Elk Mound reaches football playoffs with 62-0 blitz of Neillsville/Granton
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ELK MOUND — A 40-point, first-quarter explosion powered by a strong ground game and complimented with three passing touchdowns propelled Elk Mound to 62-0 home shutout of visiting Neillsville/Granton in the Cloverbelt Conference and regular season finale last Friday evening, October 18.
The victory locked up a berth in the WIAA playoffs which begin this week with level one competition. The Mounders finished 4-3 in league play, good for a three-way tie for third place with Fall Creek and Mondovi. Overall, Elk Mound heads into the tournament sporting a 6-4 mark.
The Mounders drew the #8 seed in Division 5, sectional 1 field. Elk Mound will travel to top-seed and unbeaten St. Croix Falls for this Friday night’s (October 25) level one contest. The Saints are the Heart O’ North Conference champions and were ranked fourth in the final Wissports.net state coaches D5 poll. Gametime is set for 7 p.m.
Elk Mound, literally, won the game in the first quarter with five touchdowns – two via the ground and three through the air – as it led 40-0 following the first 12 minutes of action.
The Parkers, Rhude and Dutzle, used their legs to start the Mounders’ scoring spree. Rhude scored Elk Mound’s first touchdown of the evening from nine yards out. Will Thatcher ran in the two-point conversion and Elk Mound had a quick 8-0 lead with just a minute and 26 seconds gone off the game clock.
Just over two and a half minutes later, Dutzle carried the ball 15 yards to the end zone. Rhude then completed the conversion throw to Dutzle to up the Mounder advantage to 16-0.
Standing in at quarterback for the injured Logan Jerome, Parker Rhude then tossed three consecutive touchdown passes, all in the opening stanza, to blow open the game. The first was a 33-yard toss to Kamron Diermeier at 7:13. Then, some four and a half minutes later, Rhude and Diermeier collaborated on a second TD pitch and catch, this one from 26 yards away. Rhude’s third and final passing score covered 38 yards to Teegan Wright with just eight seconds left in the first quarter. After each of those passing touchdowns, Dutzle ran in the two-point conversion for the 40-0 lead.
Dutzle second score of the game came when he ran for a 5-yard touchdown at 7:14 of the second quarter. Thatcher rushed the two-point try over the goal line as Elk Mound extended its lead to 48-0 at the intermission.
The Mounders tacked on a pair of second-half touchdowns – one in the third quarter and the other in the fourth.
A 45-yard touchdown run by Diermeier followed by another two-point Thatcher conversion run increased the Mounder lead to 56-0 at 8:30 of the third quarter.
The contest’s final score came with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter when Zeb Robinson carried the ball into the end zone from six yards out. Neillsville/Granton stopped Brandon Lee on the conversion run which made the final score 62-0.
Parker Rhude finished a very efficient 5-for-7 passing for 109 yards and three TDs. Kamron Diermeier hauled in a pair of those completions for 59 yards and two scores. Teegan Wright had the 38-yard touchdown reception and Parker Dutzle had 12 yards on his two catches.
Dutzle topped the Mounders rushing chart. He led seven teammates with 107 yards and two TDs on 14 carries. Brandon Lee ran 11 times for 59 yards, Zeb Robinson had 49 yards and a score on five carries, Kamron Diermeier scored a 45-yard TD on his lone rushing attempt, Will Thatcher collected 35 yards on a half dozen hauls, Parker Rhude added 17 yards and a touchdown on two carries and Rownan Soul-Stewart gained six yards on one carry.
Soul-Stewart led the Elk Mound defense with six tackles including three solo, Dutzle and Rhude finished with three each and Mason Books and Joshua Braker each tallied a pair.