Red zone shortcomings plague Chargers in loss | News, Sports, Jobs

Staff photo by Ari Selvey
Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s Eli Schauland finds a running lane during a Mid-South District, Brown Subdistrict football game against Pipestone Area Friday at Johnson Field.

NEW ULM — Minnesota Valley Lutheran ran for 253 yards but came up with just 7 points in a 28-7 loss to Pipestone Area in a Mid-South District, Brown Subdistrict football game Friday at Johnson Field

MVL stalled in the red zone twice and had another score called back on a penalty in the game, and those three possessions ended up being the difference in a contest where MVL often looked like the stronger team.

“We had a good change of scheme over the week into the game, and I thought we dominated the front line numerous times,” MVL head coach Jim Buboltz said. “We’ve got to finish. We got inside the 10-yard line four times and only scored once. Left a lot of points out there and there’s no way that I’m happy about this. There’s no way that I’m happy about the way that this ended.

“We can be better, we will be better. But when you get down there, you’ve got to smell it, you’ve got to taste it. If we’re going to drive the ball and hit it that hard and drive that hard and block that hard, we’ve got to put her in the end zone. We will. We’ll keep working.”

Defensively, MVL was equally strong in the trenches, limiting Pipestone Area’s ground attack, but several explosive plays Arrows quarterback Austin Musch helped move the ball.

“You’ve got to know what the down and distance are and what you’re looking for,” Buboltz said. “You’ve got to know what coverage we’re in. We failed to do that twice and gave up easy touchdowns, very easy touchdowns.

“It’ll get better, it all has opportunity to get better, but it’s too bad we’re finding out with a loss when I thought we played better than they did at times tonight. I thought we dominated the game at times.”

Chase Tweit led the ground attack for MVL, rushing the ball 15 times for 109 yards and the Chargers’ lone score. Caleb Hunter ran it seven times for 82 yards, and Eli Schauland took five carries for 62 yards, with the group averaging 9.4 yards per carry.

After the teams started the game by trading turnovers on downs, MVL got the first first down on a 10-yard run by Eli Schauland.

A scrambling Eli Schauland found his brother, Ethan Schauland, for a 50-yard score two plays later, but it was called back with an ineligible man downfield penalty. MVL was forced to punt, with Trace Gunderson pinning Pipestone Area back at their own 1-yard line.

Unfortunately, MVL was unable to capitalize on the opposing field position, as a 62-yard connection from Musch to Kayden White highlighted a 99-yard drive, ending in a 1-yard touchdown rush from Musch to go up 7-0.

MVL responded with a long drive of its own, marching down with 10-yard gains from Hunter, Eli Schauland and Tweit to go 64 yards in 8:30, with Tweit capitalizing with a 5-yard touchdown rush.

Pipestone kept the scoring going with a 4-yard touchdown by Musch to finish of a 74-yard drive, and MVL’s three-and-out punt was spoiled by a low snap as Gunderson was unable to get it away, setting up the Arrows at the MVL 24. Five plays later, Musch threw a 13-yard pass to Luka Quist for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead.

Coming out of the half, the MVL defense stood strong, forcing a three-and-out, with a pressure by Kyan Kube drawing an intentional grounding call. MVL drove 70 yards all the way to the Pipestone Area 2-yard line, but a loss and a penalty backed them up to the 10-yard line, where they stalled out and turned it over on downs. The Arrows took the ball 90 yards and finished with an 18-yard score from Musch to Quist for a 28-7 lead.

With time running out in the game. MVL once again put together a strong drive, with a 20-yard rush from Tweit and a 15-yard run from Eli Schauland helping the Chargers into the red zone once again. However, the Chargers failed to punch it in once again, turning it over on downs at the 7-yard line. Pipestone Area was able to run the majority of the clock off, ending the game.

MVL (0-3, 0-2) hosts Windom Area on Saturday, Sept. 20.