Not pretty, but Cards clinch first round home field berth

Style points don't count for much in the grand scheme of things, but the Carrington Cardinals might have been a little too close for comfort in relation to winless Park River Area to Coach Kyle Smith's liking.

Considering the prize at stake, being ahead by a 14-8 score early in the fourth quarter could have been a recipe for an upset for the hometown Aggies.

However, the Cards got an insurance touchdown late, and opted not to go for points in the final seconds deep in Aggie territory to secure a 22-8 win and a home playoff game in the first round of the Class A 11-man postseason.

"Minus the turnovers, I thought that we played a pretty decent game in Park River," Smith said. "Anytime you can go on the road and win a region game of that importance, it's a good win. We overcame that, plus some tough calls against us, which is a good indicator of their toughness and character."

The opening Cardinal touchdown came from an unexpected source, as senior Jaxon Schaefer showed his big play ability with a 64-yard catch and run on the pass from Josh Bickett to make it 6-0.

PRA made a game of it early, responding with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Jace Rosinski to Connor Hurtt, and the following two-point play from Emmitt Miller signaled that the win-hungry Aggies were smelling opportunity.

In the second quarter, senior CHS running back Logan Weninger crossed the pylons on a 19-yard rushing play, and the two-point conversion was good, bumping the score to 14-8 in the Cards' favor.

The board remained that way until well into the final quarter, when Weninger's 34-yard sprint to the house effectively sealed the win.

The visitors had one more deep drive into Aggie territory late in the ballgame, but Smith elected to kneel down to run out the clock.

Weninger had another big game with 139 yards rushing, while Corbin Clifton (six carries, 60 yards) and McKade Zink (eight carries for 48) also had success running the ball.

Bickett completed three of his five passes for 94 yards, with the one touchdown going to Schaefer.

Jake Otto combined for 11 tackles to lead the Cards. Clifton, along with Aaron Neumiller, also were defensive stars with 10 total tackles. In addition, Neumiller made three tackles for loss for the evening.

"On a night when we had some trouble finishing drives, our defense stepped up and played their best game of the year," said Smith. "Hats off to Park River, as they're big and physical up front and played us tough."

It all set up for a titanic clash between CHS and #4-ranked Langdon/Edmore/Munich for the Region 2 championship last Thursday evening at Cardinal Stadium.

With a win, Carrington would earn a rematch with the Lisbon Broncos in the Class A playoffs' first round on Saturday, October 21, but this time at home. The Broncos beat the Cards at the horn in Lisbon earlier this season, 32-27.

A loss would pit the Cards against Region 1's number three seed, the Oakes Tornadoes.

But first things first, L/E/M was Smith's immediate focus.

"We know what to expect out of Langdon. They do the same thing they've done for years, and they do it very well, being really efficient offensively and stout defensively," the coach said. "The key to knocking them off is trying to possess the ball as much as you can by sustaining drives, moving the chains and burning clock. Also, trying to limit explosive plays and make them earn their points with long drives."

"It's easier said than done, but we look forward to the challenge," said Smith.

Class A - Region 2 Football

Carrington 22, Park River Area 8

Cgtn. 6 8 0 8 - 22

PRA 8 0 0 0 - 8

First Quarter

Carrington: Jaxon Schaefer 64 yard pass from Josh Bickett (kick failed)

Park River Area: Connor Hurtt 21 yard pass from Jace Rosinski (Emmitt Miller run)

Second Quarter

Carrington: Logan Weninger 19 yard run (2 pt. conversion good)

Fourth Quarter

Carrington: Weninger 34 yard run (2 pt. conversion good)

Carrington Statistics

Offense

Passing: Bickett 3-5-94 yards-TD

Rushing: Weninger 18-139-2 TD; Clifton 6-60; McKade Zink 8-48; Grady Shipman 1-31; Bickett 5-20; Schaefer 3-7

Receiving: Schaefer 1-64-TD; Clifton 1-20; Weninger 1-10

Defense

Tackles (unassisted/assisted): Clifton (7-3); Schaefer (6-1); Brock Jungels (5-3); Neumiller (5-5); Shipman (4-1); Jake Otto (4-7); Bickett (3-1); Carson Ova (2-0); Weninger (1-2); Zink (1-3); Cody Otto (1-0)

Tackles for Loss: Neumiller 3, J. Otto

Interception: Shipman