Three of this area’s four high school football teams posted victories on Friday, Sept. 27.
Here is a look at how the County News Review football teams performed on Friday.
North Branch blitzes Denfeld in battle of unbeatens
The North Branch football team scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter and claimed a 47-12 Homecoming win over Duluth Denfeld to take control of the Northeast – Red Division.
Denfeld scored first, but North Branch responded with a 44-yard TD run by senior Tyler Minke to lead 7-6 after the first quarter.
The Vikings then scored three rushing touchdowns in the second quarter to lead 28-6 at the break. Senior Jacob Robillard got things started with a 23-yard scoring run, followed by a 4-yard TD dive by Minke and an 80-yard scoring gallop by junior Brody Mitchell.
Minke scored from 9 yards out to open the third quarter, and Robillard threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior Carter Drill – North Branch’s only pass in the contest – in response to a Denfeld TD.
Senior Dooley Beaver notched the only points in the final quarter when he scored on a 38-yard run.
With the victory the Vikings improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the Northeast – Red Division, with two of its wins over the two one-loss teams in the division.
North Branch plays at Grand Rapids next Friday, Oct. 4, which kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Cambridge-Isanti loses Battle for the Paddle
Two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the first half propelled the St. Francis football team to a 32-13 home victory over Cambridge-Isanti.
The Knights scored the only points of the first quarter, but C-I used a 7-yard touchdown pass from junior Laike Solomonson to senior Jacob Henderson and an extra point by senior Emerson Droubie to lead 7-6 with 4:41 left in the first half.
St. Francis retook the lead on a 5-yard scoring run by quarterback Tanner Rothbauer with 1:38 to play in the half. Then C-I threw an interception, and Rothbauer threw a 33-yard scoring strike to David Downs with just 22 seconds on the clock to take a 19-7 lead at halftime.
The Bluejackets cut their deficit to one possession with a 7-yard touchdown pass from junior Tayton Westphal to senior Caleb Arndt with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter.
But Rothbauer threw a 57-yard touchdown toss to Owen Lamson just 73 seconds later, then added a 35-yard scoring strike early in the final period to pull away.
Cambridge-Isanti, which is now 0-5 overall and 0-2 in the Northstar West-Gold Division, will host Sauk Rapids-Rice on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Rush City remains unbeaten with win over Gobblers
The Rush City football team improved to 5-0 on the season thanks to a 42-13 home win over Aitkin.
After a scoreless first period, the Tigers scored twice in the second quarter as senior Logan Kirby found the end zone on a 2-yard plunge before senior quarterback Matthew Kempf threw a 7-yard scoring strike to senior Kayden Skogman.
Rush City expanded its lead to 20-0 on a 10-yard touchdown run by Kempf for the only points scored in the third quarter.
The two teams combined for 35 points in the final period. Aitkin scored first, but Rush City got those points back on a 13-yard TD pass by Kempf to junior Lukas Diedrich, then added a 2-yard scoring run by Tyler Monson.
The Gobblers scored on a long pass, but Rush City capped the scoring with an 84-yard scoring strike by Kempf to Diedrich.
The Tigers are 3-0 in the Northeast – Blue Division and are tied for first place with International Falls and Moose Lake/Willow River.
Next week Rush City is at home to face Mesabi East on Friday, Oct. 4 starting at 7 p.m.
The Tigers travel to Moose Lake/Willow River on Thursday, Oct. 10 before closing the regular season at home against International Falls on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The Rebels and Broncos will square off on Friday, Oct. 4.
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