STEPHEN-ARGYLE TOPS BGMR IN HOMECOMING GAME

The Stephen-Argyle Storm dominated in the ground game and earned a 49-28 homecoming win over the Badger-Greenbush Middle River Gators on Saturday afternoon in Argyle.

FIRST QUARTER –
After a short opening kickoff, Stephen-Argyle started their first drive at their own 49-yard line, and right away established the ground game. On the sixth play of the drive, senior running back Jason Lindgren found the end zone from four yards out, and junior Jaiden Kasprowicz knocked through the point after to give the Storm a 7-0 lead with 9:23 to go in the first. The Gators moved the ball 37 yards on seven plays in their first drive, but the drive stalled after a failed 4th down conversion.

SECOND QUARTER –
Stephen-Argyle started their second series at their own 29, and again had great rhythm in the running game. After a long, 13-play drive, senior quarterback Zach McGlynn punched it into the endzone on a 4th down and goal from the 1-yard line. Kasprowicz’s PAT was blocked, but the Storm increased their lead to 13-0 just two seconds into the second quarter. BGMR went three-and-out on the following series, and after a short 22-yard punt, Stephen-Argyle started their next series at the BGMR 47. Just five plays later, Jason Lindgren found the end zone again on a one-yard touchdown run. Senior James Pederson ran the ball in successfully for a two-point conversion, giving the Storm a 21-0 lead with 7:45 left in the first half. After a solid ensuing kickoff return from sophomore Dylan VonEnde, BGMR once again found some momentum on offense, particularly through the air. On the sixth play of the drive, the Gators were faced with a third and long in Storm territory. Senior quarterback Kasen Swenson dropped back to pass, avoided several defenders and scrambled all over before finally tossing the ball toward the end zone and finding an open Aaron Westling for a 30-yard touchdown throw. Junior Ethan Waage knocked through the point after to make it a 21-7 ballgame with 5:23 left in the second quarter. After a couple of stalled drives, Stephen-Argyle got the ball back  at the BGMR 45 after another short punt. With 2:31 left until halftime, the Storm wasted no time getting down the field. On the seventh play of the drive, Jason Lindgren scored his third rushing touchdown of the game – this one from four yards out. The ensuing PAT gave Stephen-Argyle a 28-7 lead at halftime.

THIRD QUARTER –
Badger-Greenbush-Middle River got the ball to start the second half, but their first drive of the half stalled after six plays, and the Gators were forced to punt the ball away. Starting at their own 40, the Storm went back to work on offense and found room to run. But on a third-down play, Zach McGlynn went to the air and found a wide-open Colin McGregor for a 30-yard touchdown strike. Kasprowicz’s point-after gave the Storm a 35-7 advantage with 8:02 to go in the third. On their following drive, BGMR fumbled the ball on a bad snap, and Stephen-Argyle took over at the BGMR 22. Five plays later, senior James Pederson found the end zone on a five-yard run, putting the Storm ahead 42-7 with 4:59 to go in the third. The Gators’ problems weren’t over, as they would fumble again on their next drive, ending what was a promising seven-play series that got BGMR deep into Storm territory. Taking over at their own 28, Stephen-Argyle kept the ball on the ground and had another successful drive going as the third quarter ended.

FOURTH QUARTER –
Faced with a second-and-goal at the three, McGlynn went to the air and found senior Brandon Kroll wide open on a simple angle route, and another Kasprowciz PAT put the Storm ahead 49-7 with 11:30 to play. The Gators refused to quit, however. Starting at their own 37 with 10:53 left, Kasen Swenson went to the air on the second play of the drive and found a wide-open Kobey Dallager down the sideline for a 61-yard touchdown reception. After forcing the Storm to go three-and-out on the following drive, the Gators quickly got the ball back and went long once again. This time, on the first play of the drive, Swenson hit Dallager wide open at midfield, and Dallager took it the rest of the way for a 74-yard touchdown catch. The Storm got the ball back with 4:36 remaining and had most of their second-string offense in at this point. After another series of successful run plays, a bad snap resulted in a Stephen-Argyle fumble, and the Gators recovered right at midfield. Three plays later, Swenson went back to their go-to play – throwing deep to Kobey Dallager. This time, Swenson found Dallager from 41 yards out, making it a 49-28 ballgame with just 52 seconds left. Dallager finished with six receptions for 212 yards and three touchdowns. The Gators managed to score 21 unanswered points in less than nine minutes during the final quarter, but Stephen-Argyle recovered the final kick, and backup QB Mason Rominski took a couple of kneel-downs to run out the remaining time.

Stephen-Argyle, who improves to 3-0 on the season, heads to Goodridge-Grygla on Friday, October 30. Badger-Greenbush-Middle River falls to 0-2, and they are at Warren-Alvarado-Oslo on October 30.

1st Quarter
9:23 -SA- Jason Lindgren 4 yd run (Jaden Kasprowicz kick)

2nd Quarter
11:58 -SA- Zach McGlynn 1 yd run (kick blocked)
7:45 -SA- Jason Lindgren 1 yd run (James Pederson run)
5:23 -BGMR- Aaron Westling 30 yard pass from Kasen Swenson (Ethan Waage kick)
:54 -SA- Jason Lindgren 4 yd run (Kasprowicz kick)

3rd Quarter
7:25 -SA- Colin McGregor 23 yd pass from Zach McGlynn (Kasprowicz kick)
4:59 -SA- James Pederson 5 yd run (Kasprowicz kick)

4th Quarter
11:27 -SA- Brandon Kroll 3 yd pass from Zach McGlynn (Kasprowicz kick)
9:26 -BGMR- Kobey Dallager 61 yd pass from Kasen Swenson (run failed)
4:36 -BGMR- Kobey Dallager 74 yd pass from Kasen Swenson (Waage kick)
:54 -BGMR- Kobey Dallager 41 yd pass from Kasen Swenson (Waage run)

INDIVIDUAL STATS