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Big second quarter pulls Cards through

EMMERSON — Now Randolph can breathe a sigh of football relief.

The Cardinals found a way to jump out to a big second quarter at Emerson-Hubbard and that was enough to roll to a 40-14 win.

The Cardinals (1-2) got all six touchdowns from the legs of running back Justin Haselhorst who finished with a whopping 288 yards on 30 carries and added 67 yards on three catches from quarterback Tyson Junck who threw for 75 yards on a 5-for-8 night.

Both teams ran 59 plays, but Randolph outgained its hosts 430-184 yards.

“After the opening drive we played pretty strong defense,” Randolph coach Mark Lech said. “We liked the way everyone stepped up and caused some negative plays for the opponent. We have been missing the turnovers, sacks and big plays on defense this year, but Friday night we seemed to come up with several.”

It took Randolph a minute after halftime to recollect itself after leading 34-14 when Emerson-Hubbard drove down the field looking to score. But a forced fumble effectively ended any comeback hopes.

“This pretty much sealed the deal as our team gained more confidence,” Lech said. “Justin had a monster game breaking tackles and big plays all night. The offensive line came through as Emerson-Hubbard stacked the line to stop the run. We were able to take some long drives and turn them into points this week, which we weren’t able to do last week.”

Haselhorst scored on runs of six, 12, 46, 56, 24 and 42 yards.

One of those linemen that made things easier for Haselhorst was senior Colby Wathor.

Wathor has been asked to play multiple positions along the defensive line as well and go wherever the Cardinals need him.

“He is the spark plug of the team as he has a motor that never stops and goes hard every play,” Lech said. “He has been a two-year starter on the offensive line and one of the players we knew we could depend on this season. I feel with Colby’s help this group up front on the offense could be a real strength.”

Wathor was happy the team got a win at an opportune time, calling it a “morale boost” to get that first win.

“We really needed that for our season,” he said.

Wathor will do anything the team needs from him and believes it’s a necessary evil to have to move around if needed.

“Moving around is difficult, but it’s just one of those things you have to learn for the benefit of the team,” Wathor said. “It’s not an individual sport so you have to do the best at your job and get it done. You just have to expect the unexpected in life.”

Wathor said it’s pointless resenting the upheaval and it’s better to just embrace the moments and he has his favorites.

“I definitely like nose guard the most,” he said. “I love to be able to get into the line and use my speed out of my stance to get around them and pressure that quarterback and make them panic. I enjoy making plays down the line and come straight for them.”

District play opens up this week as Randolph will host state-rated Wynot at 7 p.m., Friday.

“Wynot is perennially good, often fielding a playoff team,” Lech said. “I expect nothing different this year.”

Lech said his team must deal with the Blue Devils’ big offensive line, and strong running quarterback.

“They are off to a good start with a record of 2-1 and are the favorite to win the district, in my opinion,” Lech said. “We will have to continue to play good defense and get some other playmakers involved on offense if we are going to beat them.”

Lech feels his team is starting to forge an identity at just the right time.

“We have established a core group of starting players on offense and defense,” Lech said. “Everyone has found their roles, and this has helped bring some stability to the team. We need to find some more playmakers on offense as the teams are focusing on Justin.”

Consistency is the key to success, he said.

“There were several chances in the last three games for big plays from other guys, but consistency is not there, yet. We will lean on our offensive line and keep working to become a little more multidimensional,” Lech said.

PASSING

Randolph - Tyson Junck, 5-8-75; Justin Haselhorst, 0-5. E-H - Brock Mackling, 7-14-48.

RUSHING

Randolph - Justin Haselhorst, 30-288; E-H - Anthony Lawrence, 15-65; Ryan Kinnaman, 12-37; Cameron Ahlers, 5-16; Hunter Morgan, 1-10; Brock Mackling, 12-8.

RECEIVING

Randolph - Justin Haselhorst, 3-67; Collyn Beal, 2-8. E-H - Mason Hall, 1-21; Cameron Ahlers, 1-16; Anthony Lawrence, 2-7; Ryan Kinnaman, 3-4.

TACKLES Randolph - Justin Haselhorst, 13; Collyn Beal, 8; Colby Wathor, 6; Cadein Villwok, 6; Tristan Mosel, 5; Tom Korth, 3; Tyson Junck, 3; Jacob Calder, 2; Carter Olson, 1.

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