Elk Mound shut out at home by St. Croix Central

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ELK MOUND — Moving the football and stopping the vaunted St. Croix Central rushing attack proved most difficult for Elk Mound when it hosted the Panthers for a non-conference and its home opening tilt held Thursday, August 29.

St. Croix Central scored three rushing touchdowns, one in each of the first three quarters, and made good on their corresponding two-point conversion tries to blank Elk Mound 24-0 in a storm-shortening contest.

With a severe storm predicted to hit the area in the early evening, the game was moved ahead a few hours and began at 5 p.m. But, that still wasn’t enough time to get in a complete game before the bad weather hit. With the sky darkening and the winds picking up, the game was postponed by the officials prior to the start of the final quarter as players, coaches and fans were asked to move inside Elk Mound High School. Minutes later a deluge of heavy rain accompanied by lightning and high winds struck. Both teams eventually agreed to call the game complete after nearly an hour of waiting out the storm.

The loss left the Mounders with an 1-1 record as they prepare for the Cloverbelt Conference portion of the schedule to begin this Saturday, September 7 with an 11 a.m. game against Eau Claire Regis at Carson Park.

St. Croix Central found success on the ground throughout last Thursday’s contest gaining 267 yards on 38 carries for a 7-yard per carry average and its three scores. The Panthers did attempt a few passes during a second-quarter series but finished just one for five without any yards and an interception which was hauled in by the Mounders Logan Jerome.

Conversely, Elk Mound found it hard to generate yardage on the ground or through the air. Logan Jerome tallied the bulk of Elk Mound’s gains, 77 yards, on a 5-for-19 evening of passing with Rownan Soul-Stewart hauling in two catches for 36 yards and Kamrom Diermeier another for 32 yards. Sam Hemenway finished with nine yards on two receptions. The Mounders had just 23 yards running the ball on 17 hauls with no runner making it into double digits.

The visiting Panthers took the opening kickoff and drove straight to the goal line as Brecken Ponath finished off the scoring drive for SCC with a nine-yard run to pay dirt. Aaron Hage ran in the two-point conversion for a 8-0 Panther advantage at 8:20 of the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, the Panthers would muster another scoring drive spearheaded by its running game. That drive ended with a 13-yard run by Hayden Buckel who also ran in the two-point conversion to up St. Croix Central’s lead to 16-0 with 4:55 left in the first half of play.

Elk Mound would put together its best offensive drive of the game on the ensuing possession. Relaying on the arm and quick feet of quarterback Logan Jerome, the Mounders moved inside the Panthers’ 20-yard line as the game clock ticked under a minute to play in the half. Elk  Mound, however, came up empty as a holding penalty followed by a pair of incompletions ended the opportunity as time expired.

Buckel capped the Panthers’ final score in the third when he charged into the end zone from ten yards out with just 2:17 left in the period and as it turned out the game. Ponath carried the conversion across the goal line to put the Panthers ahead 24-0.

That is the way it ended after the game was called during the storm.

Panther Brecken Ponath finished with 145 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries to lead all offensive players. Teammate Hayden Buckel tallied a pair of scores and 86 yards on a lucky 13 hauls.