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The St. Mary's Cardinals have completed their 2025 regular season with an 80 -12 win over Neligh-Oakdale last Thursday, Oct. 16, in O'Neill. The Cards finish their regular season 8-0 and will host the first round of play-offs today, Thursday, Oct. 23, in O'Neill. The 4th-ranked St. Mary's squad will face Creighton, whom the Cards defeated 66-28 on Sept. 19. If the Cards successfully defeat Creighton again, they will advance to face the winner of the Burwell Brunning Davenport Shickley game. The match with the Warriors started with a hiccup as the first score did not go to the Cards. The Cardinals' secondary gave up the score when Cooper Arehart hit Dylan Furstenau on a 63-yard touchdown pass to put the Warriors up six to nothing. The sudden shock of the score set the Cardinals to work as they responded to the Warriors' single score with 24 unanswered points. Gage Hedstrom led the Cards down the field into Warrior territory and scored on a two-yard touchdown. Hedstrom's next contribution was a 63-yard touchdown with a two-point conversion. Hedstrom threw a 16-yard touchdown to Lane Bybee and completed the two-point conversion pass to Ben Pongratz. Ben Barlow got into the endzone early on an eight-yard touchdown to put the Cards up 30-6 going into the second quarter. Hedstrom scored the next touchdown from 46 yards. Neligh-Oakdale, not quite out of the game yet, drove down to the Cardinals' red zone, and Arehart ran in the only score of the half for the Warriors. The Cards racked up another 30 points in the second. Hedstrom's next score was a 46-yard touchdown, and then he followed up with a 43-yard touchdown run. Hedstrom's final score before half was a short two-yard touchdown with Barlow catching the conversion. Keigan Couch ran in the next score on a three-yard touchdown. The final score for the Cards before half was a pick-six by Barlow with Hedstrom running in the conversion. The Cards led at the half 66-12. The third saw neither team get into the enzone, and the Warriors were denied scoring in the fourth. The fourth quarter saw the use of some of the second team, with Ruger Kraft getting in a 14-yard touchdown, and Cooper Cole getting in the last score of the Cards on a one-yard touchdown, with Conner Banks running in the conversion. Hedstrom owned the night with 13 carries for 227 yards and five touchdowns; Couch had nine carries for 45 yards and one touchdown; Kraft had three carries for 30 yards and one touchdown; Connor Banks had three carries for 28 yards; Barlow had two carries for 10 yards and one touchdown; Pongratz had two carries for eight yards; Cooper Cole had two carries for six carries and one touchdown; and Drake Berg had one carry for two yards. Leading the receivers was Lane Bybee with three catches for 48 yards and one touchdown; Barlow had two catches for 50 yards; Myles Hamilton had one catch for six yards; and Logan Brabec had one carry for five yards. Dalton Herley was on top with 11 tackles; Hedstrom followed with 10 tackles; Eli Banks, Bybee and Pongratz all had eight tackles; James Eby, Barlow and Berg all had five tackles; Couch had four tackles; C. Banks had three tackles; Dane Asche had two tackles; and Zane Cole, Memphis Brabec, Thiago Argentina, Logan Pongratz, Kolton Lavicky, L. Brabec and Hamilton all with one tackle.
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