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Rabbits run past Greyhounds with undefeated records on the line

By Ari Selvey 5 min read

WABASSO -- Coming into a matchup between Wabasso and New Ulm Cathedral, it looked as if it was an unstoppable force going against an immovable object.

Wabasso was averaging 57 points per game coming into the week, while Cathedral had only allowed a single touchdown all season with both teams going 3-0 through three weeks.

But in the end, it was the Rabbits who showed out the most in the game, earning a 28-16 Homecoming victory Saturday in a Nine-player South District, West Subdistrict football game.

"We had to be patient," Wabasso head coach Joe Kemp said. "Denny [Lux, Cathedral head coach] had a good game plan, and we knew they were going to be well coached, so we had to do all our fundamental things and do them really well over and over. I thought defensively we made some good adjustments in the second half and that allowed us to get the ball a little bit more often and get into a rhythm offensively. Really proud of the guys, they battled, and Cathedral is a really good football team."

Wabasso's defense, which had also only allowed a single touchdown coming into the game, was able to bottle up the Greyhounds offense, surrendering just one score, with the other Cathedral points coming on a kickoff return. While Greyhounds running back Alex Portner still racked up 158 yards and scored a touchdown, it took him 30 carries to get there as Wabasso kept his usual explosive runs to a minimum.

"It is a team effort," coach Kemp said. "You have to keep lane integrity and pursue him. He does a really good job of cutting back, so you have to take off all of those cutback lanes and you have to stay disciplined with it. I know everybody is out there trying to make plays, but you just have to stay consistent with your lanes."

Wabasso, for its part, put up four touchdowns despite the muddy playing conditions.

"Their passing game -- they spread you out," Lux said. "They go empty -- they're really confident in their three linemen when they go empty like that. The quarterback, [Drew] Kemp, he's 6-2 and can stand up in that pocket and has a good vision of what's happening. Then they wait for the right matchup where we have a linebacker on one of their fast guys, that kind of thing. That's what makes them good. They have a solid running game, but they surely are confident in their passing game."

Coach Kemp said that he has the confidence in his team to keep his passing attack going through the light rain and mud.

"We have the kids that can do it," he said. "They understand the concepts and where the reads are. We believe we can do it, and it opens up a lot of things. It opens up a lot of running plays, and I think we also use it as an extension of our running game -- we complete some nice, short passes that are just extensions of the run game."

Drew Kemp went 17 for 28 with 249 yards and three scored through the air, with Nolan Leopold catching seven passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Brooks Baune had four receptions for 68 yards and a score and added nine rushes for 28 yards and another touchdown. Defensively, Baune had nine total tackles, 1 1/2 for loss, while Caden Frericks had nine total tackles. Jack Burns had an interception for the Rabbits.

Along with Portner, Cathedral had 30 yards rushing from Anderson, who also completed four passes for 33 yards. Defensively, Josh Forstner had nine tackles, while Ryler Collins and Camden Berg each had eight tackles. Evan Blekestad had a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Wabasso opened the scoring in the first quarter, with Drew Kemp connecting with Leopold for a 70-yard touchdown pass and a 6-0 lead. Cathedral responded on its next drive, with a 26-yard run by Portner setting him up for a 4-yard touchdown, with Anderson throwing to Hudson Lieser for the 2-point conversion and a 8-6 lead.

Wabasso took the lead back in the second quarter with a 20-yard connection from Drew Kemp to Baune for a 12-8 lead. Burns had an interception off of a tipped pass on the next drive, but the Rabbits were unable to capitalize as the 12-8 score held until halftime.

Wabasso opened the second half with a scoring drive than ended with a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Baune, but Blekestad returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to keep the score at 20-16. Wabasso was able to get some breathing room again on its next drive. Kemp was hit as he threw, but Leopold was able to run under the errant pass and take it 30 yards for a touchdown and a 28-16 lead.

Cathedral turned it over on downs on its next drive, but then forced a Wabasso punt. Paxton Guetter got it down to the Cathedral 9-yard line with the punt, and the Greyhounds went three-and-out from there, punting it away with 6:01 left to play. Wabasso was able to drain the clock down to 1:48 and take two Cathedral timeouts with its drive before turning it over on downs, and the Greyhounds didn't have enough time to score as Wabasso sealed the victory.

"There was just some little things," Lux said. "A few drops, a few missed reads in some of the play action pass. Portner ran really well, but we missed a few blocks early and got that figured out. We're running against seven guys -- They're putting a five-man front up there, and we're still moving the ball. We were in that red zone quite a few times and we had a penalty here and there. If we're going to play Wabasso at home, you've got to play a little more perfect, and we weren't quite there today."

Wabasso (4-0) plays at Renville County West on Friday, while Cathedral (3-1) hosts Nicollet on Saturday.

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