Northland Pines senior linebacker Ethan Larson holds on to pull down a Clintonville player during the first half of a 31-14 win in the homecoming game Friday at Northland Pines High School.
Quarterback Aiden Minx gets ride of the ball in attempt to avoid the sack late in the first half against Clintonville.
The Northland Pines football team (1-5, 1-3) finally got in the win column, celebrating a 31-14 homecoming victory in Eagle River Friday.
The win was led by the ground game as the Eagles accumulated 250 rushing yards and three touchdowns. They also scored points in all four quarters.
“We are really proud of our kids. They showed great poise, played with confidence, and executed in all three phases. The offense did a great job running inside and came up with some huge scoring plays to keep the momentum in our favor,” said Coach Steve Graf. “It was our best effort in execution. We knew we were capable of good things if we could eliminate some of our big mistakes.”
Both teams took time to get a feel for each other early on, with Northland
Pines only leading 3-0 after a quiet first quarter.
Late in the second quarter, quarterback Aiden Minx found a favorite target in receiver Jacob Beer as the only points in the quarter. That 30-yard touchdown pass made it a 10-0 lead at halftime.
Beer found the paydirt again in the third on a 30-yard rushing touchdown for a 17-0 Pines lead.
The defense eventually gave up some points in the second half, but a sound performance allowed the offense to keep pouring on the points, according to Graf.
“We expected a lot of passes from Clintonville and felt we had to put pressure on their quarterback with our d-line and be disciplined in our coverage responsibilities. The interceptions were huge,” he said.
Senior running back Eli Kerner broke loose for two second-half touchdowns, one for 39 yards and one for 10, to open the game 31-6.
Minx finished the night 4-for-12 passing with 53 yards and a touchdown.
Kerner ran the ball 18 times for 108 yards and two scores. Beer reeled in three catches and rushed for 36 yards on two carries.
The Eagles will be on the road this week at Coleman Friday, Oct. 4, and will host Oconto Falls Friday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. Both lead the standings in the Northwoods Conference as the top two teams.
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