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Ely routs ‘Hawks for first win

Victory marred by season-ending injury for Wolves senior Dalton Schreffler

Keith Vandervort
Posted 10/9/19

BABBITT – The Timberwolves’ first win of the season proved bittersweet after senior running back Dalton Schreffler suffered a broken leg early in the second half, putting him out of commission …

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Ely routs ‘Hawks for first win

Victory marred by season-ending injury for Wolves senior Dalton Schreffler

Posted

BABBITT – The Timberwolves’ first win of the season proved bittersweet after senior running back Dalton Schreffler suffered a broken leg early in the second half, putting him out of commission for the season.

Schreffler had been experiencing an extraordinary night on the field up to that point, racking up 195 yards rushing to help lead Ely to a 44-6 win over winless Northeast Range. According to Ely Head Coach Cory Lassi, Schreffler was attempting an off-tackle run from the five-yard line looking for the end zone when he suffered his injury.

“He got hit initially and another defensive player came in on cleanup and got him hard in the lower leg. It was just bad luck that he suffered the break. He will see a specialist this week, but he is done for the season. I hope he can finish off his senior year with a chance to play hockey and baseball yet.”

Lassi said it was great for the Timberwolves to experience how it feels to get a win, but losing No. 18 was a big loss for the whole team. “He did everything. He was our starting running back and starting linebacker. He did kick-offs and punting duties and returned punts. The team is staying positive about it and is looking forward to finishing out the season. Jason Kerntz will likely move up on the roster and get more responsibilities,” he said.

Ely opened Friday’s game with a long drive that lasted more than eight minutes. Schreffler scored from three yards out, and carried in the two-point conversion.

Northeast Range gave the ball right back to Ely after a three-and-out, and Schreffler promptly ripped off a 55-yard touchdown run. Longwell completed a two-point pass to Schreffler, giving the Timberwolves a 16-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Schreffler scored again from three yards out. A completed pass from Longwell to Mason Davis on the conversion gave the Timberwolves a 24-0 halftime lead.

Ely forced another three-and-out on the Nighthawks to open the third quarter. Following Schreffler’s season-ending injury, Longwell scored on a keeper from two yards out. The conversion failed, giving Ely a 30-0 lead.

Later in the third quarter, Mason Davis scored on a 40-yard catch and run from Longwell. The conversion failed, giving Ely a 36-0 lead. Ely scored again early in the fourth quarter, this time on a 40-yard run from scrimmage by Davis. Kerntz ran in the conversion giving Ely a 44-0 lead.

Northeast Range’s Zander Lislegard ran back the ensuing kick-off 60 yards for their only score of the game.

“This was a trap game,” Lassi said. “Both teams were winless going in and at this point we can’t overlook anybody. “I was proud of the guys staying focused after we lost a player and we finished the game for the win.”

The Wolves moved the ball effectively against the struggling Nighthawks, racking up a total of 381 of offense, including 323 yards rushing. Quarterback Bryce Longwell also completed three of four passes for 58 yards.

On defense, Tjae Banks had six tackles and Josh Larson added five more. “In all, our four defensive linemen had 24 tackles as a unit,” Lassi said. They really came together to stop them.”

As the season heads into its final week, Lassi said the Wolves will be focused on avoiding penalties and mental errors. “We have to work on the false starts, neutral zone infractions and off-side penalties. As we make a run at the end of the season here, this win should give us confidence that we can play tough with anybody.”

The Timberwolves were set to travel to Cherry on Friday, Oct. 11. They close out the regular season at home against Lake of the Woods on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

football, ely, sports