CLEAR LAKE – Aberdeen Roncalli scored both early and late, but Deuel ruled the moments in between, as the Cardinals rolled to a 48-26 Northeast Conference football victory over the Cavaliers Friday night.
“Deuel’s a good team,” said Roncalli coach Billy Young, “and we’re rebuilding and have a lot of inexperienced guys out there that are slowly getting better each week. Starting to see some of these guys turn the corner a bit, it’s just not showing up on the scoreboard, yet.”
Roncalli scored early in the first quarter on a 51-yard Will Haskell scamper, then scored back-to-back touchdowns in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter on passes to Ian Kramer and Jett Johnson.
But in the meantime things went awry for the Cavaliers. Gavin Kloos scored three touchdowns in the first half and four altogether, while Deuel came up empty on just one first-half drive.
“We just gave up too many big plays,” Young said. “A lot of times we were in the right position and just didn’t finish the tackle.”
Still, the Cardinals held just a two-possession lead at the half thanks to Kramer’s first touchdown reception from Austin Fisher, a 6-yard grab in the second quarter.
“Those two have been throwing and catching since they were freshmen on the JV team,” Young said. “Austin really trusts Ian and likes to throw the ball to him. They are also getting used to the varsity level, and their timing is getting better.”
The Cardinals rattled off three straight scores in the second half, including a Troy Jenson 100-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter that disrupted what had been Roncalli’s best drive of the second half.
The Cavaliers responded with a 12-yard TD strike from Fisher to Kramer before backup quarterback Asher Keller found Johnson with just two seconds remaining on the clock for the final points of the night.
Friday’s contest marks the second game of a 3-game road stretch to begin the season for the Cavaliers, who travel to Mobridge-Pollock next week.
“These teams are all very good that we are playing, too,” Young said. “It’s not like we’re going on the road and playing a team that will end up 1-7.”
Next week’s game will pit the Cavaliers against a Mobridge-Pollock squad that is receiving votes in the latest Class 11B media poll.
“We know what we’re getting ready to play against,” Young said. “They’ve got one of the best running backs in the state (Mack Saxon). They were in a position similar to us about this time last year. … All of a sudden they flipped the script and started rolling some teams. They’re a team that’s hitting their stride. We’re going to have to play well.”
Aberdeen Roncalli (0-3) 6 6 0 14 – 26
Deuel (2-0) 14 14 14 6 – 48
First Quarter
DEU – Aiden Sievers 1 run (conversion failed).
RON – Will Haskell 51 pass from Austin Fisher (conversion failed).
DEU – Gavin Kloos 19 run (Kloos run).
Second Quarter
DEU – Kloos 31 run (Kloos run).
RON – Ian Kramer 9 pass from Fisher (conversion failed).
DEU – Kloos 5 run (conversion failed).
Third Quarter
DEU – Ryker Gauger 3 run (Carson Marko kick).
DEU – Kloos 5 run (Marko kick).
Fourth Quarter
DEU – Troy Jenson 102 int. Return (kick failed).
RON – Kramer 9 pass from Fisher (Jett Johnson pass from Kramer).
RON – Johnson 3 pass from Asher Keller (conversion failed).
OFFENSE: Roncalli rushing (Haskell 14-78, Brock Bowman 8-26), passing (Fisher 174 yards), receiving (Haskel 2-58, Kramer 3-56); Deuel rushing (Kloos 16-207, Sievers 8-31), passing (Sievers 111 yards), receiving (Oliver Fieber 3-40, Gauger 1-26).
DEFENSE: Roncalli (Bowman 9 tackles, Jean Anthony Thomas 7 tackles); Deuel (Marko 11 tackles 1 sack, Kaleb TeKrony 6 tackles and 1.5 sacks).
