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Early takeaways help Tigers hold off Chargers

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Springfield’s MaCoy Krick (7) celebrates a touchdown reception with teammate Brayden Sturm (17) during a Southwest District football game with Minnesota Valley Lutheran on Wednesday night at Johnson Field in New Ulm.

NEW ULM — The Springfield Tigers scored three touchdowns in a span of just over two minutes in the first quarter — thanks to two consecutive Minnesota Valley Lutheran turnovers — and used that to help pick up a 22-12 win over the Chargers in a Southwest District football game.

Those two turnovers on fumbles helped the Tigers build a a 20-6 lead after the first 12 minutes.

Springfield quarterback Jakob Nachreiner, who finished with 264 yards passing, tossed touchdown passes of 40, 24 and 29 yards in the game for the Tigers.

Sophomore Kaden Peterson, making his first varsity start at quarterback for the Chargers, connected on scoring passes of 82 and 28 yards.

“After the first quarter, that was a pretty good game,” MVL head coach Jim Buboltz said. “We had a couple of lapses early that caught us by surprise on a few things. But I was proud of the way our defense reacted (no points the last three quarters) and I thought that KP [Kaden Peterson], for making his first start, slung the ball around pretty decent and we have something that we can work with.”

Peterson, who was handed the keys to the Chargers’ offense when starter Cole Thompson was lost for the season due to a dislocated elbow, got MVL on the board on its second offensive series of the game.

After two incomplete passes to start the game, Peterson made his third aerial a memorable one when he found Kyler Flunker on a bubble screen for an 82-yard touchdown pass and a 6-0 lead.

But the Tigers responded when Nachreiner found Carter Olson for a 40-yard touchdown pass that capped a four-play, 55-yard drive. Olson ended with 105 yards receiving.

Then came the momentum swing in the game.

On the Chargers’ first offensive play following the Tigers score, MVL fumbled and Springfield recovered.

Three plays after the turnover, Nachreiner found Brayden Sturm for a 24-yard touchdown pass just a minute after their last touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Chargers fumbled the ball again deep in their own territory.

Nachreiner made that turnover hurt on the first play when he hit MaCoy Krick with a 29-yard touchdown pass.

Three touchdowns in a span of less than two minutes gave the Tigers a 20-6 lead.

“Two turnovers — back to back turnovers — and (Springfield) does what they do. They go up top and make the big plays and they hit them,” Buboltz said.

Late in the second quarter, the Chargers cut the lead to 20-12 at halftime when Peterson scrambled and found Will Kaesermann for a 28-yard touchdown pass.

That would be the last points scored by either offense in the game.

The Tigers managed a safety midway through the fourth quarter for a 22-12 lead.

“I am happy overall because I can work with this,” Buboltz said as his team prepares for playoffs next Tuesday. “We are going to get better going forward. We did not allow any points defensively after the first quarter and we did that last week, too. I am proud of our guys.”

Ashton Toll had a sack and 12 tackles to lead the Springfield defense, while Johnson had two sacks and a safety, Sam Pidde had an interception and Brayden Sturm had his seventh interception of the season.

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