By John RittenhouseLuverne Cardinal football fans will not experience an extended playoff run this fall.Six days after a solid 6-2 regular season came to an end, the Cardinals made an early exit from the Section 3AA Playoffs after falling to Minnesota Valley Lutheran during Tuesday’s quarterfinal-round game played in Luverne.In what has to be considered a minor upset, fifth-seeded MVL scored six points with a long offensive drive in the first half of the game. The Chargers iced the contest by turning two of Luverne’s five turnovers in the game into 14 points late in the fourth quarter to secure a 20-0 victory.Luverne, the section’s fourth seed, completes the season with a 6-3 record after having a five-game winning streak snapped.MVL advances to Saturday’s semifinals.Both teams played great defense in the early stages of the game as the teams exchanged punts two times each in the first six minutes of play.The Chargers, however, scored what proved to be the game-winning points with their third offensive possession.Taking over on its own 21-yard line, MVL advanced the ball 79 yards in eight plays with Ryan Timm scoring on a seven-yard run at the 3:10 mark of the first quarter. When MVL’s extra-point attempt failed, the Chargers sported a 6-0 lead.Luverne continued to struggle on offense as the first half progressed, but the Cardinal defense kept the game close with two key stands. LHS stopped MVL on downs at the Luverne 19 early in the second quarter, and Cardinal defensive back Jake Clark intercepted a pass on Luverne’s 19 with 2:12 remaining in the first half.The LHS offense showed some life by moving the ball from the 19 to MVL’s four in 12 plays, but the scoring threat ended when Charger David Nass intercepted a third-and-goal pass with 20 seconds remaining in the second period.The Luverne defense came up with two more key stops in the second half to keep the Cardinals in the game. MVL lost the ball on downs on Luverne’s 18 at the 2:27 mark of the third quarter, and the Chargers missed a 30-yard field goal attempt with 7:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.Luverne’s offense took over on its own 20 after the missed field goal and picked up one first down before being forced to punt. When the punter had trouble handling the snap, he was tackled by a MVL defender on the LHS 19. Four plays later, Charger quarterback Greg Hozhuetter scored on a seven-yard run. When Luke Beilke carried in the ensuing two-point conversion, MVL had a 14-0 advantage with 3:50 left to play.Five plays into Luverne’s next offensive possession, Nass picked off his second pass of the game and returned it 35 yards to the LHS 17. Six plays later, Phil Holz scored on a one-yard plunge to cap MVL’s 20-0 victory.Team statisticsLuverne: 128 rushing yards, 80 passing yards, 208 total yards, 11 first downs, four penalties, five turnovers.MVL: 230 rushing yards, 20 passing yards, 250 total yards, 12 first downs, one penalty, one turnover.Individual statisticsRushing: Derek Elbers 10-36, Nick Heronimus 9-21, Ben Nath 9-49, Chris Ashby 7-22.Passing: Heronimus 5-25 for 80 yards.Receiving: Clark 2-25, Mike Kunstle 2-47, Nath 1-8.Defense: Clark one interception.