SPRING VALLEY — The Spring Valley Cardinals have found their groove with back-to-back wins to move to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play, most recently beating Turtle Lake 36-28 in a massive comeback Friday. The Cardinals’ previous scoring high was just eight, so the offensive breakout was significant.

Spring Valley was piecing drives together early, but losing two fumbles on the fringe of the red zone cost the team a chance to force the issue early. Turtle Lake took advantage of one of the fumbles, converting a fourth and long on a fake punt to take a 6-0 lead.

Spring Valley tied up the game when Mason Winger found Will Biggs on an out route for a 35-yard touchdown. The Cardinals got another chance before the half and took advantage, punching it in on a short run from Asher Turner for a 14-6 lead. The third quarter was a disaster for Spring Valley, not just losing the lead but digging themselves into a hole.

While they trailed 28-14 in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals found the heart they needed to get the job done in regulation. On third and 13, Winger found Collin Brunner short across the field, with blockers paving a construction zone for Brunner to pick up 32. Turner then got caught up in a cloud, eventually breaking through for a 34-yard touchdown.

Spring Valley’s conquest of the football game would not stop there, as Biggs would find the end zone for a second time and Winger would sail a third touchdown pass through the air.

Sam Schmitt sealed the game, picking off a pass after the defensive line brought a ton of pressure on a deep pass.

“I thought there were some things we were doing well. We clearly had some self-inflicted mistakes that were hurting us,” Spring Valley Head Coach Ryan Kapping said. “I was pleased to go into the halftime break with a lead. I thought we had a chance to just come out and put them away and clearly didn’t do that in the third quarter.”

Kapping said he challenged the team to respond in the fourth and they did just that.

“The biggest thing was finally completing some drives,” Kapping said. “We’ve sort of been executing what we want to do. We’ve been possessing the ball and getting first downs, but we weren’t scoring points.”

Kapping said, interesting enough with the scoring breakout, it was the fewest offensive plays they have run all year long. They had the chunk plays which had not been there previously.

Turtle Lake junior quarterback Brody Tarman is as versatile as it gets, doing it with his arm and legs. Kapping said teams like Boyceville and Glenwood City have similar-style quarterbacks, so the game was an important experience.

“He was under-utilized in their previous games with his legs. He’s a really dynamic player. We were aware of what he could do, and I think they started to utilize him more,” Kapping said. “I think it will benefit us.”

As for their own junior quarterback Winger, he tossed three touchdowns and has looked great in his first year at the helm.

“We’ve got to be able to give him time to throw,” Kapping said. “He’s a different kind of quarterback than what we’ve had in the past. In the past, we’ve been really reliant on our quarterback as a runner, and Mason’s strength is more with his arm.”

Winger threw 11-15 for 165 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Kapping said if he can continue to compete at that level with a solid run game backing him, they can contend for conference again. Biggs caught four passes for 102 yards and two scores and Turner took 31 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns.