Finally got a chance to see Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, and that's going to be a tough team to evaluate during the regular season.
The Bucs won 34-14 at Maple River, which is a pretty good result for just about any team in the area. But WEM did not look sharp. The passing attack, which is generally explosive, amassed only 65 yards, while the Bucs rushed for more than 200 yards and all five touchdowns, led by sophomore running back Brady Ayers.
The defense swarmed, especially linebacker Grant Pope, but the Eagles were able to score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one of which came on a 2-yard drive after a blocked punt.
WEM is the top-rated team in Class 2A, and optimism is high. It's tough for the team to meet those expectations each week.
Mankato West rolled over Faribault, which had won its first two games. The 48-2 victory could have been worse, and senior Nick Kaus set a program record with five touchdowns, three by receptions and two on punt returns. Friday's game against Winona might be the last time that the Scarlets will face a team with a winning record until the playoffs.
It was good to see Mankato East post a 15-3 victory at Rochester John Marshall. The Cougars had played well enough to win in the first two games, which both turned into a loss, and needed something to go right to build some confidence. Quarterback Abe Kolstad continues to flourish in his new role.
Le Center showed it will be a tough team to stop, and the Wildcats play at Bloooming Prairie this week in what amounts to the championship game of the Gopher Valley 1A Conference.
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What is going to be so tough about evaluating WEM each week? Yes, I get they had a low offensive night, but what makes that difficult to evaluate them week to week?
ReplyDeleteWEM is trapped by expectations. The Bucs are much better than the rest of the league so anything less than a convincing win is almost a letdown.
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with the defense. The Bucs gave up some passing yards and late points, but the defense was flying around and causing problems.
My point is that WEM will be judged by how well it does in the playoffs, which I expect to be very good, especially if they can get on turf.