Elk Mound runs roughshod over O-F to earn first Cloverbelt win
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ELK MOUND — Elk Mound snapped its two game losing streak as it kicked its offense into high gear last Friday when it welcomed winless Osseo-Fairchild.
The Mounders’ running backs, behind a stout line that provided good blocks, churned out 407 yards rushing in the September 17 contest that lead to Elk Mound’s first Cloverbelt football victory of the season, a 42-8 shellacking of the Thunder.
The Mounders’ Avery Kaanta was lightning to Osseo-Fairchild’s thunder as he struck time and again piling up 294 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries to lead the Elk Mound ground attack.
Carson Steinhorst was the next leading rusher for Elk mound with 61 yards on three carries, two of which went for six-point scores. Ryan Bartig added 23 yards on two attempts.
The Mounders led 8-0 after one but, blew the contest open with a trio of second-quarter Kaanta touchdowns to lead 28-0 at the intermission.
After the break, Steinhorst punctuated the end zone twice in the third stanza as Elk Mound extended its advantage to 42 nil.
The Thunder finally scored on a run and two-point conversion early in the fourth quarter to make the final tally 42-8.
Special teams gave Elk Mound its first score of the game and an early advantage when Ryan Bartig took a Thunder punt and raced 70 yards to pay dirt just a minute and 39 seconds into the game. Kaden Russo found an open Ethan Johnson for the conversion pass to make it 8-0 Elk Mound.
It would remain that way until Kaanta scored the first of his three touchdowns in the second quarter. Kaanta’s 14-yard haul put Elk Mound in front 14-0 at the 11:05 mark.
The Mounder lead would grow to 20-0 at 7:23 following a 15-yard TD run by Kaanta who authored yet another, this one from 11 yards out, with just 59 ticks remaining on the first half clock. A Russo-to-Johnson pass and catch for the two-point conversion try following the final Kaanta score sent Elk Mound into half with the 28-0 lead.
Just 22 seconds into the second half, Elk Mound lit the scoreboard once more as Carson Steinhorst rumbled 37 yards for six points that upped the locals’ lead to 34-0.
Steinhorst added a two-yard plunge that broke the goal line at 3:17 to give Elk Mound its final touchdown of the evening. Aidan Bartholomew ran in the two-point conversion for a 42-0 EM advantage.
Drake Swett, the lone Thunder runner to gain yardage against the Mounders’ defense, scored on a nine-yard run at 10:08 and then made good on the two-point conversion for Osseo-Fairchild’s only points of the game. Swett finished with 29 yards.
The 42-8 score stayed unchanged the rest of the fourth quarter and went final when time expired.
Kaden Russo added 52 yards on six-of-11 passing to up the Mounders final yardage tally to 459. Kaanta and Johnson each hauled in three receptions for 40 and 12 yards, respectively.
The Mounders, now 1-2 in the Cloverbelt and 2-3 overall, will travel to Durand this Friday evening, September 24 to face a tough Panther squad that lost its first game of the season last Friday, a 36-26 setback to unbeaten and top-ranked Regis.