St. Mary's Cardinals Slide Past Creighton In First Round 60-16

ST. MARY'S BEN BARLOW tries to shake a Creighton defender in last week's first round playoff game in O'Neill.

The St. Mary's Cardinals entered the playoffs this past Thursday with a 60-16 win over Creighton. This was the second meeting between the two, with St. Mary's beating them 66-28 in mid-September.

The Cardinals held the Bulldogs to two scores in the fourth against the second string.

Gage Hedstrom had three rushing touchdowns in the game, with an eight-yard and 23-yard touchdown runs in the second quarter and a 33-yard touchdown run in the third.

Dalton Herley made a 20-yard interception return for the Cardinals, with Keigan Couch running in the two-point conversion.

Hedstrom hit James Eby for the first score of the game on a quick three-yard dump pass with Lane Bybee getting the conversion for the Cards.  Eby took in the next score for the Cards when he snagged a 36-yard pass from Hedstrom to give the Cards a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Cards ran 34 total plays and had 16 first downs with only one penalty for 10 yards. The Bulldogs ran 55 plays for 11 first downs and had three penalties for 20 yards.

Hedstrom threw 12 times for 12 completions for four touchdowns. Hedstrom led the Cardinals ' backfield with 12 carries for 111 yards and three touchdowns, Drake Berg had two carries for nine yards, Ben Barlow had one carry for six yards, and Couch had four carries for six yards.

Barlow led the Cardinal air game with six catches and 65 yards for two touchdowns. Eby had three catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns; 

Lane Bybee had two catches for 33 yards, and Berg had one catch for 14 yards.

Leading the Cardinals' defense were Drake Berg and Hedstrom with 13 tackles each. Bybee had nine tackles, Herley had six tackles, Barlow, Myles Hamilton, Cooper Cole, and Ruger Kraft each had four tackles, Ben Pongratz had three tackles, Eby had two tackles, and Zane Cole, Dana Asche, Couch, and Logan Pongratz each had one tackle.

The Cardinals will face Burwell in the second round of the playoffs this Friday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. in O'Neill. The Cards have already faced the Longhorns this year and beat them 52-12.

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