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Rabbits keep rolling in rout of Raiders

By Ari Selvey 5 min read

NICOLLET -- Wabasso continued its undefeated streak with a dominating win over Nicollet on Friday, downing the Raiders 56-6 in a Nine-Player South District, West Subdistrict football game.

Wabasso scored on all but one of its first-half drives, tallying 50 points in just that half.

"Just my receivers are really good at their splits and spacing," Wabasso quarterback Drew Kemp said. "Just finding open spots. Also my line for giving me time to throw that ball."

Defensively, Wabasso was equally strong, allowing just one score to Nicollet, a 3-yard pass from Abe Madson to Luke Warmington in the second quarter.

"[We were] watching a lot of film," Wabasso lineman Caden Frericks said. "Preparing during practice and getting to the right drops. We knew they were a passing team. Getting to the right spots and not letting them throw deep."

Kemp was 9 for 13 with 281 yards and five touchdowns, while Joe Rohlik had four rushes for 101 yards and a TD and one catch for 24 yards and a score for Wabasso. Nolan Leopold had four receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and Jack Burns had two receptions for 73 yards and a score. Nathan Riley added three receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Chase Lensing had nine total tackles, three for loss, while Frericks had six total tackles, one for loss, an interception and a fumble returned for a touchdown. Leopold and Riley both added an interception, and Leopold had a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

"Skill-position wise, they have a lot of speed," Nicollet head coach Cory Jans said. "A lot of great athletes. They have a big upper class that plays really well in space. It's tough when you don't have athletes to match up with them in space."

Madson was 13 for 34 for 120 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders, while Lane Zimmerman had six rushes for 26 yards. Jordan Goettlicher had six receptions for 56 yards, and Warmington had three receptions for 15 yards and a TD. Jordan Leven and Warmington each had seven total tackles defensively.

Wabasso started the scoring with a 68-yard touchdown run from Rohlik, then Wabasso added 8 more points with a single play on its next drive as Kemp connected with Leopold for an 87-yard TD. Nicollet got its lone touchdown of the night on its next drive, with a 28-yard pass from Madson to Goettlicher putting the Raiders in the red zone. Nicollet needed eight plays to go the next 10 yards as they got help from a pass interference call, but the Raiders were eventually able to convert with the pass from Madson to Warmington.

Wabasso responded with a three-play drive as Kemp and Leopold connected again for a 30-yard touchdown and a 22-6 lead. Frericks had his fumble return for a touchdown on Nicollet's next drive, taking the ball 25 yards back for a 30-6 advantage.

"It's really fun," Frericks said. "We put a lot of work in for the linemen, and to get a little reward, it's nice."

An interception by Leopold turned into a 57-yard strike from Kemp to Burns as Kemp delivered the pass downfield with pressure in his face.

"The three years starting for me helps a lot," Kemp said. "Just being comfortable in the pocket. Just got to trust my linemen."

Wabasso's next score came on an 18-yard touchdown from Kemp to Riley for a 42-6 lead, and Frericks had an interception on Nicollet's next drive. The Raiders were finally able to force a punt from the Rabbits as some blitzes and pressure got home on all three offensive plays, but Nicollet went three-and-out as well, and this time Kemp hit Rohlik on a screen for a 24-yard touchdown and a 50-6 lead. Riley closed out the half with Wabasso's third interception of the game.

Leopold returned the opening second-half kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown, and Wabasso sent in the reserves for the rest of the game to walk away with the 56-6 win.

Wabasso improves to 6-0 with two regular season games to go. Nicollet (4-2) and New Ulm Cathedral (5-1) have the second- and third-best records in the section, and Wabasso has already claimed wins over both.

"It just takes a lot of focus and hard work," Frericks said. "Don't let the distractions get to you and keep working hard in practice."

In order to finish out the season strong, Kemp said the team will have to continue to put in the work.

"We've just got to stay as a team and keep working hard," Kemp said. "In the film room, weight room, practice, everything. Just keep working hard."

Wabasso will host Red Rock Central on Wednesday.

Nicollet will try to bounce back when it travels to play Adrian-Ellsworth on Wednesday.

"I think the biggest thing for us is we have a lot of guys dinged up for us after this game," Jans said. "Trying to get some guys healthy. And then we talk about it all the time in the game too, you've just got to be able to hit that reset button when adversity hits. I thought we did OK at that in the first half -- after their second drive, we went back down and scored -- but you've got to continually be able to do that, and we weren't able to do that today."

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