Mound Westonka ran their way through St. Anthony Village last Friday night, September 9, en route to a 49-20 win in a Twin City Maroon Sub-District game in Minneapolis. The precision ground game ran on all cylinders once again as the White Hawks tallied 429 yards on just 40 carries (10.7 yds per attempt) with a light rain falling during the first half.

Mound Westonka (2-0, 1-0) led from the outset as senior Fletcher Anderson scampered in from 45 yards out on the games fourth play from scrimmage, giving the ‘Hawks an early 7-0 lead. On St. Anthony’s first possession, the defense forced a punt which resulted in a bad snap. Senior Kade Tappen fell on the loose ball at the St. Anthony 8-yard line setting up a first and goal. It only took another four plays for the White Hawks to find the end zone, as junior quarterback Carter Reinbold found Tappen (4 catches-76 yards) for the 18-yard TD and a 14-0 advantage with 7:41 to play in the first quarter.

Paving the way for this season’s early ground assault has been the “men up front,” senior offensive linemen Luke Rodelius, Sam Dioszeghy and Marc Maas, and juniors Mikey Oftedahl and Connor Esposito. “Our offensive line has been the heart and soul of our team the past couple of seasons, and they bring with them a lot of experience and leadership," said White Hawks head coach Nick David. "Couldn’t be more proud of their efforts in these first two games.”

Reinbold found some running room on the first play of the second quarter scoring from 37 yards giving the White Hawks a 21-0 lead. The Huskies then found themselves deep in their own territory following a holding penalty and an incompletion on 3rd and 18. Another bad snap on the punt allowed sophomore Aaron Kroese to scoop up the bouncing ball and return it 24-yards for a touchdown (28-0 Westonka). Kroese played well defensively, adding five tackles and an interception. Kroese also returned a kick past mid-field.

The defense then held St. Anthony to eight yards on the next two possessions, including a nice pass breakup by senior defensive back Simon James. With just over four minutes left in the first half, Reinbold called his own number once again, scoring on a 38-yard touchdown run, and a 35-0 halftime lead.

Senior Tyler Albert, who led the White Hawks in rushing with 142 yards, found the end zone on a 3-yard run making the score 42-0 early in the third quarter. Westonka’s final points came on a 3-yard run by senior Cam Peterson late in the third quarter. Senior Ben Neve (7-7 XP’s) nailed the extra point and gave the White Hawks a 49-6 lead.

Junior linebacker Jaaron Konkel tallied a team-high seven tackles (4 solo) and three quarterback pressures to lead the defense. Sophomore Ray Beiningen finished with six tackles and a sack, while senior Luke Leonard had five tackles (4 solo) and two passes defended. James had five solo tackles to go along with three passes defended. Senior Kenny Briggs totaled three pass breakups from his cornerback position.

The defensive line controlled the game from the outset, for the second week in a row, leading to 21 quarterback pressures (junior Drake Woodruff led with five) and five sacks, including two from sophomore Beck Jenson. The Huskies were held to -22 yards rushing, but threw for 299 yards on 20 completions in 48 attempts.

“A huge credit goes out to St. Anthony Village and their offensive scheme in this game," said coach David. "They seemed to find their identity throughout the game as they have a nice QB who isn’t afraid to throw the ball down field to some very talented wide receivers. With that, we got to do a better job competing for jump balls and covering vertical routes as the season progresses.”

Reinbold finished with 86 yards rushing and 141 yards through the air. Sophomore quarterback Cole Drill saw action late in the contest and was able to rattle off 60 yards on just three carries.

Mound Westonka will be back on the road this Friday night (7 p.m.) facing Twin City District foe Park Center (1-1), who defeated DeLaSalle 40-23 this past week.