Mondovi runs down Elk Mound in 2nd half to win Cloverbelt football contest
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MONDOVI — Elk Mound knew it needed to play one of its best games of the season when it traveled to Mondovi last Friday evening to take on the Buffaloes in a Cloverbelt football contest.
In a game of contrasting styles, which pitted Elk Mound’s aerial attack against Mondovi’s vaunted ground game, the Buffaloes prevailed 31-13 thanks to a strong second-half performance and 276 yards rushing as they maintained a share of the conference lead with Neillsville/Granton and Eau Claire Regis, who were also victorious in their September 29 games.
Elk Mound’s passing game yielded 205 yards as quarterback Logan Jerome finished 18 for 25 with a touchdown but the Mounders running game netted just five yards total, which in the end, was not enough to overcome a team of Mondovi’s caliber.
The Mounders actually grabbed the early advantage against Mondovi when senior Kaden Russo stepped in front of a Jake Linse pass and returned it 37 yards for the game’s first score with 2:13 to play in the first quarter. Russo added the extra point kick to give the Mounders a 7-0 lead.
Mondovi responded a few minutes later on a 19-yard scoring pass from Linse to Porter Bauer just 52 seconds into the second quarter of action. Linse called his own number and carried the ball over the goal line for the two-point conversion and an 8-7 lead, one the Buffaloes would never relinquish.
Mondovi held that one-point advantage through halftime and extended it with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns – one via the run and the other through the air.
Linse broke away from the Elk Mound defense midway through the third stanza and ripped off a 68-yard run to pay dirt, accounting for more than half of the 111 rushing yards he tallied on a dozen hauls. Peyton Snyder ran in the two-point conversion to put the Buffs ahead 16-7 with 6:54 left in the quarter.
With just 28 ticks left in the third quarter, Linse picked up his second touchdown throw of the game when he connected with Austin Remington on a 19-yard score. Linse and Remington also collaborated on the two-point conversion and completed the pitch and catch to increase Mondovi’s advantage to 24-7.
The Buffaloes final score came with 4:08 remaining on the game clock. Synder finished off a Mondovi drive with a 10-yard run and Hunter Wik kicked the PAT to increase the Buffs lead to 31-7.
The game’s and Elk Mound’s final touchdown came on a 25-yard pass play from Jerome to Russo with 1:21 left in the contest. The conversion pass fell incomplete making the final score 31-13.
Jerome’s 205 aerial yardage was spread between four receivers. Sam Wenzel had three receptions for 64 yards to lead the Mounders, Russo added a pair of catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, Brady Amble finished with 38 yards on four catches and Parker Dutzle had six for 33 yards. On the ground, Elk Mound ran only 15 times with Carter Vieth tallying six yards on half a dozen attempts, Jerome had four yards on eight tries and Dutzle lost five yards on his only carry of the game.
Peyton Snyder spearheaded the Buffaloes’ running attack as he finished with 156 yards and a TD on 33 carries and Linse added 111 yards and a score on 12 hauls. Linse finished 4-8 passing for 88 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception.
Mondovi improved to 4-1 in conference and 6-1 overall with the victory. Elk Mound dropped to 2-3 in Cloverbelt action and 3-4 in all games
The Mounders will likely need to win their remaining two games for an opportunity to qualify for the playoffs. They host Stanley-Boyd (3-2, 5-2) in the annual Homecoming game this Friday evening, October 6 before closing out the regular season next Friday, October 13 against current co-leader Neillsville/Granton (4-1, 5-2).