Bears close regular season with big win

TILDEN — For the better part of three quarters, Thursday’s regular-season finale between Laurel-Concord-Coleridge and Elkhorn Valley looked like a defensive battle.

And then, in the fourth quarter, the Bears stormed away with a 36-point effort to ground the Falcons 60-22 and earn a spot in this week’s Class D-1 playoffs.

The Bears got on the board late in the first frame when Evan Haisch scored on a short run. Ty Erwin hit Cael Hartung for the two-point conversion to make it 8-0.

It would stay that way until the third, when both teams began to find their offensive rhythm.

The Falcons tied the game early in the third, but the Bears took the lead for good on a pair of touchdown passes from Erwin to Noah Schutte to make it 24-8.

In the fourth quarter, the Bears’ offense caught fire as they scored five times in the final stanza — three by air and two on the ground.

Erwin and Schutte connected for the third time to start the fourth-quarter explosion, and Erwin hit Haisch on a four-yard pass to make it 38-8.

After Elkhorn Valley scored, Erwin called his own number on a 10-yard run to make it 44-16.

Elkhorn Valley would score one final time before the Bears answered with two of their own. Erwin and Haisch connected on a 13-yard pass, and Lucas Rasmussen closed the scoring with a three-yard run to give LCC the win.

Erwin had a great night, going 20-of-30 for 264 yards and five touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with 75 yards on 14 carries with another score.

Schutte caught eight passes for 109 yards and three touchdowns, while Haisch had six catches for 57 yards and two scores. Hartung caught three for 31 and Nolan Ohlrich had two for 65. Haisch had 12 carries for 25 yards.

Defensively, Haisch had 11 tackles, Wyatt Taylor added 10 and Hartung had nine.

LCC 8 0 16 36 — 60

Elk. Vall. 0 0 8 14 — 22

Scoring Summary

LCC — Evan Haisch 1 run (Cael Hartung pass from Ty Erwin)

EV — 6 yard run (PAT run)

LCC — Noah Schutte 38 pass from Erwin (Schutte pass from Erwin)

LCC — Schutte 1 pass from Erwin (Haisch run)

LCC — Schutte 30 pass from Erwin (PAT failed)

LCC — Haisch 4 pass from Erwin (Nolan Ohlrich pass from Erwin)

EV — 46 yard pass (PAT run)

LCC — Erwin 10 run (PAT failed)