MT. IRON – It was a tough row to hoe for the Timberwolves on Tuesday as they went up against third-seeded Cherry in the opening round of the Section 7A nineman tournament. The Tigers dominated enroute to a 44-0 win to put an end to Ely’s season.

The Tigers all but shut down the Wolves offensively, allowing just one first down in the first half on their way to a 22-0 halftime lead.

Cherry opened the scoring in the first quarter when quarterback Justin Caple ran it in from three yards out, and added a two-point conversion to make the score 8-0.

In the second quarter, Ely’s defense stepped up to stop Cherry and the Wolves took over on their own three-yard line. Ely went three-and-out and a subsequent punt went short giving the Tigers a short field. They didn’t waste it, putting eight more points on the board. Another Tigers’ score in the second quarter left them up 22-0.

In the third quarter, Cherry came out to quickly to score from 12 yards out. A two-point conversion boosted their margin to 30-0.

In the ensuing drive, Ely running back Jason Kerntz picked up a first down, but the drive stalled and Cherry blocked the ensuing punt. Two plays later Tigers running back Austin Michaels ran it in from 19 yards out. Caple’s two-point conversion gave Cherry a 38-0 lead. The Tigers picked up another score in the fourth quarter for the 44-0 win.

“We couldn’t generate a lot of offense,” said Coach Cory Lassi. “Cherry stacked the box and blitzed one or two players and they were getting penetration throughput the game.”

Kerntz had 40 yards on 12 carries for the night, and Mason Davis had one pass completion for four yards.

“At times, we were looking good on defense, but that didn’t hold up,” he said. Lane Anderson had 14 tackles and Adam Williamson added nine more for the night.

‘We had a lot of young players this season, but as they played in more games, they gained valuable experience,” Lassi said. “I was quite pleased with how many of our young players really grew in their positions this season.”