Park Rapids Football Runs and Throws Their Way to a Victory over Crookston

The Crookston Pirate Football team struggled moving the ball on offense for the second straight game and the Park Rapids Panthers were impressive as they cruised to a 43-6 victory in a Section 8AA matchup in Park Rapids.

1st Quarter
Crookston started the game with the ball. Jose Arriaga ran for one yard before the Pirates were called for a motion penalty that moved them back five yards. Arriaga gained another yard, and Teagan Lubinski ran for five yards but came up short of the first down marker and had to punt. “We got the ball to start the game and we didn’t get off the ball,” said Pirate Coach Nate Lubarski. “We weren’t as aggressive as we needed to be, and we could have used some sustained drives.”After a 35-yard Crookston punt, Park Rapids had the ball on offense for the first time and didn’t waste any time getting on the board. Panther Junior quarterback Carter Hirt connected with wide receiver Parker Hunter on a short pass, but Hunter broke through and beat everybody down the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown. “We had some blown coverage and that was an older kid and he knew it right away,” said Coach Lubarski.
Crookston got the ball back and had another three and out and had a punt of 18 yards. Park Rapids had the ball at the Crookston 48-yard line and handed the ball off to Aiden Magnum for an eight-yard gain before Jaden Walen scampered 44 yards for the second touchdown of the game. The extra point kick was good, and the Panthers led 14-0 halfway through the quarter.
Crookston’s third offensive possession was more of the same as they had another three and out, and after a 33-yard punt, Park Rapids had the ball at their own 45-yard line. The drive didn’t start on a good note as they had an incomplete pass and a five-yard penalty for a second and 15 play. The Panthers Walen ran 18 yards for a first down, Hirt followed with a quarterback keeper up the middle for eight more yards, and Maanum followed with a four-yard run down to the 30-yard line. On the next play, Hirt threw a perfect pass down the sideline and hit Landon Strasburg in stride for a 30-yard touchdown. After the extra point kick failed, Park Rapids led 20-0 at the end of the first quarter.

2nd Quarter
Crookston’s first offensive series of the second quarter came up short after Lubinski was sacked for a loss of 20 yards, and after a punt of 23 yards, Park Rapids had the ball at the Crookston 41-yard line. On the third Panther play of the series, Jose Arriaga forced a fumble, and Crookston’s Lubarski recovered the ball to get the ball back. “We needed any spark we could get,” said Coach Lubarski. “Our kids were battling and they made a great defensive play to get us the ball back.” Once again, Crookston had a three-and-out and was forced to punt again. After a 38-yard punt, Park Rapids ran six plays and had a third down and nine before Hirt found Strasburg for a 22-yard passing play for a first down. Four plays later, the Panthers Hirt found Ryan Carrol for a 15-yard touchdown for a 26-0 lead with 1:24 left in the quarter.
Crookston had a quick three-and-out, and after a 40-yard Lubinski punt and a 15-yard Pirate personal foul penalty, Park Rapids had the ball at Crookston’s 46-yard line. Hirt found Strasburg for a 29-yard passing play and then the Panthers elected to try a field goal. The snap and hold were perfect, and Jaden Walen kicked the ball through for a 42-yard field goal as the buzzer sounded, and the Panthers took a 29-0 lead into halftime. “We needed to play a lot better in the first half,” said Coach Lubarski. “We can’t spot a team 30 points in the first half like we did and expect to win.”

3rd Quarter –
Park Rapids started the second half with the ball at their own 41-yard line. Walen started the drive with a 44-yard run and followed with a three-yard run before a five-yard penalty moved them back. The next play was a handoff to Walen, who meandered through Pirate defenders to score an 18-yard touchdown, and after the extra point kick, they led 36-0 just over two minutes into the half. “That was a tough way to start the half after we talked about being more aggressive,” said Coach Lubarski. “We challenged the guys to get after it the rest of the game.”
Crookston’s first second-half drive was much improved. Lubarski started with a five-yard run, which was followed by a Lubinski 10-yard run for a first down. After a pair of one-yard runs, Lubinski followed with a 20-yard run for another first down. A Park Rapids penalty moved the ball half the distance to the goalline to the 13-yard line. Lubarski ran the ball four yards, and Tate Hamre went six yards on an end-around. Lubarski carried the ball two yards down to the one-yard line. On the next play, Lubarski got the handoff, went off the center, and scored on a one-yard run to get within a 36-6 deficit with 5:22 left in the quarter. “I thought our line did a great job of getting off the ball on that drive and it wasn’t a coincidence that we moved it down the field,” said Coach Lubarski. “We had some nice plays and it was good to get into the endzone.”
Crookston’s kick was a line drive off a Park Rapids front-row player, and the Pirates jumped on the loose ball and recovered the ball. “I wish I could take credit for that,” said Coach Lubarski. “We didn’t call an onside kick; it was a kick that was low, and it happened to work out in our favor. It was a good heads-up play by our guys to jump on the ball.”
Crookston was able to move the ball again with a 15-yard Hamre run and a 14-yard Lubinski run, but after a loss of five, an incomplete pass and a sack forced the Pirates into a turnover on downs.
Park Rapids took a 36-6 lead into the fourth quarter.

4th Quarter –
Park Rapids let Walen take over the game, starting their drive at their own 25-yard line. Walen had carries of 6, 5, and 38 yards. After a four-yard run, Crookston was hit with a personal foul. On the next play, Walen scored on an eight-yard run, and after an extra point kick, they led 43-6, a Panther four- which started running time.
Crookston ran five plays that took almost five minutes off the clock, but they weren’t able to score as they turned the ball over on downs.
Park Rapids went to a backup quarterback, and on his second carry of the drive, he ran for 33 yards before Lubinskitracked the Panther down from behind, punched the ball out of his hands, and stole it to get the ball back. “That is just a great hustle play by one of our leaders,” said Coach Lubarski. “Teagen always gives it everything he has and made a great play.”
Crookston ran a handful of plays and the clock ran out as Park Rapids won the game 43-6. “Park Rapids has a lot of great athletes and have a very good team,” said Coach Lubarski. “We need our guys to start the game more aggressive like we were in the second half.”

Crookston drops to 0-2 on the year and will host Frazee on Friday. Park Rapids improves to 1-1 on the year and will travel to Roseau to play Warroad on Friday.

1st Quarter –
9:08 – Park Rapids – Carter Hirt 70-yard pass to Parker Hunter (Jaden Walen kick)
5:44 – Park Rapids – Jaden Walen 44-yard run (Jaden Walen kick)
1:09 – Park Rapids – Caden Hirt 30-yard pass to Landon Strasburg (Kick failed)

2nd Quarter –
1:24 – Park Rapids – Caden Hirt 15-yard pass to Ryan Carrol (run failed)
0:00 – Park Rapids – Jaden Walen 42 yard field goal

3rd Quarter –
9:58 – Park Rapids – Jaden Walen 18 yard run (Jaden Walen kick)
5:22 – Crookston – Rylan Lubarski 1 yard run (pass failed)

4th Quarter –
11:54 – Park Rapids – Jaden Walen 8 yard run (Jaden Walen kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Parker Kelly

Jose Arriaga

Rylan Lubarski

Teagen Lubinski

Teagen Lubinski

The Pirates celebrate a TD

Tate Hamre

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