Chargers have tough Homecoming vs. JCC
Photo by Brady Dennis Minnesota Valley Lutheran's Brecken Smith (2) avoids a Jackson County Central defender during a Mid-South District, Brown Subdistrict football game Friday at Johnson Field.
Photo by Brady Dennis Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s Ben Riesgraf looks to tackle Jackson County Central’s Brody Anderson during the first half of MVL’s Homecoming football game at Johnson Field.
Photo by Brady Dennis Minnesota Valley Lutheran's Brecken Smith (2) avoids a Jackson County Central defender during a Mid-South District, Brown Subdistrict football game Friday at Johnson Field.
Photo by Brady Dennis Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s Ben Riesgraf looks to tackle Jackson County Central’s Brody Anderson during the first half of MVL’s Homecoming football game at Johnson Field.
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NEW ULM -- Jackson County Central scored touchdowns on all five of its first-half possessions to take a 39-0 halftime lead and went on to a 53-14 win over Minnesota Valley Lutheran Friday night in a Mid-South District, Brown Subdistrict game at Johnson Field.
Gage Johnson scored four touchdowns on runs of 9, 7 and 36 yards and caught a scoring pass of 19 yards from sophomore quarterback Jacob Krueger. The Huskies also added a late 91-yard kickoff return for a score.
Ben Riesgraf scored on an 18-yard run and quarterback Eli Schauland broke lose for a 24-yard scoring run for MVL's scores.
"They are a really good team," Chargers head coach Jim Buboltz said about the unbeaten Huskies. "The first half just leveled in physicality in general. [Gage] Johnson just ran the ball -- he was incredible back there. With the stiff-arm that he has and the power that he runs with with that big line -- it is hard to stop."
The Huskies wasted little time as they took their opening drive and marched 60 yards in 10 plays, with Johnson rumbling in from 14 yards out.
After an MVL three-and-out, it took JCC four plays to find the end zone when Krueger found Johnson for a 19-yard touchdown pass and an 18-0 lead.
Johnson also did it on defense on MVL's next possession when he recovered a Chargers fumble to set up a Krueger-to-Brody Anderson 15-yard touchdown pass and a 24-0 lead after the first 12 minutes.
Another three-and-out by MVL to start the second quarter saw the Huskies again find pay dirt when they went 92-yards on 13 plays that culminated on a 9-yard pass from senior quarterback Carson Doescher to wide receiver Blaise Rowe for a touchdown and a 32-0 lead.
Rowe set up the Huskies' fifth touchdown of the first half when he intercepted a Schauland pass.
That set up a Johnson 36-yard scoring run and a 39-0 halftime lead.
"We tried to get hats on the ball (with Johnson) but he was just to tough," Buboltz said. "We were not able to gang tackle him."
The Chargers, who travel to Luverne next Friday, pieced together their best drive of the game to start the third quarter.
MVL marched 70 yards in 12 plays on a drive that was capped off by an 18-yard touchdown run from junior Ben Riesgraf.
"That is how you can beat them," Buboltz said about the drive to start the third quarter. "You have to keep their offense off of the field with a long drive that takes time off of the clock. That is the recipe, but the tough part is to do that for four quarters."
A Johnson 7-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter made it a 46-7 lead .
Schauland then got the second MVL touchdown on the night on a nifty 24-yard run, but the Huskies responded seconds later when Mason Helmers returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown and a 53-14 lead.
"This might sound odd but what I am most disappointed with their kickoff return for a touchdown," Buboltz said. "They now have had a special teams touchdown in every one of their games this year and we had a chance to stop that tonight. But we are just going to erase this game and come back next week."