The Greyhounds, who rolled past Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda 42-8 in Fulda last Thursday, moved to 2-0 on the season with that win.

The Falcons, however, got knocked down a peg and fell to 1-1 on the year after Kingsland struck early and often for a 63-21 win.

Kingsland took a 36-0 lead in the second quarter before RRC added two touchdowns to the board before the half.

“Little bit of everything,” RRC head coach Isaac Jenniges said of the loss. “Long trip, Saturday afternoon game, out of routine. For high school kids, routine is a big thing when they’re going through the process. We got punched in the mouth early, we made a few mistakes in our first couple possessions that gave them the ball in plus territory.

“We took some bad angles as far as at the second level to make plays and tackle, and credit to them, they did a really good job of mixing the run and the pass and getting their athletes in space. They were probably one of the fastest teams I’ve seen at the nine-man level in the last six or seven years.”

The Falcons, who advanced to the 2022 Nine-Man State Football Tournament, did lose five quality seniors to graduation this past spring, but they returned seven starters on offense and six on defense.

One of those key returners is 5-9, 180-pound sophomore running back Carter Therkilsen, who leads the team’s offense in total yards this season.

“He surpassed the 1,500-yard mark in the state tournament last year,” Jenniges said. “Through two games so far, he’s averaging about 150 yards a game. He’s a solid runner, he’s a patient runner, he’s a strong runner, he’s got breakaway speed if he needs it. He’s kind of got the whole package. He does a really good job doing what we ask him to do.”

Therkilsen is guided by a large offensive line consisting of senior guards Blake Paplow (6-1, 305 pounds) and Landon Kuehl (6-5, 250 pounds) and sophomore center Austin Imker (6-foot, 200 pounds). Also on the line are senior tight ends Jake Jackson and Ashton Holmen.

In front of Therkilsen is 6-5 starting quarterback Isaac Simonson, a three-year starter.

Through two games, Cathedral is averaging 371 yards per game and allowing 214 yards per game, while RRC is averaging 240 ypg and allowing 320 ypg.

Jaden Helget leads the Greyhounds in total yardage this season, while Joe Gillis leads the defense in tackles.

Jackson is RRC’s leading tackler on the year.

Jenniges is no stranger to the Greyhounds and their head coach Denny Lux, having coached against them nearly 20 years ago with Joe Kemp at Wabasso. While the Greyhounds dropped to nine-man this year, there are still preferred formations and schemes coach Lux likes to run.

“Cathedral’s new to nine-man, but unlike all the other teams they’re going to play, they’re not new to me or new to us,” Jenniges said. “I grew up in Wabasso playing against Cathedral, Denny was coaching then. I coached in Wabasso for two years, Denny was coaching then. We played in the 11-man conference for my first six years as the head coach [for RRC], he was still coaching and he’s still coaching today.

“And to see that what I figured, his teams are always well-disciplined. They do exactly what they’ve been coached up to do. That double-wing offense that he’s been running there for decades, he’s found a way to adapt that to this level, which seems to be working for him right now.”

To counteract that, Jenniges said being disciplined at all three levels on defense with his line, linebackers and defensive backs, will be key.

Jenniges also said being aware defensively is important.

“With all the [Greyhounds’] misdirection and the way the quarterback is taught to handle the ball, you’ve got to be ready to tackle,” Jenniges said. “You’ve got to be able to do your assignment and know that you might tackle the guy five times in a row, he might not have the ball, but the sixth time that you decide you’re not going to tackle him, he’s got it and he’s running away from you. So we have to make sure that our guys understand that concept.

“It’s a new concept to them, something they haven’t seen before, but, like I said, I think we have a solid defensive game plan in place, and hopefully we can execute better than we did last week.”

In a recent interview with The Journal’s Jim Bastian, Lux said filling cutback lanes and limiting turnovers against RRC will be a key.

“We have done a really good job so far in pursuing from sideline to sideline,” Lux said. “[Red Rock Central] has some running backs that are quick, so we need to fill those cutback lanes. We need to establish that we are going to play hard and fast. And it always comes down to the turnover game — the penalties — so we need to play a real solid game.”

The Greyhounds and Falcons are scheduled for an 8 p.m. kickoff Friday night following Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s 4 p.m. game against Le Sueur-Henderson.