Week 0 Football Roundup: ROCORI, Sartell Win Friday Night

(KNSI) – The ROCORI High School Varsity Football Team was able to grind down Becker, pulling away in the second half and finding their identity after tweaking their offensive scheme in the offseason. The final score was 31-10.

The Spartans opened at home against the state runner-ups from a year ago. Up just 16-7 in the third quarter, the Spartans looked to punt from around their 40-yard line. The snap was dropped and before the kick was away, Becker had penetrated well into the backfield for the block.

The Bulldogs fumbled it back on the very next play, their offensive unit walking dejectedly to the sideline.

ROCORI coach James Herberg discussed the sequence in the locker room afterward. He said, “Talk about sudden change. I mean that was sudden change upon sudden change and that was huge. It really was. And that’s what we want our guys to do is go out there and yeah, you’re put in a bad spot, but hey, we still gotta play football. You don’t have to do anything special, just execute your job. Luckily, we were able to land on a fumble and just flip the script from there.”

Herberg says his offensive line began to dominate from then on. “Our guys really started to move people up front in the second half and really wear on them, which was great. So, it was nice to be able to control the clock and have long, drawn-out drives. Our kids really picked it up running the ball in the second half.”

Not every drive ended in points, but enough did. Wide receiver Hunter Nistler was mostly held in check, except for the 42-yard touchdown reception in the third that made it 24-7. Adam Langer led the team in receptions with eight.

Two other pivotal stretches helped determine the final score. On 3rd and long late in the second quarter, ROCORI quarterback Jack Spanier avoided several Bulldogs in the backfield after his pocket broke down. He scrambled and delivered a 25-yard pass. That set up running back Mason Dahl to score on a draw from the 16, leading to a 16-7 advantage.

Becker fumbled deep in the ROCORI red zone down by a point with 5:54 left in the first half. Running back Logan Eisele looked like he might have been down before the ball came out. A referee’s conference did not overturn the call on the field, though. Up until that point, Becker had weathered an early barrage from the Spartans and were dominating the time of possession and number of plays.

Speaking of the early ROCORI momentum, they forced a three-and-out to open the game before going for the home run ball. Starting their first drive from near midfield, ROCORI turned to Will Steil for a double pass. The gamble paid off with a completion of 40 yards. Running back Gabe Johnson punched it in a play later from the 12.

Herberg says they had a couple of potential first plays as part of their scripted series. Given the excellent field position, they went with the riskier option. He said it’s the kind of decision that luckily pays off sometimes.

ROCORI looked like it might put the game away early. After taking an 8-0 lead, the defense once again forced Becker to kick it away. The Spartans drove into the red zone with ease before Dahl had the ball ripped out by Bulldog linebacker Adam Jurek.

Sartell-St. Stephen 43, St. Cloud Tech 21
The Tigers took a surprise 7-6 lead into halftime Friday night against the Sabres. It didn’t last long. An errant snap went over the head of Tech punter Gavin Gall and through the back of the end zone for a safety.

Sartell punched it in from three yards out after receiving the safety punt with great field position. A one-point deficit had turned into a 15-7 advantage. Sartell led 22-7 after three quarters with a full head of steam thanks to senior quarterback Cole Hentges, back on the field following an injury-shortened 2021 campaign.

Tech’s Noah Theis threw two long touchdown passes late, one to Damarius Fletcher and the other to Max Kiffmeyer.

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