CROOKSTON FINISHES REGULAR SEASON WITH 32-7 WIN OVER STAPLES-MOTLEY

The Crookston Pirate Football team traveled to Staples on Wednesday night for the regular-season finale against Staples-Motley on what was the Cardinals Senior Night. It rained in the hours leading up to the game and throughout the contest making it a cold and wet evening for the players. For the Pirates, it was the exact performance they were looking for leading up to the playoffs, as Crookston ran away with a 32-7 victory. “When you can run the football and our offense did a nice job on a sloppy field,” said Pirate Coach Nate Lubarski.

FIRST-QUARTER –

It was all Crookston in the first quarter, as they controlled the field position and were able to take an early lead. After forcing a quick three and out on the Cardinals first drive of the game, The Pirates would drive down into the Cardinals red zone before being stopped on a fourth down and 10. The highlight of the drive was a 16-yard run from Pirates QB Jack Doda on a third down. Crookston would quickly force another three and out and this time would take advantage of excellent field position on the Cardinals 44-yard line. The Pirates would go 44 yards all on Ethan Boll runs with the last one being a 23-yard touchdown run where Boll threw multiple defenders to the ground. “We want to be able to run the football and it has taken us a while to get to this point,” said Coach Lubarski.  “Our line did a great job and Ethan ran well.”  Boll would also convert the two-point conversion giving Crookston an early 8-0 lead with 5:53 remaining in the first quarter. After yet another three and out for the Cardinals offense, Hunter Knutson blocked a punt for the Pirates that Jacob Hesby would recover inside the Staples-Motley five-yard line giving Crookston an instant scoring opportunity. “That is the second time in as many weeks that Coach Brett Brenden’s crew came up with a big play on special teams,” said Coach Lubarski. Three plays later Ethan Boll had his second touchdown of the opening quarter, this time a five-yard run. Jacob Hesby would run in the two-point conversion giving the Pirates a 16-0 lead with 2:16 left in the first quarter. The Pirates continued to be tenacious on the defensive side of the ball forcing another punt and holding Staples-Motley to 0 first downs in the opening quarter. After the short punt, Crookston would take over on their own 43-yard line with a 16-0 lead after 12 minutes of play.

SECOND-QUARTER –

The wet conditions played a huge factor in a second quarter that saw the Crookston defense dominate taking full control of the football game. The Pirates would go on the longest drive of the first half running the ball at will, but it wouldn’t end in points. Crookston’s 11 play six-minute drive would be stopped on a fourth down and goal inside the Cardinals 10-yard line thanks to a Dominic Gomez sack. The defenses then became the storyline the rest of the half. On a third-down Brady Wisk would intercept a pass and take it 15-yards for the Pirates second Pick-6 touchdown of the season.”Brady made a great play,” said Coach Lubarski. “He has been such a great leader, it was great to see him make the big play and he has played really well for us the last few weeks.” Boll would add the two-point conversion extending the Crookston lead to 24-0 with 6:00 left in the first half. The Pirates would force another interception on the following drive as Antonio Romero would catch a dropped pass from a Cardinals wide receiver and return it all the way down inside the Staples-Motley 15-yard line. Passing was not a good idea for either team, as Crookston was forced to throw the football on a long third down and this time it would be an interception for the Cardinals defense. For the third time in the opening half the Staples-Motley defense stopped the Pirates offense inside the red zone keeping the Cardinals from being blown out in the opening half. Staples-Motley didn’t have the football long, as Crookston would intercept their third pass of the half. Antonio Romero would snag his second interception and setup Crookston on their own 35-yard line late in the first half. The teams combined for four straight possessions that ended with an interception, Crookston coming up with three from their defense. The Pirates would elect to run the remaining time off the clock and take a 24-0 lead into the halftime break. Crookston forced 3 turnovers in the opening half, allowed just 1 first down and ran the football for 127 yards in the first half.

THIRD-QUARTER –

The rain began to pour at the start of the second half making it a challenge on the offenses to move the football. It also sped the game up as both teams went to the running game in the harsh elements. Crookston would punt on their opening drive of the half and then force a Cardinals turnover on downs giving the Pirates the football on the Staples-Motley 46-yard line with 7:47 left in the third quarter. Crookston went on another long drive, and this time finished it off with a Jacob Hesby 4-yard touchdown run. “Jacob ran hard and found his spots,” said Coach Lubarski. “That was a big touchdown and the line did a great job again.”  The drive was over six-minutes, and the Pirates ran 10 plays marching down the field for the score. Jack Doda would convert the two-point conversion try giving Crookston a 32-0 lead with 1:00 left in the third quarter.

FOURTH-QUARTER –

Staples-Motley once again couldn’t get anything going on offense and would be forced into another punt to begin the fourth quarter. Crookston continued to run the football effectively putting the finishing touches on a successful performance offensively. Antonio Romero would bust a 29-yard run into Cardinal’s territory for his longest run of the night. A few plays later Romero would break another run this time for 20 yards and inside the Cardinals 20-yard line. Eventually the Pirates would be stopped on a fourth down giving the football back to Staples-Motley. Crookston didn’t seem to mind as they worked the clock and left the Cardinals only 3:24 left in the football game. The Cardinals had their biggest play of the game by far to begin the drive, as Isaiah Schultz broke free for a 70-yard run. The Cardinals were looking to avoid the shutout and have something to build on heading into the playoffs next week. A few plays later Hunter Martin did just that scoring on a 12-yard touchdown run to break the shutout. Sam Opheim would add the extra point giving Crookston a 32-7 lead with 1:25 left in the game. That is where the game would end as Crookston would run the remaining time off the clock and walk away with a 32-7 win on the road. “We have to keep it going and have to find ways to keep improving, but we are trending in the right direction,” said Coach Lubarski. “We have started to run the ball like we want to and that has helped and our defense has been tough the past few weeks.”

Crookston ends the regular season 3-5 and on a two-game winning streak. They will more than likely be traveling to Warroad on Tuesday night October 26 to take on the Warriors in the first round of the Section 8AA playoffs. Kickoff is TBD and the game can be heard on KROX. Staples-Motely finishes the regular season 2-6.

1st quarter
5:53 – CROX – Ethan Boll 23-yard run (Ethan Boll run)
2:16 – CROX – Ethan Boll 5-yard run (Jacob Hesby run)

2nd Quarter
6:00 – CROX – Brady Wisk 15-yard interception return (Ethan Boll run)

3rd quarter
1:00 – CROX – Jacob Hesby 4-yard run (Jack Doda run)

4th quarter
1:25 – SM – Hunter Martin 12-yard run (Sam Opheim kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATS