By John RittenhouseThe Luverne football team erased a pair of deficits to record its first Southwest Conference win of the season Friday at Cardinal Field.Trailing Marshall 6-0 at the intermission, the Cardinals snapped an eight-quarter scoreless streak with a touchdown 1:41 into the third quarter.After Marshall regained the lead at 12-7 as the third period progressed, Luverne bounced back to score 13 unanswered points to secure a 20-12 victory over the Tigers.According to Cardinal coach Todd Oye, Luverne’s first win over Marshall in four years was a result of better execution in the second half."We ran the same plays in the second half that we did in the first half. We just executed better. We made one formation adjustment, but I wouldn’t say it was a major adjustment. We just executed better," he said.A lack of execution in the first half and three turnovers put the Cardinals in a bind during the first half. Luverne had some golden scoring opportunities in the first two quarters, but the Cards were unable to produce any points.The Cardinals caught an early break when defender Mike Kunstle picked off his third pass of the season on the third play of the game and returned the ball 10 yards to the Marshall 10-yard line. After being limited to two yards in three offensive plays, Luverne lost a chance to take an early lead when a 25-yard field-goal attempt sailed off the mark.Luverne lost one offensive possession stopped on downs inside Marshall territory as the first quarter progressed. The Cardinals were plagued by turnovers the remainder of the first half. The Tigers picked off two passes and recovered one fumble in the first and second periods, when Luverne’s scoreless streak reached eight consecutive quarters.The Cardinals had to pay a price for their final turnover of the first half. After intercepting a pass late in the second quarter, Marshall put together a nine-play, 35-yard drive capped by a four-yard touchdown pass from Matt Koster to Ben Haugen with 14 seconds left in the first half to give the Tigers a 6-0 advantage.Luverne didn’t waste any time getting back into the game in the third quarter. On the third play of the opening possession of the second half, Cardinal quarterback Nick Heronimus hooked up with tight end Brad Herman for a 75-yard touchdown pass. When Chris Engesser added the extra point, Luverne sported a 7-6 edge at the 10:19 mark of the third period.Marshall responded to the challenge with their first offensive possession of the second half. The Tigers put together a 10-play, 61-yard touchdown drive to regain the lead at 12-7 with 5:19 remaining in the third period. The drive featured two successful fourth-down conversions and was capped by a 32-yard pass from Koster to Nathan Baumann during a fourth-and-12 situation.Luverne moved in front to stay by scoring 13 points with its second and third offensive possessions of the second half. Heronimus, who racked up a combined 244 rushing and passing yards during the game, took the momentum away from the Tigers when he ripped off a 59-yard gain during the first play from scrimmage following Baumann’s touchdown. Heronimus plunged into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown run four plays later, giving the Cards a 13-12 lead at the 3:13 mark of the third quarter.After the Luverne defense forced Marshall to punt as the third period progressed, the Cardinal offense put together its most impressive drive of the game. Luverne moved the ball 84 yards in 13 plays, and the drive ended with Heronimus tossing a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jared Pick with 5:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. Engesser added the extra point to cap the scoring.The Heronimus-to-Pick touchdown came during a fourth-and-nine situation. It was Luverne’s second fourth-down conversion during the drive.Marshall controlled the ball three times during the final six minutes of the game, but the Tigers were unable to produce any points. LHS senior Brandon Deragisch stopped two of Marshall’s final three possessions by recovering one fumble and picking off one pass. Marshall lost the ball on downs with 1:07 left to play, and the Cards ran the remaining time off the clock to ice the win."Our defense played really well again," Oye admitted. "Brandon (Deragisch) played an excellent defensive game. They tried his side of the field a couple of times, and they didn’t get anything. Jose Saravia also played well on the line. He was all over the field and caused a lot of problems for Marshall with his play up front."The 2-1 Cardinals will complete their non-conference schedule by playing Vermillion, S.D., in the Dakota Dome Friday. Vermillion will take a 1-2 record into the game."Vermillion is a perennial football power, and was ranked second in the state at the start of the season," Oye said. "They always play well at home, and they pride themselves on playing tough, hard-nosed defense."Team statisticsLuverne: 143 rushing yards, 141 passing yards, 284 total yards, seven first downs, four penalties, three turnovers.Marshall: 87 rushing yards, 68 passing yards, 155 total yards, seven first downs, seven penalties, three turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Scott Goebel 3-2, Heronimus 12-103, Jake Hendricks 5-0, Nate Siebenahler 10-11, Derek Elbers 11-27.Passing: Heronimus 4-10 for 141 yards.Receiving: Pick 3-47, Herman 1-75, Hendricks 1-19.Defense: Jose Saravia one sack, Kunstle one interception, Deragisch one interception and one fumble recovery.