Staff photo by Steve Muscatello Wabasso’s Nick Marotzke (2) and Tyler Bliss try to catch New Ulm Cathedral running back Luke Gieseke (21) during a run in the first quarter Friday at Johnson Field in New Ulm.

NEW ULM — Early in the game with the contest scoreless, the New Ulm Cathedral defense stopped Wabasso on a 4th and goal from the Greyhounds’ 1-yard line.

Late in the game, the Wabasso defense got some payback.

The Rabbits defense stopped Cathedral fullback Tony Geiger for no gain on a 4th and 3 from Wabasso’s 36 to preserve a 12-6 win over the Greyhounds Friday night in a Southwest District-East game at Johnson Field.

Colby Wall and Lance Wagner scored touchdowns for the Rabbits (3-1).

Wall’s score came on a halfback option pass from Nick Marotzke in the second quarter while Wagner’s touchdown came with 6:14 left in the game.

Tony Geiger scored the lone Greyhounds’ touchdown on Cathedral’s opening drive of the game.

Geiger ended with 91 yards on 18 carries with Eric Furth totaling 51 yards on five carries. Luke Gieseke rushed for 46 yards on seven carries.

“This was the third game where we have come up a little short,” Cathedral head coach Denny Lux said as his team dropped to 1-3 on the year. Cathedral’s three losses have come by total of 12 points. “We are going to take the weekend, take a look at ourselves and see where we are not quite finishing on. But it was a good effort by both teams.”

Wabasso took the opening kickoff and marched from its own 38 and marched down to the Greyhounds’ 1-yard line where they were stopped on downs.

Cathedral then took over and put together a 12-play, 99-yard drive.

James Gillis completed passes of 14, 8 and 21 yards in the drive that ended when Geiger rambled in from 6 yards out for a 6-0 lead at the 2:56 mark of the first quarter.

Wabasso tied the game midway through the second quarter thanks to some trickery.

Taking over on its own 48, Marotzke, who rushed for 84 yards on 14 carries, got the ball down to the Cathedral 45. One play later on a halfback option, he found Colby Wall for a 38-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 6-6 with 3:40 left in the half.

Wabasso’s eventual game-winning touchdown began late in the third quarter from its own 16.

A 20-yard run by Wabasso quarterback Carter Benz moved the ball to the Rabbits 36. From there, Wabasso moved the ball 12 plays on the ground ending with Wagner’s 3-yard touchdown run.

“This was a defensive battle pretty much the whole game,” Lux said.

Cathedral had 275 yards total offense while Wabasso ended with 321.

“Wabasso is a good team but we feel that we have a good team too,” Lux said. “We are just coming up short a little bit.”