Photo by Travis Rosenau: Red Rock Central’s Jack Grant blocks New Ulm Cathedral’s Nolan Netzke (67) during a Section 2, Nine-Player Football Tournament semifinals game in Lamberton on Oct. 25.

COTTONWOOD — For it being the first year of a renewed rivalry between Red Rock Central and Wabasso, there couldn’t be a much more fitting way for the teams to meet one more time this season.

Before the Wabasso Rabbits became nine-player football team this year, the two schools, separated by just 14 miles, haven’t played each other in football since 2016. This season, both teams have been the cream of the crop and have shown it as the top two seeds in the Section 2, Nine-Player Football Tournament.

This Friday, Lakeview High School plays host to the Wabasso-RRC rematch as they meet at 7 p.m. in the section finals with a state tournament berth on the line.

As the Rabbits dropped to nine-player football this season for the first time in program history, they continued building on the promising looks shown last season. The Rabbits finished the 2024 campaign just 2-7, but they showed flashes of what could be from a young group.

This season, the team is older, stronger and more experienced as they currently sit with an 8-1 record as the No. 2 seed.

That one in their wins-loss record is courtesy of their opponents this Friday in the 9-0, top-seeded Falcons.

The Falcons defeated the Rabbits in Wabasso in Week 7 on Oct. 10 by a score of 28-14.

“The last game, it’s 20-14 and we had that fourth down at their 40 to start the fourth quarter,” Wabasso head coach Joe Kemp said. “We missed on two fourth downs around midfield, and those are big plays in the game. If we convert that one to start the fourth quarter, maybe we’re ahead with eight minutes to go, and Red Rock has never been behind. They had three snaps that went past their quarterback, we didn’t recover any of them, they convert two or three third-and-20s.

“Those are things that, credit to Red Rock Central, good teams convert and overcome. Those are things that we need to do. … I just think it’s going to be two really good football teams battling and those situations occur if a ball is on the ground, an interception, a third-and-15, you have to get off the field, flip the field, those types of things. We’ve got to do a little bit better job of that.”

For RRC head coach Isaac Jenniges, what his Falcons did this past Saturday in a 32-0 semifinals win against New Ulm Cathedral was a solid, standard blueprint of what they need to do again Friday.

“Kind of like on Saturday, we’re gonna have to be very solid in pass coverage and as well as be stout against the run, as cliché as that sounds,” Jenniges said. “Joe does a really good job of mixing in formations and personnel packages, making sure that we find a way to continue to match our personnel and our packages defensively with what they’re putting on the field and just be fundamentally sound across the board.”

GAME CHANGERS

Carter Therkilsen leads the Falcons this year with 2,196 yards rushing and 26 TDs on 218 carries (10.1 ypc). His big-play ability is something the Rabbits did their best to keep contained during their Week 7 matchup with the Falcons, but coach Kemp is well aware of the fact that the senior running back is simply going to get his touches and yards.

“Carter Therkilsen is obviously the wild card in this whole game,” coach Kemp said. “It’s, ‘Can you slow him down?’ Because you’re never going to stop him. I think last time he had 200 yards on us but we made him carry it 37 times for that. He had probably four rushes of 25 plus, and you take that the other way, that means he probably had 30-plus carries for 100 yards [total]. I’ll take that any day.

“Knowing him, he’s an extension of their pass game. You get it to third-and-12, third-and-15, it’s tough to drop into coverage because he’s got such a good jump cut. He gets in a seam and all the sudden he’s in your secondary and he’s just bigger than most everybody in the secondary, and that’s a problem.”

Quarterback Abe Stavnes is another weapon for the Falcons as he’s often carried the ball when it’s not in the hands of Carter Therkilsen. Stavnes has rushed for 886 yards and 10 TDs while throwing for 821 yards and 13 TDs without an interception.

As for containing RRC’s Carter Therkilsen-led ground game, coach Kemp said his team will need to force RRC into tougher spots to where they have to throw the ball more.

“Someone a lot smarter than me once always said, ‘You’ve got to make teams play left-handed,'” coach Kemp said. “Turning around and handing the ball off to Therkilsen is obviously their right-handed play. Making them throw the ball, if we can get them into situations where they have to throw and I know Stavnes is a very good thrower, he’s also a very good runner, he’s a good-sized quarterback, but obviously we’d much rather have him do those things than Therkilsen.

“Again, that’s no disrespect to [Stavnes] because he’s a very good football player, but we know that the ball is going to interact with his hands a lot and you just have to make good reads. We have to disguise some things up front to try and offset their blocking into being spots where they don’t expect us to be.”

The Rabbits have relied on their run game, led by Joe Rohlik, who has powered his way to 846 yards and 11 TDs on the ground on 121 carries (7 ypc). Zach Skoblik adds 55 carries for 348 yards and four TDs, while Nolan Leopold has 30 carries for 262 yards and three TDs.

Rabbits quarterback Drew Kemp has completed 69% of his passes for 1,336 yards, 12 TD and three interceptions. Leopold has been the go-to target with 38 receptions for 528 yards and five TDs.

While Wabasso has leaned on its run game, much like RRC, Jenniges knows his team can’t be complacent or get too comfortable keying in on one or two of Wabasso’s offensive weapons.

“I think there is going to be a feeling-out process early in the game and each team is going to do their best to hang in there and a punch-counter punch kind of situation,” Jenniges said.

IN THE TRENCHES

While Carter Therkilsen gets the headlines, Jenniges credited his offensive line for giving his senior running back room to work.

“I don’t think you can give our offensive line enough credit,” Jenniges said. “These guys have shown up every night and thus far through nine games have physically been in control on the offensive line. Austin Imker went down for a few weeks, and Grant Kronback slid in and we didn’t skip a beat. Brekken Determan has been solid at center all year, Jack Grant is steady at right guard.

“Our tight ends are two of the better blocking tight ends in our league when it comes to blocking in space, especially Jake Erickson. He was our fullback last year and kind of when we switched offenses, offensive philosophy and style, has transitioned to playing with his hand in the dirt and being a puller and trapper from the tight end position as well. … Jonah Skarupa is our other guy that has done whatever we’ve asked him to do. Play some guard, play some tight end. Last week he lined up a little bit in the backfield and we used him as a lead blocker.”

Coach Kemp said in addition to needing his defense to make and finish tackles, RRC does have a size advantage over the Rabbits at several positions and said his line needs to play and be bigger.

“We did get one of our very good starting offensive linemen back,” coach Kemp said. “Caden Frericks … he’s been out since the New Ulm Cathedral game [Sept. 19]. He’s been a difference-maker, definitely one of our better linemen, so to put him back on the offensive and defensive side of the ball is going to help us tremendously against a team with size like Red Rock. He’s very intelligent, knows what he’s supposed to do, can hold his ground up there against these larger guys.

“So him and Mason Kampsen, very good, Josh Timm had his best game of the year, we did not play him both ways last time either. So we’ve got some things that we’re going to attempt to do. But we’re gonna try to get bigger and we have to get bigger up front and that was no secret last time we played them.”

PRIDE AND RESPECT

Jenniges, who coached for Kemp in Wabasso before coaching RRC, said his players need to be ready for Friday despite the added rivalry pressure and fight through what he expects to be a close game.

“The kids are the ones who have to be able to step up and make the plays when needed,” Jenniges said. “They do have the pride factor because there are kids on each side that are related and the fans from both towns and schools are going to come out and support the kids. I fully expect it to be a packed house in Cottonwood on Friday night. All of that, the hype or the hullabaloo, whatever term you want to use, it’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster in the first quarter and both teams are going to have to weather that storm.

“As much as you would like to think that you won the first time and have the upper hand, you know it’s going to be a dog fight and it’s not going to be easy. You know you’re going to have to scratch and fight and claw for every inch. I fully expect it to be that kind of battle from the opening whistle.”

Coach Kemp said his team respects Jenniges and RRC and he’s ready for Friday’s game and atmosphere.

“We have a great deal of respect for them and Isaac’s put together a very good program,” coach Kemp said. “When you’re about 10 miles apart, that’s a good rivalry game and I think any time you’ve got two very good teams going it at it for the section title, it’s an exciting time for both schools.”