By John RittenhouseThe Luverne football team completed a second-place finish in Southwest Conference play by nipping Windom 24-20 in Luverne Wednesday, Oct. 20.The game featured two teams with 3-2 league records heading into the contest, and Luverne rallied from an 11-point deficit by scoring two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the game to prevail by four points.Luverne, which ended the regular season with a 6-2 record, finished second to Redwood Valley (5-1) in the conference with a 4-2 mark.The win helped the Cardinals draw the third seed for the Section 3AAA Playoffs. Luverne entertained No. 6 Minnewaska Area in the tournament’s quarterfinal round. Look for the game story on the LHS-MA clash on the front page of the sports section.It looked liked the Cardinals might end the regular season with a loss when Windom scored 12 points in the first 5:43 of the fourth quarter to open a 20-9 lead.Luverne, however, responded to the challenge by scoring 15 points in a span of 1:08 to escape with a victory.The Cardinals sported a 9-8 edge at halftime, and the score remained the same until Windom’s third possession of the second half turned into an eight-play, 67-yard touchdown drive.Trenton Anderson ended the drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge 14 seconds into the fourth quarter. A failed run for a two-point conversion left the Eagles sporting a 14-9 advantage.The situation grew worse for Luverne when a fumble on the first play of its next offensive possession was recovered by Windom’s Josh Vizecky on the Cardinals’ 46-yard line.Windom used nine plays to cover 46 yards and led 20-9 when Anderson scored his third touchdown of the game, a five-yard run, with 6:17 left to play in the fourth quarter.With junior quarterback Nick Heronimus completing four of six passes for 31 yards to lead the way, Luverne put together a 10-play, 60-yard drive that ended with Heronimus throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to Jared Pick at the 3:45 mark of the final period. A Heronimus-to-Brad- Herman conversion pass trimmed Windom’s lead to three points at 20-17.The Luverne defense used the team’s timeouts while limiting Windom to nine yards with three running plays during the Eagles’ next possession.Facing a fourth-and-one situation on the Windom 46, the Eagles made what proved to be a poor decision. Instead of punting the ball, Windom tried to pick up the first down with a running play. Luverne’s Pick made the Eagles pay for the decision when he tackled their running back short of a first down.The LHS offense took the field with 2:37 remaining, and scored 19 seconds later. A three-play, 46-yard possession ended when Heronimus threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Pick with 2:18 left to play. Heronimus added the extra point to give the Cards a 24-20 lead.Windom showed signs of coming back when it picked up a pair of first downs while advancing the ball 16 yards, but Heronimus intercepted a pass on the seventh play of the possession, giving the Cards the ball on their own 42 with 1:11 left to play.When LHS running back Scott Goebel turned a third-and-six situation into a first down with a 14-yard run, the Cardinals were able to run the remaining time off the game clock.Both teams sported leads in the game’s first half.Luverne received the opening kick and was setting up to punt the ball on the seventh play of game, but a poor snap led to the Cardinal punter being sacked.Windom took over on the LHS 43-yard line and moved in front 8-0 when Anderson scored on a 25-yard run and Travis Karschnik carried in the two-point conversion at the 5:35 mark of the first quarter.Luverne’s second possession of the game ended with an interception on Windom’s 11-yard line.The Windom offense proceeded to lose five yards with a first-down run, and five more with a penalty. With the ball on Windom’s one-yard line, Luverne defender Tony Willers opened the scoring for the Cardinals when he stopped an Eagles running back for a safety with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.Pick returned the ensuing free-kick 36 yards to the Windom 24, and Luverne’s Ben Nath scored five plays later on a one-yard run. Heronimus booted the extra-point to give the Cards a 9-8 lead with 10:40 left in the second quarter.Team statisticsLuverne: 153 rushing yards, 130 passing yards, 283 total yards, 19 first downs, two penalties, two turnovers.Windom: 203 rushing yards, 60 passing yards, 263 total yards, 11 first downs, four penalties, two turnovers.Individual statisticsRushing: Nath 20-75, Heronimus 7-32, Jake Hendricks 7-11, Derek Elbers 2-6, Herman 1-9, Goebel 2-20.Passing: Heronimus 12-23 for 130 yards, Herman 0-1 for zero yards.Receiving: Herman 4-37, Goebel 1-4, Pick 5-73, Mike Kunstle 2-16.Defense: Heronimus one interception, Pick one interception.