From there, Cathedral quickly scored on a seven-play drive, capped by a 35-yard rushing touchdown from Portner, taking an early 6-0 lead.

This marked the beginning of four straight scoring drives for the Greyhounds. Anderson followed with a 24-yard touchdown run on Cathedral’s next possession. A tip-drill interception by Gillis and a 51-yard rush by Finstad set up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Finstad to Koopmann, extending the lead to 20-0. Nicollet then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by Koby Berdan, allowing Portner to rush for a 19-yard touchdown and a 28-0 advantage. A subsequent fumble recovery by Slater ended the scoring streak for Cathedral, and the half ended without Nicollet making any significant gains.

Cathedral opened the second half by punting for the first time after losing yards on three consecutive carries. However, the Greyhounds began to ramp up the blitz, maintaining consistent pressure on Oscarson throughout the half.

“We knew if we could keep our defensive ends contained and apply pressure from the middle, it would be tough for him to find open receivers,” Nosbush said.

Nicollet turned the ball over on downs at the Cathedral 25-yard line, leading to a 48-yard rushing touchdown from Portner, capping an eight-play drive that pushed the score to 34-0. Cathedral scored twice more quickly, with Anderson rushing for a 64-yard touchdown and Finstad connecting with Ruch on a 25-yard touchdown pass, bringing the score to 47-0.

Nicollet finally found success offensively with a 42-yard pass from Oscarson to a teammate, which set up a 9-yard scramble by Oscarson to reduce the deficit to 47-6. On Cathedral’s next drive, the reserves struggled with a handoff, resulting in a 30-yard scoop-and-score by Oscarson, making the score 47-12. However, Cathedral was able to run down the clock effectively on their next drive, securing the victory.

Nicollet ended the season with a 4-5 record, a two-win improvement from the previous two years.

“That was the message to the team,” Jans said. “Looking back at Nicollet and the success of Tom Murphy, we haven’t had that recently. The history shows that this season could be pivotal for the program; after two wins in recent years, being 4-4 this season shows promise for the future.”

Cathedral (6-3) will face No. 1-seeded Cedar Mountain in the section semifinals on Saturday, having previously defeated the Cougars 18-8 in Week 2.

Finstad emphasized the keys to Cathedral’s success for a deep playoff run: “We definitely need to establish the run, continue what we did today, improve our passing game, and maintain the strong defense we’ve had all year.”

Goldteelic

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