Staff photo by Steve Muscatello New Ulm’s Russell Hellendrung (72) tackles Maple River running back Wyatt Simon (10) during the fourth quarter Friday at New Ulm High School.

NEW ULM — Cole Ranweiler rushed for 167 yards on 26 carries and three touchdowns and added an 80-yard kick-off return for a fourth score as the New Ulm Eagles won their second straight game with a 28-24 win over Maple River in a South Central District games.

Ranweiler, who rushed for a school record 290 yards last week, scored on runs of 10, 3 and 67 yards.

And the New Ulm defense stepped up big as Isaiah Miller intercepted a Caden Ochsendorf pass with four seconds left in the game to seal the win.

Ochsendorf provided the Maple River offense with a 43-yard scoring run and a pair of one yard runs.

For New Ulm, it was a matter of getting Cole Ranweiler going again with help from his friends in the offensive line.

“Cole runs the ball real well but if it was not for his offensive line blocking the way that they do, he would not get much,” New Ulm coach Eric Kauffmann said. “His yards this week were a lot harder to get than last week. They were not going to let us run the sweep like we did last week.”

Ranweiler agreed that his offensive line has been playing well.

“They have been hitting their blocks right,” he said. “Everything has been working out. We have been focusing more on the run. I have been driving my legs and lifting and I have my line to block for me.”

New Ulm took an 8-0 lead early in the game after Teagan Kamm picked off an Ochsendorf pass and returned it 31 yards to the Maple River 10. On the next play, Ranweiler scooted in for the touchdown with Nolan Drill adding the 2-point conversion at 9:22 of the first quarter.

Maple River answered with a touchdown to close out the first quarter when Ochsendorf scored from 43 yards out to cut the lead to 8-6.

Ranweiler’s 3-yard bolt at the 2:52 mark of the second quarter moved New Ulm to a 14-6 lead before Maple River scored on another big play, a 46-yard touchdown pass from Ochsendorf to Nathan Trio to cut the New Ulm lead to 14-12 at half-time.

Ochsendorf then gave Maple River an 18-14 lead when he bowled his way in from a yard out at the 6:56 mark of the third quarter.

That lead would last exactly 10 seconds as Ranweiler took the kickoff back 80 yards for a touchdown.

“I saw a hole develop and just took it,” he said.

But he was not done.

On New Ulm’s next offensive series, Ranweiler broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown run for a 28-18 lead with 4:55 left in the third quarter.

Maple River cut the lead to 28-24 at the 7:52 mark of the fourth quarter on a two-yard Ochsendorf run but that was as close as Maple River got as the New Ulm defense came up big late in the game.

“It feel amazing to be a part of this team.” Ranweiler said. “Everybody is together — it is one family. It feels great.”