Elk Mound exits DSC with big win over Glenwood City, prepares for playoffs
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BIG CATCH — Mounder Ben Heath (#3) hauled in this catch, his only one of the game, for a 31-yard gain which set up one of teammate Blaze Todd’s five touchdowns in a 50-13 over the Hilltoppers in Glenwood City last Friday, October 18. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
GLENWOOD CITY — The Mounders went out with a bang!
In its final Dunn-St. Croix football game ever, Elk Mound routed Glenwood City 50-21 on the Hilltoppers’ home turf last Friday evening, October 18. This caps the regular and conference seasons and put an exclamation point on the Mounders’ storied conference history.
A reflective Mounders’ head coach Dave Lew was a bit sentimental about Elk Mound’s final football contest as a member of the Dunn-St. Croix Conference. He noted that there were a lot of lasting memories made over the school’s longtime run in the conference. Lew even pointed to the former location of Glenwood City’s football field and said, “Dan Pederson (former head coach and Elk Mound legend) won his 200th game right over there!”
The victory not only allowed the Mounders (6-3) to leave the conference on a high note, but secured the team a fourth seed and home game against the fifth-seeded Saints of St. Croix Falls (5-4) in this Friday’s (October 25) opening round game of the WIAA Division 5 playoffs. The winner will likely be traveling to unbeaten and top-seeded Northwestern (9-0) for a level two contest on November 1
Last Friday’s win gave Elk Mound a 4-2 and third-place finish in the final D-SC standings, behind undefeated champion Mondovi (6-0 and 9-0) and runner-up Spring Valley (5-1 and 8-1). All three schools shared last year’s conference football title. Elk Mound, Mondovi along with Durand will all be moving to the Cloverbelt Conference for football only next season.
The Mounders wanted to make their final Dunn-St. Croix football game one to remember and they did just that.
Elk Mound, who netted 321 yards in the contest including 287 rushing, got a quick start thanks to special teams play.
Ethan Levra broke though the Toppers’ line and blocked Cole Logghe’s punt and recovered the football at the Glenwood City 19.
One play later, senior running back Blaze Todd dashed to the end zone for the first of his five rushing touchdowns. That jaunt coupled with Gaelen Young’s extra point kick gave the Mounders a quick 7-0 lead just 1:59 into the game.
Todd finished with 166 yards on 16 carries, most of it in the first half, to push his season rushing total to 1,737 yards in nine games this season which is the fourth highest in the state. He also heads into the playoffs with 31 touchdowns.
The second play of the second drive for Glenwood City would land in the hands of Mounder Chase Rhude for an interception.
It took Elk Mound two more drives and an interception by Michael Jenson to make its way back to the end zone.
HARD TO TACKLE — Elk Mound senior running back Blaze Todd (#26), shook off three Glenwood City tacklers and ran for a 14-yard touchdown in the first quarter of last Friday night’s football game in Glenwood City. Todd finished with five touchdowns and 166 yards to lead the Mounders to a 50-21 victory over the Hilltoppers. It was Elk Mound’s final football game in the Dunn-St. Croix conference.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
Jenson’s pick set Elk Mound up on the Glenwood City 34 yard line. Just three plays into the drive, and following a nice 15-yard run from Nate Lew that put the Mounders at the 14, Todd blazed his way to pay dirt for his second TD. Along with Young’s PAT, Elk Mound was ahead 14-0 with 6:28 still left to play in the first quarter.
Glenwood City moved into Mounder territory on its next possession but an incomplete, fourth-down pass by Toppers’ Bryce Wickman turned the ball back over to Elk Mound.
For the third time in the quarter, the Mounders marched to the end zone as Todd ran the ball on four of the team’s six plays for gains of 28, 11, 6 and the final 12 yards for the score. Despite the missed PAT, Elk Mound led 20-0 with just 1:17 left in the first.
The second quarter was much like the first with Blaze Todd running the Mounders to more scores.
Todd opened the second quarter scoring with a 13-yard run at 8:28. Young’s kick made it 27-0.
On a subsequent drive, the Mounders’ Ryan Bohl was intercepted by the Toppers’ Brandyn Hallquist at the one yard line as he tried to go deep with a pass.
On the very next play, Michael Jenson stepped up for the Elk Mound defense and tackled the Toppers’ Bryce Wickman in the end zone for a safety and 29-0 advantage at 7:13.
Chase Rhude found Nate Lew opened for a three-yard touchdown pass at 5:28 to up the Mounders’ lead to 36-0 following Young’s point after touchdown kick.
Todd then added his fifth and final touchdown, a 25-yard gallop with 3:06 left in the half. Young tacked on yet another extra point kick and the Mounders led 43-0 at the intermission to initiate a running clock in the second half.
There would be one score for Elk Mound in the third quarter as Logan Schulz ran it in four-yards out followed by a swift kick from Galen Young to give Elk Mound a 50-0 lead.
Even with the outlook of a shutout on the horizon for the Mounders, Glenwood City bounced back in the fourth quarter to score three touchdowns of their own.
Ethan Hanson, who led Glenwood City with 119 yards rushing, scored twice for the Hilltoppers from 20 and 36 yards out and Justin Moe ran the ball in from one-yard, each with successful kicks from Marcis DeSmith to bring the game’s final count to 50-21.
Elk Mound.………20…..23…..7…..0 – 50
Glenwood City….0…..0…..0……21 – 21
First Quarter
EM – 19-yard rushing TD by B. Todd (Young PAT good) 10:01
EM – 14-yard rushing TD by B. Todd (Young PAT good) 6:28
EM – 12-yard rushing TD by B. Todd (PAT no good) 1:17
Second Quarter
EM – 13-yard rushing TD by B. Todd (Young PAT good) 8:28
EM – Safety 7:13
EM – 3-yard reception TD by N. Lew from C. Rhude (Young PAT good) 5:28
EM – 25-yard rushing TD by B. Todd (Young PAT good) 3:06
Third Quarter
EM – 4-yard rushing TD by L. Schultz (Young PAT good) 1:39
Fourth Quarter
GC – 20-yard rushing TD by E. Hanson (DeSmith PAT good) 11:05
GC – 36-yard rushing TD by E. Hanson (DeSmith PAT good) 7:38
GC – 1-yard rushing TD by J. Moe (DeSmith PAT good) 0:18
Individual Statistics
Passing (att-comp-yds-int): EM (9-2-34-1) C. Rhude 7-2-34-0, R. Bohl 2-0-0-1; GC (11-2-23-4) B. Wickman 11-2-23-4.
Rushing (att-yds): EM (41-287) N. Lew 2-24, C. Rhude 2-38, B. Todd 16-166, L. Schultz 10-47, T. Anderson 3-7, M. Jenson 1-5, C. Wallin 1-2, R. Bohl 4- -2; GC (40-201) E. Hanson 14-119, B. Hallquist 9-40, 8-26, B. McCarthy 3-15, J. Moe 1-1, B. Wickman 5-0.
Receiving (att-yds): EM (2-34) B. Heath 1-31, N. Lew 1-3; GC (2-23) B. Hallquist 1-17, O. Swenby 1-6.