Armstrong-Ringsted hands Ventura first round play-off loss
They say it’s hard to beat the same team two times, Armstrong-Ringsted proved that saying to be true as they topped the Vikings, 55-20, in the first round playoff game held Tuesday, Oct. 30, in Armstrong. The Vikings met the Mustangs earlier in the season where they came out on top of a 27-13 match-up.
The Mustangs racked up 21 first quarter points. The Mustang’s shut down the Viking’s offense in the first half, holding them to no first downs until the two minute, 55 second mark of the second quarter. At that point, the lights on the home side of the field went out, delaying the game for a few minutes. Both coaches and the officials agreed to play and Ventura was finally able to get something going with their first touchdown of the night.
The Vikings cut the lead to 28-14 in the third quarter. The wind really went out of the Viking’s sail when the Mustangs ran back the kickoff for another score and added one more to make it 41-14 in the fourth quarter. The Vikings did make it into the end zone one more time for the final 55-20.
“I believe we put so much effort into the NEH prep and game, that it turned into a negative factor when we faced Armstrong,” said Coach Mike Horstman. “They were a completely different team than the first time we played. Their defense was much improved with players playing in different positions and stopping our running game.”
Quarterback Cody Kadolph wrapped up his outstanding season with 19 completions on 39 attempts for 217 yards in the air. He rushed for 32 yards on 12 carries and collected 14 tackles. He also had two of the Viking’s touchdowns.
Armstrong-Ringsted was really gunning for Ventura’s other stand-out senior, Josh Henely. Henely rushed for 10 yards on eight attempts. He had three catches for 29 yards and he picked up six tackles.
Tyler Betz led the team in receiving with 10 catches for 116 yards. He also had one touchdown and caught two extra point catches. Betz was the Mustang’s worst nightmare on defense collecting a team high 17 tackles and two sacks.
Tyler Peterson ran the ball seven times for 19 yards. He also had two catches for 25 yards and collected nine tackles.
Aaron Christians had four receptions for 47 yards, one of them earning him a touchdown.
Other defensive leaders included Brian Mostrom with nine tackles and two sacks; Jeremiah Hagen had nine tackles and Scott Watson collected eight tackles and one sack. Christians had five tackles and Dustin Dyre recorded four.
“I only wish we had a little more depth and were somewhat healthier when we played this type of game,” said Horstman. “Armstrong is a physical football team and we needed our “A” game to beat them. In any case, I think they will do well at the Dome and hope they represent the North well.”
Ventura ended their season with a 8-2 record. Armstrong-Ringsted went on to the quarterfinals where they met Northeast Hamilton on Saturday, Nov. 3. Armstrong topped NEH 23-20.
“It wasn’t really the way I wanted our seniors to go out, but it was a very successful season overall,” said Horstman.