Prep Football Notebook: Maple River gets back to basics in big comeback

Oct. 6—Maple River had just given up 14 points in the final three minutes of the first half and trailed 24-7 at Norwood Young America, which was undefeated and ranked No. 10 in Class AA.

Eagles coach Dusty Drager was expecting to see some anger and frustration when he got to the locker room. Instead, he found calm and leadership.

"The guys were trying to solve some of the problems," Drager said. "The big thing I told the guys is that we couldn't score 30 points in one play. We made some tweaks, but we just had to get back to the basics. You see bounce backs all the time in high school football."

The Eagles outscored Norwood Young America 28-0 in the second half to prevail 33-24 on Friday. It was the fourth straight victory for the Eagles, who have been boosted by several key players returning from injury.

An interception by Will Sellers stopped the first Norwood Young America drive in the third quarter, then the Eagles converted a fourth-and-8 en route to the first touchdown.

"You could really feel the momentum switch after that," Drager said.

The Eagles kept the pressure on, with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Mason Schirmer scored twice, including a 61-yard run that clinched the victory with three minutes to play.

Maple River rushed for 272 yards in the game, continuing a season trend. Maple River's rushing attack is averaging 6.7 yards per attempt and 134.4 yards per game.

Tim Buckholtz is the leading rusher with 368 yards and four touchdowns on 49 carries.

Quarterback Landon Fox has completed 48 of 86 passes for 658 yards, with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. He's also rushed for four touchdowns.

Schirmer has caught 22 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and he's rushed for 282 yards and four touchdowns.

Rookie QB

At the beginning of the season, a lot of eyes were on Mankato West junior quarterback Bart McAninch, who was making his starting debut.

West has had a long line of top-flight quarterbacks in the last 25 years, a key reason why the program has become one of the best in Class AAAAA. Through five games, McAninch has looked the part, leading the Scarlets to victories each week

He started with just 69 yards passing and 35 yards rushing in the season-opener at Rochester John Marshall, which was halted at halftime because of weather.

The next week, against New Prague, he completed 13 of 17 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown, posting numbers comparable to his many prolific predecessors.

Last week, in the toughest game of the regular season to date, McAninch completed 25 of 35 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown, and he rushed for three touchdowns as the Scarlets rallied past Rochester Mayo 28-24.

For the season, McAninch has completed 68 of 99 passes for 861 yards with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. He's also rushed for five touchdowns.

LCWM forfeits

With five starters who play both ways injured, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial has decided to forfeit Friday's home game against Jackson County Central.

According to an email from Supt. Mark Westerburg, LCWM is protecting the health and safety of the players and won't put younger players in a position they're not prepared for.

He hopes that LCWM will field a team for the final two regular-season games and any playoff games.

Games to watch

On paper, it doesn't look like Friday's game between New Ulm Cathedral and Minnesota Valley Lutheran should be competitive, but great rivalries create unexpected outcomes. Cathedral is 1-4, and MVL is 4-1.

Blue Earth Area (4-1) plays at Maple River (4-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday. This game has become a good rivalry in the last few seasons.

Last season, Maple River defeated BEA twice, including an 8-7 win in overtime in the section semifinals. In 2010, BEA swept a pair of games against the Eagles, including a 37-9 win in the section semifinals.

Both teams have lost to undefeated Jackson County Central this season. The winner of Saturday's game still has a shot at the top seed in Section 2AA, which currently is controlled by St. Clair/Loyola at 5-0.

Follow Chad Courrier on Twitter @ChadCourrier.