10/12/2009 3:53:00 PM Skippers earn third straight victory
Skippers quarterback Austin Quackenbush moves through tight coverage by the Detroit Lakes defense in the first half of Minnetonka’s 42-12 win Friday, Oct. 9, at Minnetonka High School.
PHOTO: Mark Trockman
Game stats
Minnetonka
Passing yards: 65; Austin Quackenbush 4-5, 35 yards; Nick Latzke 2-2, 10 yards; Larry Rice 1-1, 20 yards
Most football coaches will tell you that if you win the turnover battle, you are likely to win the game. That theory held true last Friday night as the Minnetonka Skippers forced five turnovers while committing only one of their own as they rolled to a 42-12 non-conference victory over Detroit Lakes.
The win is the third straight for the Skippers, who improved to 4-2 on the season.
"It was a fun game," Skippers head coach Dave Nelson said. "We blocked a punt and ran it in and picked off a pass. I thought we played well in all phases of the game tonight."
The Skippers led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter thanks to two interceptions. Sophomore Charles Webb set up the Skippers first touchdown when he intercepted Lakers quarterback Joe Mollberg.
Junior Parker Weinstock capitalized on the interception with a 14-yard touchdown run.
On the Lakers ensuing possession, Skippers' junior linebacker Grayson Smith intercepted another Mollberg pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown.
"The defense has played well and we're healthy now, which is nice," Nelson said. "We've got all of our guys back and all of the parts are in the right spot I think."
The Skippers extended their lead in the second quarter to 28-7 on touchdown runs by Weinstock and senior Dre Thompson and then their special teams got into the act.
With 3:14 left in the second quarter, the Skippers continued their first half dominance when senior Zach Siemens blocked a Lakers punt and returned it 12 yards for touchdown.
The Skippers received the second half kickoff and needed only five plays to find the end zone for a sixth time.
Junior Larry Rice, who threw for 20 yards and ran for 34 yards on the drive, scored on a 27-yard touchdown run to cap the Skippers' scoring for the night.
The Skippers only out-gained the Lakers 294 to 240 in total yards, but the turnovers proved to be the difference.
The Skippers rushed for 229 yards on 45 carries. Four different players had at least 44 yards rushing on the night. Weinstock led the way with 65 yards on 11 carries. Thompson added 45 yards on nine carries. Rice and junior Ashkaun Whitlock each recorded 44 yards on the ground.
"We've come a long way since day one and we're starting to run the ball better," Nelson said. "We had three backs look good tonight in the first half so they're excited. We like to run the football and establish that and use the play action pass off of that."
Mollberg finished the game 9-of-19 for 117 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
Josh Stalberger led the Lakers in receiving with five receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown.
The Skippers will now hit the road for their final two games. Their next game will literally require a road trip as they will play at Stevens Point, Wis., at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16.
The Panthers are 7-0 this season and ranked No. 2 among large schools in Wisconsin according to the latest Associated Press poll.
"They're really good," Nelson said. "We've watched them on video already and they're physical."
The Skippers will finish out the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at No. 1 ranked Wayzata.
