Bulldogs cruise past Chickasaws
Quinn McGeough totaled 172 yards and four touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 62-20 win over New Hampton. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
With help from teammates Braxton Halvorson (3) and Carter Streicher (30), Austin Schaller takes down a Chickasaw runner. Schaller was among Bulldog leaders with nine total tackles, including two for a loss.
MFL MarMac quarterback Carter Stoddard looks for room to run in last week's victory.
Cameron Hagensick wraps up a Chickasaw runner in the Sept. 13 game at New Hampton.
Kashton Decker picked up a 53-yard score late in the game to push the Bulldogs over 60 points.
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
The MFL MarMac football team improved to 2-1 Sept. 13, in a dominant 62-20 win at New Hampton. It was the most points the Bulldogs have scored in a game since an 84-16 drubbing of Postville in 2022.
“We expected to win this ballgame,” said head coach Dan Anderson, “but I didn’t know we’d score 62 points.”
After getting off to a flat start in the previous week’s loss to Waukon, Friday night’s game was the exact opposite. Despite fumbling the snap, quarterback Carter Stoddard quickly recovered and ran 66 yards to the end zone on the Bulldogs’ opening drive. He scored from one yard out later in the quarter, as MFL MarMac took a 13-0 lead.
“We challenged our guys,” Anderson said. “We came out a lot stronger in this game.”
The Bulldogs pulled away in the second quarter, as Quinn McGeough collected a pair of touchdowns in quick succession. New Hampton cut into the 27-0 deficit later in the half, then was set up with prime field position when MFL MarMac fumbled the kick return, but couldn’t convert after Stoddard stripped the ball and Braxton Halvorson recovered it.
MFL MarMac added another touchdown mid-way through the third quarter, on a 41-yard run by Eli Hanson, before the Chickasaws made the score 34-14 on a touchdown of their own.
McGeough blew past the New Hampton defense soon after, going 65 yards for his third TD of the night and a 41-14 Bulldog lead. The advantage grew to 48-14 at the end of the quarter, on a Hanson 76-yard run and Ben Krambeer extra point.
The fourth quarter yielded a fourth touchdown from McGeough and a 53-yard score by Kashton Decker, to put the Bulldogs up 62-14. New Hampton tacked on its final points with 30 seconds remaining, for a 62-20 final.
MFL MarMac racked up a whopping 504 rushing yards, including 172 on 16 carries for McGeough. He averaged 10.8 yards per carry and scored four times. Hanson compiled another 137 yards and two touchdowns on only five attempts. Stoddard carried the ball eight times himself, earning 85 yards and a pair of TDs. He was 2-7 passing for 36 yards, with both completions to Hanson.
“I thought we ran the ball well and the offensive line did a great job blocking and staying with their blocks. They opened up some really big holes. There were times when our running backs didn’t hardly get touched,” Anderson said.
He credited assistant coach Brandon Burke’s play calling.
“Coach Burke did a good job of mixing up the play calls and not just handing off to the same guy every time. We were running counters and power stuff at them,” Anderson noted.
Chickasaw quarterback Reid Rausch was able to complete 17 of his 28 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns, but Anderson was proud of the effort by MFL MarMac’s young secondary. The Bulldogs combined for 61 tackles, including 10 for loss and two sacks.
Brock Hackett tallied 10.5 total tackles and Austin Schaller 9. Hanson, Kyler Nuehring and Brayden Gordon all had 5. Hanson snagged an interception and Halvorson the fumble.
MFL MarMac still hasn’t played to its full potential, warned Anderson.
“We came out really fast tonight, but there were a few lulls in there. We’ve got to put all four quarters together and not have those lulls,” he said. “There’s always things we can work on, but I was very pleased with the outcome.”
The Bulldogs start district play this week, hosting winless Aplington-Parkersburg on Friday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. It’s also homecoming week.
Anderson said it’s a fun time for students and the community, “but our guys should have fun if we win the football game. That’s our job. That’s the mentality we have to have all week and stay focused on that. District play is the most important part.”
