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TYLER – On a perfect night for a football game, the Springfield Tigers came to Tyler to take on the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Knights. The Tigers are ranked #2 in the state currently, but RTR has been playing some great football lately, fashioning a 4-2 record. It was the last home game of the season for the Knights, and they hoped to give the Tigers a great battle to pull of the upset. But it wasn’t to be, as Springfield came out on top 41-0. Just looking at the scoreboard would lead you to believe that it was a very dominating performance by the Tigers. And while they did win every phase of the game, it was a much more competitive contest than the score would indicate. While the Tigers did all the scoring, the Knights were actually able to move the ball fairly consistently throughout the night. But a stop inside the 10-yard line, and three costly penalties prevented the Knights from reaching the end zone.
Springfield took the opening kickoff, and behind the passing of senior quarterback Parker Kuehn, scored the first touchdown barely two minutes into the game, hitting Ely Streich for a 28-yard touchdown. The extra point was good, and the Tigers had a 7-0 lead.
RTR got great field position on a short kickoff, and started on the 38-yard line. But after a couple of good gains by running back Brayden Chandler, but a holding call set them back. Two plays later, Streich struck again with an interception that he returned to the 19-yard line. Two plays later, Kuehn hit Madden Lendt in the end zone to make the score 13-0 after a missed extra point.
After another short kickoff, the Knights started their drive from the 37 yard line. After a couple of short running plays, freshman quarterback Gavin Hook found Braden Nibbe for a 25-yard completion. Nibbe had another 11-yard reception, and the Knights were in the Red Zone. They faced a fourth and one on the 13-yard line, but the Tigers defense rose up and stopped Micah Johnson for a 2-yard loss, and took over on downs. Behind the solid running of Braxton Brown and Colten Sell, the Tigers were marching, and they ended the first quarter with a reception by Streich for a 43-yard gain.
Brown and Sell continued their fine running attack, and then Kuehn took matters into his own hands with 5-yard touchdown run, making the score 19-0.
After a Chris Janish return to the 45-yard line, RTR again had great field position. But on 3rd and eight, Braxton Brown outwrestled the RTR receiver for an interception that ended the drive. The teams traded punts, with the RTR punt being downed at the one-yard line. Both teams punted again, and then Brown gained 10 yards after being hit behind the line initially. From there, Madden Lendt took the ball 57 yards for a touchdown to make the score 27-0 at halftime.
The Knights started the third quarter with a holding call, and were forced to punt the ball away. The Tigers took advantage of good field position, and after a screen pass gained 23 yards, Colten Sell ran 6 yards into the end zone to make the score 34-0 just two minutes into the second half. The rest of the third quarter saw RTR having to punt twice, and their defense stopping the Tigers twice on fourth down.
Starting the fourth quarter, RTR faked a punt but Braxton Brown intercepted Brayden Chandler’s pass at the 49-yard line. From there, strong running from Conner Schmidt and Colten Sell, plus a 15-yard penalty on the Knights, put them in the Red Zone again, and Kuehn scored on an 11-yard keeper to make the score 41-0.
Chris Janish took the kickoff for 20 yards, and Micah Johnson had 9-yard reception. After a terrific 21-yard run by Colten Chandler, Hook was sacked for 14-yard loss. Springfield then made three stops, and they were able to kneel down to run out the clock on the way to a 41-0 victory.
On the evening, quarterback Parker Kuehn, who will play next year at Dordt College, had two rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns. He was 12 for 18 passing, and Colten Sell was their leading rusher with 38 yards on 12 carries. Madden Lendt caught two touchdown passes and a total of 80 yards, and Ely Streich, who was tremendous on both sides of the ball, scored one touchdown and had 76 yards receiving in addition to an interception. Braxton Brown also caught five passes for 78 yards, and he had two interceptions.
For the Knights, Brayden Chandler was their leading rusher with 35 touch yards, and younger brother Colten had a 21-yard run and a 13-yard reception. Micah Johnson finished his night with 23 yards on eight carries. Braden Nibbe had a fine night receiving, with a total of 39 yards on three receptions.
RTR finishes off their regular season next Tuesday when they travel to KMS. Springfield will end their regular season on Tuesday when they travel to GFW, then await their playoff opponent.