Above: Fairmont’s Elijah Johnson shakes off two defenders during a South District football game against St. Peter at Mahoney Field in Fairmont.
FAIRMONT – Currently 4-0, the Fairmont Cardinals are gearing up for the second half of the season this Friday with an away game against New Ulm (3-1).
With a focus on ball control and improving their defense, the Cardinals are fired up for the fifth game of the season.
The Cardinals had a solid performance in the 28-7 victory, led by quarterback Joe Long, who completed 6 of 10 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown and ran six times for 35 yards and another touchdown. Elijah Johnson rushed 23 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and Ty Tumbleson ran five times for 36 yards. Receivers Brett Williams had one catch for a 33-yard touchdown, Hank Ertz had two catches for 24 yards, and Nolan Schultz had one catch for 31 yards.
The Eagles lost starting quarterback Preston Holberg this season, but New Ulm remains a threat to the unbeaten Cardinals with an improved team, a wildcat threat at wide receiver and rookie quarterback Owen Castleman, who will be making his second varsity start.
“They have a pretty dynamic player in No. 12 (Zachary Hubbard), he’s a wide receiver,” Fairmont head coach Matt Mahoney said, “He plays like a wildcat quarterback, but he’s a guy you’ve got to know where he’s at all times. You’ve got to know when he gets going that you’ve got to talk and communicate. At the end of the day, you’ve got to know where he’s going to line up.”
New Ulm’s defense brings size up front that could be a problem for the Cardinals’ run-heavy offensive style, but it could also create room for Long to get up top.
“Our biggest goal is to just continue doing what we’ve been doing,” Mahoney said. “I really like how we executed in the run game. And the play-action pass. Those are things we’ll continue to work on and we’ll take whatever they give us.”
Though they are on a four-game winning streak, Mahoney said records aren’t the focus.
“We still have things to work on and I’m not really focused on the grades right now,” Mahoney said. “Honestly, there’s things we have to do defensively. We’ve got to be a better tackler. Offensively we’ve got to get first downs and keep the chains moving. So right now we just have to worry about Fairmont and just try to get a little bit better every day.”
Long missed practice Monday and Tuesday last week after suffering a hard hit that ended his game early and the team was concerned about the health and safety of its players. Long returned to practice Wednesday and, barring a recurrence of his symptoms, is set to be ready to start Friday night. In the unlikely event that Long is unable to take the field, wide receiver and backup quarterback Hadan Toomer will take the snaps and is confident he can lead the offense if needed.
“Haddan did a really good job,” Mahoney said. “He played quarterback on Monday and Tuesday and stayed until the end on Friday. He’s a talented kid.”
In their last meeting, the Cardinals defeated New Ulm 48-12, and they will be hoping to repeat that victory in Week 5 to remain undefeated and continue their mission to “Win the Bank.”
This Friday’s game is scheduled to kick off at 7pm at New Ulm High School.
The Minnesota Vikings are off to a strong start this season, with a 3-0 record for the first time going into Week 4.
SLEEPY EYE — Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s played solidly throughout the match, winning 25-17, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23.
