STEPHEN-ARGYLE FOOTBALL TOPS CLEARBROOK-GONVICK

The Stephen-Argyle Storm football team had another solid day in the ground game, and earned a 46-14 over the Clearbrook-Gonvick Bears on Friday afternoon in Argyle.

FIRST QUARTER –
Clearbrook-Gonvick got the ball to start the game, but went three-and-out on their opening drive. After a shanked 14-yard punt, Stephen-Argyle started their first drive on the Bears’ 48-yard line, and immediately got their ground game established. After getting the bulk of the carries on the first drive, senior James Pederson found the endzone on a two-yard touchdown run. Junior Colten Pagnac added the point after to give the Storm a 7-0 lead with 7:16 left in the first. After Stephen-Argyle kicked the ball back to Clearbrook-Gonvick, the Bears gave the ball right back to the Storm after quarterback Kyle Gerlofs threw a pass down the middle of the field that was intercepted by junior Colin McGregor. Six plays later, Stephen-Argyle scored again. This time, senior Jason Lindgren ran it into the endzone from eight yards away, and another Pagnac point after gave the Storm a 14-0 lead with 5:27 to go in the first quarter. Clearbrook-Gonvick was able to move the ball 18 yards on its next possession, but that drive ended in a turnover-on-downs, and the Storm had the ball again near midfield late in the first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER –
Less than a minute into the second quarter, Stephen-Argyle capped off a 10-play drive when senior quarterback Zach McGlynn found Colten Pagnac wide open in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown pass. Pagnac missed the ensuing point-after but the Storm had a 20-0 lead with 11:06 left in the first half. Clearbrook-Gonvick started their next drive at their own 40, and were able to move the ball into Storm territory, thanks to a pass interference penalty. But ultimately, the Bears turned the ball over on downs, setting the Storm up at their own 31. Three plays later, Stephen-Argyle scored again. Jason Lindgren took a handoff around the left side, followed blockers, waited for the hole to open up and took off down the field for a 58-yard touchdown run. Pagnac made the point after and that gave the Storm a 27-0 lead with 4:15 left until halftime. Both teams would end up having a couple more possessions in the closing minutes of the first half, but they ultimately didn’t amount to anything.

THIRD QUARTER –
Stephen-Argyle got the ball to start the second half, looking to add to their already healthy lead, but Clearbrook-Gonvick’s defense came out strong, and forced a three-and-out. Not only that, but Colin McGregor’s punt was a high floater that only ended up going two yards, giving the Bears a first-and-10 at the Storm 28-yard line. After just four plays, the Bears turned the ball over on downs and could not take advantage of the short field. Starting at their own 20-yard line, Stephen-Argyle kept the ball on the ground, and drove 80 yards on nine plays. The drive ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Jason Lindgren – his third of the game. The ensuing point after put the Storm ahead 34-0 with 5:14 left in the third quarter. Clearbrook-Gonvick went three-and-out on their following possession and had to punt the ball back to Stephen-Argyle. After a solid 41-yard punt from senior Alex Dawson, Lindgren fielded the punt at his own 49, had blockers down field and took the punt 51 yards to the house, giving the Storm a 40-0 lead at that point. That also marked the first punt return for a touchdown in the Storm’s 2020 season so far.

FOURTH QUARTER –
With most of Stephen-Argyle’s backup defenders in the game by the end of the third quarter, Clearbrook-Gonvick’s offense took advantage. After a 52-yard reception by junior Aiden Churness, the Bears scored on the first play of the fourth quarter. Churness scored on a one-yard touchdown run, capping a six-play, 63-yard drive. After a Stephen-Argyle fumble on the first play of their ensuing drive, Clearbrook-Gonvick took over at the Storm 30-yard line. Five plays later, quarterback Kyle Gerlofs found Sam Wishard for a three-yard touchdown pass. Ty Dyrdahl caught a pass for a successful two-point conversion, making it a 40-14 ballgame with 6:16 left to play. The Storm weren’t quite done scoring. After a short Clearbrook-Gonvick punt, Stephen-Argyle took over at the Bears’ 40-yard line. Just three plays later, sophomore Demetrius Oberg lined up as a tailback and took a hand-off 30 yards down the sideline and into the end zone for his first career varsity touchdown. The ensuing point-after was no good, but it capped off another solid victory for the Storm, who have now scored 40 or more points in each of their last three games.

Stephen-Argyle improves to 4-0 on the season, while Clearbrook-Gonvick falls to 0-3. The Storm are scheduled to play at Kittson County Central in Hallock on Friday, November 6 at 6:00 p.m. Clearbrook-Gonvick is set to host Win-E-Mac on November 6 with a 6:00 p.m. kickoff there as well.

1st Quarter
7:16 – SA – James Pederson 2-yard TD run (Pagnac kick)
5:27 – SA – Jason Lindgren 8-yard TD run (Pagnac kick)

2nd Quarter
11:06 – SA – Colten Pagnac 2-yard TD catch from Zach McGlynn (kick failed)
4:15 – SA – Jason Lindgren 58-yard TD run (Pagnac kick)

3rd Quarter
5:14 – SA – Jason Lindgren 2-yard TD run (Pagnac kick)
3:00 – SA – Jason Lindgren 51-yard punt return for TD (kick failed)

4th Quarter
11:57 – CG – Aiden Churness 1-yard TD run (run failed)
6:16 – CG – Sam Wishard 3-yard TD catch from Kyle Gerlofs (Dyrdahl catch)
1:30 – SA – Demetrius Oberg 30-yard TD run (kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATS