The Spring Valley Cardinals defeated the Turtle Lake Lakers by a score of 48-6 on Friday night in Spring Valley.

It was homecoming for the Cardinals, and they did what they’ve done all season, win.

The first quarter was slow by Cardinal standards, which means they only scored twice. The first came off a safety, which brought the score to 2-0. Then, with the ball back in Spring Valley’s hands, they steadily carried the rock downfield where quarterback Wyatt Goveronski pushed it in from the 2-yard line.

This brought the score to 8-0 as the extra point was no good. A quick run and a pass by the Lakers had them near midfield and moving briskly as the quarter came to an end.

Their drive stalled as the second began and a penalty backed Turtle Lake up to a long 3^rd and 12. The Cardinals brought pressure on the following play, and the Lakers quarterback laid a pass out and over the top of two Cardinals defenders. Unfortunately for him, one of those defenders was running back and linebacker Kaden Robelia who went up, fully extended, and nearly executed a tremendous one-handed interception, which broke up the played and forced Turtle Lake to punt.

The red birds took over from their own 35-yard line, but two chunky run gains, including a 26 yarder by running back Diego Schmitt, had them at 1^st and 10 on the Lakers 33. Schmitt’s work wasn’t complete on this drive though as he ripped off another big gain, slipping tackles and carrying defenders all the way down inside the 15-yard line. The Cardinals went back to the well just two plays later giving the ball to Schmitt who, bouncing off defenders, took it 10 yards and into the end zone to bring the score to 14-0 after the failed 2-point conversion attempt.

The Lakers’ following drive did not go well for them.

The Cardinals defense held them off and got them into a 4^th and long after a big tackle for a loss. The Turtle Lake offense stayed on the field though, and they went back to the air. The pass was one of desperation as the quarterback lobbed it into a lot of traffic, and this time Robelia did not miss the interception.

With 6:11 in the half, Spring Valley was on the move again. After multiple running back carries and a QB sneak, the Cardinals found a matchup they liked. With just 2:36 remaining, Goveronski aired one out deep for the universal player Cade Stasiek who made the grab in stride for a 38-yard touchdown.

The 2-point conversion was successful, and the score became 22-0.

Things just kept getting worse for the Lakers. On the first play of the following drive, they fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Schmitt resulting in 1^st and 10 from the Lakers’ 40-yard line.

Back-to-back big runs from Stasiek set up a 1^st and goal from the 7-yard line with 1:14 to go. Schmitt would do the rest, taking it in for his second touchdown of the night.

Then something incredible happened that you won’t see on a stat sheet.

Goveronski threw a moon shot – as close to a hail Mary as you can get at the 2-yard line – the ball went virtually straight up into the air and landed in Stasiek’s hands in the corner of the end zone for a completion. However, a penalty wiped the points off the board and backed the Cardinals up all the way to the 17-yard line. The following attempt was unsuccessful, and the game went into the half, 28-0.

Spring Valley got the ball first in the second half, and they wasted no time. A 22-yard run and a 38-yard bomb had them looking at a 1^st and 10 from the Lakers’ 13-yard line. Three rushes later and Goveronski was in for his second touchdown of the night, bringing the score to 35-0 with the extra point kick by Stasiek.

Turtle Lake came out on their first drive of the half, going noticeably up tempo and picking up three sizeable receptions in a row before eventually foundering on the Spring Valley 35-yard line. Continued pressure by the Cardinal defense caused two errant throws and led to the Lakers going for it on 4^th and 9. The pass was overthrown, and Turtle Lake turned it over on downs.

Time would expire in the third without another score, but Spring Valley kept their foot on the gas scoring twice more in the fourth.

With just over 2:00 off the clock, running back Trevor Forster powered his way through defenders and over the goal line to bring the score to 42-0. Then, surprisingly, things broke Turtle Lake’s way as they broke off a 68-yard run and put six points on the board. Spring Valley would answer back as running back Sam Schmitt rumbled over the goal line to bring the final score to 48-6.

Things were running on all cylinders for the Cardinals as five different players scored touchdowns on the night including a pair of rushing touchdowns by Diego Schmitt and three total touchdowns for Goveronski, two rushing and one passing. Schmitt now has almost 900 yards rushing in just six games to go along with 11 touchdowns and zero fumbles.

These stats are nothing new for Schmitt; he was second in the conference in rushing yards and in touchdowns in his first full season as the Cardinals running back last year. Fast forward 12 months and he is tied for first in touchdowns and is in a near dead heat for first in rushing yards.

“It’s mostly the team, we have really good blockers,” Schmitt said. “Our team bond is good this year too, and we’ve been working really hard in practice.”

The 6-0 Cardinals are no stranger to this kind of success. They’ve won the conference three years in a row and were considered the front runner for a four-peat when the season began. However, Head Coach Ryan Kapping says that the conference champion could be decided in the final game of the season, which they would host in this scenario.

“We were picked to win the conference at the beginning, but I would pick Boyceville as a favorite with what they have returning,” Kapping said. “We played a close game with them last year, and they returned seven or eight all-conference kids from that team. They've been steamrolling everybody. So, we're sort of on a showdown path with them for Week 9.”

Kapping may have a point about which one should be considered the favorite. Both Boyceville and Spring Valley are now 6-0, but the point differential for Boyceville has reached a whole new level.

Spring Valley’s point differential is a massive 160 points, meaning that they’ve beaten their six opponents by a grand total of 160 points. However, Boyceville’s point differential is approaching a number nearly half again as much at 212. This means that, on average, Boyceville has beaten all six of their opponents by over five touchdowns.

To put into perspective how dominant these two teams are, they are the only two programs in the conference that have point differentials above 0. All this is to say that, unless one of these powerhouses suffers a titanic level upset in the next two weeks, you should mark your calendars because on Oct. 13 in Spring Valley, Wis., there is going to be some must see high school football being played.

“They’re a well-coached team, and we’re looking forward to it,” Schmitt said.

Next up for the Cardinals is a trip to Cadott to play the 2-4 Hornets this Friday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.