Red Hawks Win Conference Championship

Either way, the Froid/Lake Red Hawks couldn’t be kept out of the end zone.

The Red Hawks relied on an explosive running attack in the first half and then went to a passing attack during the second half to down Richey/ Lambert, 73-36, in Lambert on Friday night, Sept. 25.

The victory put the Red Hawks alone on top of the league standings with a 4-0 record.

“It feels very good,” Froid/ Lake coach Michael Reiter said of winning the league title. “The boys did a real nice job.”

Senior Colt Miller added, “We feel great. We haven’t won these many games for so long. We know Richey/Lambert has a great team.”

The Red Hawks jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter against the previously undefeated Fusion.

“Our guys were ready to go,” Reiter said. ‘We talked about it all week.”

Miller noted that the Red Hawks have been aiming for the league title for a long time.

“We really worked hard in the off season,” the senior said. “This was meant to be.”

The Red Hawks struck on their first offensive possession when Issac Johnson reversed fields for an 18-yard touchdown run. He also kicked the conversion for an 8-0 advantage.

The Fusion responded by driving into Red Hawk territory. A fourth-down pass was deflected by Johnson into the hands of Connor Huft for an interception. Huft, a speedy junior, then raced 72 yards for a kickoff with 6:05 left in the opening quarter.

Froid/Lake soon got into scoring position again when Brett Stentoft recovered a fumble at the Richey/Lambert 15. Ashdyn Hobbs, who enjoyed a great first half running the ball, scored on a 15yard dash for a 20-0 advantage.

The Fusion, highlighted by the running and passing of Grady Gonsioroski, moved deep into Red Hawk territory. Facing a third-and-six at the eight, the threat ended on another interception by Huft.

Froid/Lake reached the end zone on a 55-yard run by Hobbs with 8:28 left in the half. Johnson passed to Miller for the conversion and a 27-0 lead.

Richey/Lambert, however, kept battling. The Fusion got on the scoreboard on an 11yard run by Gonsioroski with 4:08 remaining in the half.

The Red Hawks struck right back when Hobbs took a quick pass from Mason Dethman and went 37 yards to the end zone for a 33-6 advantage.

The Fusion ended the half’s scoring with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Gonsioroski to Layne Herman to close the margin to 33-12.

Richey/Lambert then opened the third quarter with a 62-yard kickoff return by Tiegen Cundiff for a touchdown to pull to 33-18.

The Red Hawks weren’t going to let the game get away though. Switching to more a passing attack in the second half, Froid/Lake scored on a 50-yard deep throw from Dethman to the 6-2 Miller.

Richey/Lambert drove into Red Hawk territory on its next possession, but the drive ended on quarterback sacks by Quinn Abar and Miller.

The Red Hawks struck again on a 30-yard pass from Dethman to Miller for a 45-18 lead with 2:21 left in the third quarter.

After the Fusion scored on a six-yard pass from Herman to Cundiff, the Red Hawks responded with a 42-yard touchdown connection from Dethman to Stentoft. Johnson passed to Walker Ator for the conversion to make the score 51-24 at the end of the third quarter.

The first score for the Red Hawks of the fourth quarter came on a 48-yard pass play from Dethman to Stentoft. A three-yard run by Gonsioroski cut the margin to 58-30 with 5:52 remaining.

After a 19-yard touchdown pass from Dethman to Stentoft, the Fusion scored on a 57yard kickoff return by Blaine Frisbee for a 66-36 margin.

The Red Hawks’ final touchdown was scored by Dethman on a 41-yard run with 4:38 remaining. Johnson ran in the conversion for a 73-36 margin.