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Luverne football team crushes Worthington

By
John Sichmeller for the Star Herald

The Luverne Cardinals football team extended its winning streak to three games after defeating the Worthington Trojans Friday night in Worthington.
Luverne dominated the Trojans on both sides of the ball in the first half, taking a 23-0 lead into halftime.
The Cardinals were able to tack on one more touchdown in the second half and hold the Trojans scoreless as they cruised to a 29-0 victory.  
Luverne coach Todd Oye said he was impressed with his team’s defense. “Our defense has improved each week,” he said. “And because of that we were able to earn the shutout tonight.”
The Cardinal defense set the tone in the game’s first possession, and Luverne never looked back.
Facing a fourth and 19 from their own 37-yard line, the Trojans lined up to punt, but the snap flew over the head of the Worthington kicker who fell on the ball at the four-yard line where Luverne took over on downs.
It took the Cardinals only two plays to get in the end zone from there. After a short run on first down, Luverne senior Braydon Ripka ran through the Trojan defense for a three-yard touchdown score.
The Cardinals completed the two-point conversion after Luverne quarterback Casey Sehr found teammate Gannon Ahrendt on the right side of the Trojan end zone giving the Cardinals an 8-0 lead with 9:10 to go in the first quarter. 
After forcing the Trojans to punt, the Cardinals took over at their own 45-yard line on the next possession. Sehr connected with Ahrendt again for an 18-yard reception on first down. 
Three plays later Sehr found sophomore tight end Conner Connell over the middle for a 16-yard gain which brought the Cardinals to the Trojan 19-yard line.
Luverne would need only one play to punch it in from there as senior running back Ashton Sandbulte avoided tackles from multiple Trojan defenders and broke free up the left side of the field for the touchdown run.
The Cardinals’ two-point conversion was successful once again as Sehr lofted a ball up to Ahrendt in the back of the end zone, giving the Cardinals a 16-0 lead with 3:38 to go in the first quarter.
The teams traded possessions much of the second quarter before Luverne was able to mount one more scoring drive before halftime. 
The Cardinals’ drive started at the Worthington 42-yard line with 3:17 to go in the half. 
Sandbulte got the drive started with an impressive 27-yard run up the right side of the field, and the Cardinals got one more first down run from Sandbulte three plays later to get the ball to the Trojan 4-yard line. 
Sehr then found Ahrendt in the back of the end zone to finish off the drive. After sophomore, Patrick Kroski’s, extra point kick was good, the Cardinals had a 23-0 lead with 1:19 to go in the second quarter. 
Luverne was able to stop the Trojans’ offense on their next possession and took the 23-0 lead into halftime.
Sehr sparked the Cardinals on the other side of the ball to start the second half as he intercepted a pass with 9:57 to go in the third quarter.
This gave the Cardinals excellent field position as they took over at the Trojan 30-yard line. 
After an 11-yard run from Sandbulte for first down, the Cardinals lost yardage on the next two plays after back-to-back penalties.
Facing second and 23, the Cardinals got a big play from Ahrendt who hauled in a 28-yard reception on a pass from Sehr to bring the Cardinals to the Worthington four-yard line.
Sandbulte ran in the game’s final touchdown from there, and after a missed extra point Luverne held a 29-0 lead with 8:22 to go in the third quarter. 
The Cardinal defense continued its strong play the remainder of the game, and the Luverne offense was content running the ball much of the second half to kill the clock. 
Coach Oye said he was pleased with the effort of his team. “This was a good team win against a division and section opponent,” he said.  “This puts us at 2-0 in the division and the section.”
The Cardinals will now focus on their next opponent, the Pipestone Arrows, in a rivalry game at 7 p.m. Friday night at home. 
“Playing an undefeated Pipestone for the Battle Axe is a great challenge and opportunity for our team,” said coach Oye.
 
Team Statistics:
Luverne: 181 rushing yards, 100 passing yards, 281 total yards, 16 first downs, 8 penalties for 75 yards, 0 turnovers.
Worthington: 24 rushing yards, 118 passing yards, 142 total yards, 12 first downs, 9 penalties for 80 yards, 1 turnover.
 
Individual Statistics:
Rushing: Ashton Sandbulte 15-130 (2 TD’s), Braydon Ripka 7-22 (1 TD)
Passing: Casey Sehr 10-15 for 100 yards (1 TD)
Receiving: Gannon Ahrendt 5-56 (1 TD), Connor Connell 2-16
Defense: Jamie McCarthy 4.5 tackles, Ashton Sandbulte 4 tackles, Nathaniel Cole-Kraty 3.5 tackles

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