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Northland Pines edges Loggers 20-14 with help of turnovers, special teams The Northland Pines Eagles forced five turnovers and got solid special teams play in a 20-14 victory over Phillips in a Lumberjack Conference football game at Eagle River Friday night. “It was a big win for us because it was a conference game and it was Homecoming,” said Pines coach Ken Biegel. “We also overcame a loss last week and some injuries.” The Eagles recovered three of four Phillips’ fumbles and grabbed two interceptions, either topping Logger drives or giving the Eagles good field position. “But we also faced adversity in this game, being down twice and coming back,” said Biegel. “That’s a good quality in the kids.” Neither team scored in the first period, though a Jeff Carr interception at the 8:56 mark stopped one Phillips’ drive. Phillips got on the scoreboard in the second period on a 20-yard touchdown pass to the back of the end zone. The PAT kick made it 7-0 at 10:14 in the quarter. Jeff Rice then sparked the Eagles with a 57-yard kickoff return to the Loggers’ 25-yard line. A couple of plays later, quarterback Andy Numrich hit end David Schofield on a 17-yard touchdown pass over the middle. Rice kicked the PAT to make it 7-7 with 8:08 remaining in the half. Phillips stuck back in a hurry, scoring on a 48-yard run by the quarterback on the option. The PAT kick made the score 14-7 in favor of the Loggers at the 6:24 mark. After the kickoff, a 27-yard pass from Numrich to lanky receiver Dan Dargenio led to a 2-yard touchdown run around the left end by Numrich. Rice’s PAT kick tied the score at 14-14 with 2:05 remaining in the half. On the Loggers’ next possession, Pines recovered a Phillips’ fumble. A 20-yard pass from Numrich to Dargenio put the Eagles inside the 5-yard line, but on fourth and goal a pass over the middle to Schofield fell incomplete on the final play of the half. “That was a critical point in the game,” said Biegel on the decision not to kick a field goal and take a three-point lead into the locker room. “It was a tough angle and Jeff has a tendancy to hook the ball from the right side.” Neither team scored in the third quarter, but Pines recovered another Loggers’ fumble that led to the winning touchdown. The drive included a 15-yard pass from Numrich to Dargenio, capped by a 1-yard dive by Numrich for the score. The PAT kick failed, but Pines clung to a 20-14 lead. “Dan Dargenio had some clutch receptions in the game,” said Biegel. “I really think he could be the best receiver in the league with what he showed Friday. He’s got good speed, he’s tall and he can go up for the ball.” Dargenio did sustain a slight concussion in the game when he came down hard after catching a ball in the fourth quarter, but he is expected back this week. The Loggers had one last chance to tie the game in the final minutes, but Rice intercepted a long pass at the 6-yard line and returned it 29 yards with 48 seconds left in the game. The Eagles were able to run out the clock and improve their record to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Pines finished with 201 yards of offense and 11 first downs, while Phillips had 289 yards and 14 first downs. Numrich completed four of 12 passes for 85 yards. Pines had 116 yards rushing. On defense, Numrich had 12 tackles, followed by Shawn Klingforth with 10, Jeremy Mlaker with seven and Greg Nagy with six. “Mlaker and Carr were exceptional on special teams, giving us good field position,” said Biegel. “This is Mlaker’s first year of football and Carr has been playing injured for two weeks.” The coach said that Keith Keller at noseguard and Ben Cisneros at defensive end had good games. “Keith did very well at stuffing the middle and Ben played well, though he got hurt late in the game,” said Biegel. “Mike Otto, a freshman running back, moved the pile and read the holes pretty well, while Greg Nagy gave us some quality time.” Biegel said that seniors Fred Wiedenbauer and Numrich showed a lot of courage and character in the game. “Fred didn’t practice all week, but he came out there Friday night and gave his all,” the coach said. “Andy just made a lot of big plays for us, on both offense and defense.” Biegel said Brandon Cline did a nice job of filling in for the injured Joe Ayers at center. “He never had one bad snap to Andy,” said Biegel. “That was huge.” Biegel also credited lineman Rick Lewis for playing well in his first game of the season. Pines will host Ashland this Friday, Sept. 27, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Biegel says the Oredockers are one of “the big three” in the conference and will be a tough opponent. “We have to play great defense and get good field position for our offense,” he said. “It will be Parents Night, so we are looking for another big crowd. We really appreciate the fan turnout so far. The players and coaches are recognizing it.” Homes Appliance Products Wholesale Wholesale Products Shoes Wholesale Wholesale Slippers Wholesale Sandals Wholesale Sneakers Wholesale t Shirts Jewelry Wholesale Jewelry Gift Boxes Package Gift Wholesale Gift Boxes Gift Packaging Gift Box Present Box Gift Holidays Gifts for Holidays Post a comment in response: |
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