Cardinal football takes Battle Axe trophy from Pipestone

The Cardinals brought the Battle Axe back to Luverne after a thrilling come-from-behind football victory in Pipestone Friday night.
The Arrows took a 14-0 lead into halftime, but the Cardinals battled back to earn a 27-20 victory over their rivals.  
With the win, Luverne moved to 4-2 on the season.
“We had great effort from everyone on the team this week. Our offense, defense and special teams all played great,” said Luverne coach Todd Oye.
“I’m proud of how our kids played all night, especially in the second half.”  
The previously undefeated Arrows looked like they would continue their winning ways early on in the game.
After both teams failed to score in the first quarter, the Arrows launched a 92-yard scoring drive that ended with a 38-yard touchdown reception from Pipestone receiver Cayden Zephier. After a successful extra point kick, the Arrows held a 7-0 lead with 9:32 remaining in the second quarter.
Pipestone got back in the end zone late in the second quarter after their quarterback, Kellen Johnson, scrambled for a 4-yard touchdown run with 40 seconds remaining in the half.
The Arrows converted the extra point attempt to hold a 14-0 lead over the Cardinals who were unable to advance the ball.
The Cardinals looked like a different team after halftime and wasted no time showing it.
Taking over at the Pipestone 44-yard line, Luverne needed only three plays to get its first score of the game. Facing a third and 6, Luverne sophomore quarterback Carter Sehr was able to find senior receiver Gannon Ahrendt for a 40-yard touchdown reception.
After Luverne’s unsuccessful 2-point conversion attempt, the Pipestone lead was 14-6 with 10:47 remaining in the third quarter.
The Arrows responded with a 58-yard scoring drive of their own along with a 12-yard touchdown run from running back Nehemiah Ostermeier. Pipestone’s point-after kick was no good and the score was now 20-6 in favor of the Arrows with 5:14 left in the third quarter.  
The Cardinals were forced to punt on their next drive, and the Arrows took over possession on their own 25-yard line after an excellent 41-yard punt from Luverne’s Riley Sneller.
On second down the Cardinals got a much-needed interception from Ahrendt, who was then able to run 25 yards into the Pipestone end zone for a Luverne touchdown.
Ahrendt then caught a pass from quarterback Conner Connell in the end zone for a successful 2-point conversion, making the score 20-14 in favor of Pipestone with 3:48 remaining in the second quarter.
The Cardinals continued their momentum with a defensive stop and took over on offense at their 30-yard line as the third quarter drew to a close.
From there, Luverne put together one of its best drives of the game when Sehr found Ahrendt for a 25-yard reception and Connell for an 18-yard gain as the Cardinals marched down the field.
The Cardinals finished the drive in style when Sehr scrambled and connected with Ahrendt in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.
Luverne missed the extra point, leaving the game tied 20-20 with 8:31 left in the fourth quarter.
The Arrows faced a fourth and 3 from their own 42-yard line on their next possession and decided to go for the first down rather than punt.
Luverne junior defensive back Gavin DeBeer made an excellent tackle to stop the Arrows 1 yard short of the first down.
Luverne took advantage of the excellent field position and quickly advanced the ball deep into Pipestone territory.
Sehr completed two passes to Tyson Cowell and another to Connell to bring the Cardinals to the 4-yard line.
Connell then took over as quarterback and threw a perfect pass to Ahrendt in the back corner of the Pipestone end zone for Ahrendt’s fourth touchdown of the game.
Patrick Kroski connected on the extra point kick to put Luverne in the lead 27-20 with 3:28 remaining in the game.
DeBeer came up with another big play for the Cardinal defense as the Arrows tried to move the ball down the field on their next possession.
Facing third and 15, Johnson’s pass was deflected off a Pipestone receiver and into DeBeer’s hands for an interception with 1:27 left in the fourth quarter.
Luverne was not able to move the ball and gave the ball back to Pipestone one last time, but the Arrows ran out of time as Luverne secured the 27-20 victory.
After losing the annual Battle Axe game last year, the Cardinals were all smiles after the game.
“Beating Pipestone to win the Battle Axe our senior year is a memory that we will never forget,” said senior running back Tyson Cowell.
With the win, the Cardinals now hold a 37-27 all-time record in Battle Axe games.
“Hopefully we can take the momentum from the Axe game to finish our season,” said coach Oye.
Up next for Luverne is a Thursday night game in Fairmont. Game time is 7 p.m.
 
Team statistics:
Luverne: 56 rushing yards, 213 passing yards, 269 total yards, 15 first downs, 5 penalties for 35 yards, 0 turnovers.
Pipestone: 134 rushing yards, 184 passing yards, 318 total yards, 18 first downs, 2 penalties for 15 yards, 2 turnovers.
 
Individual statistics:
Rushing: Carter Sehr 5-26, Tyson Cowell 7-12, Kaleb Hein 8-11
Passing: Carter Sehr 11-19, 141 yards (2 TD’s), Conner Connell 6-13, 72 yards (1 TD)
Receiving: Gannon Ahrendt 7-121 (3 TD’s), Conner Connell 4-48, Tyson Cowell 5-38
Defense: Elijah Woodley 6.5 tackles, Zachary DeBoer 5.5 tackles, Conner Connell 4.5 tackles, Jacob Stroh 4 tackles, Riley Sneller 3.5