The Spring Valley Cardinals defeated the Elmwood-Plum City Wolves by a score of 27-22 on Friday night in Elmwood.

It was a hard-fought game on both sides which came right down to the wire.

Spring Valley got on the board in the first minute of the game after a 35-yard touchdown carry by running back Diego Schmitt. EPC came back and scored one of their own via the legs of Wolves quarterback Aaden Birtzer, except theirs was followed by a two-point conversion to take the lead, 8-7.

The second quarter started just like the first, with a long Spring Valley touchdown run by Schmitt and a QB sneak into the end zone by the Wolves to retake the lead, 14-13. With just 18 seconds remaining in the half, Spring Valley quarterback Wyatt Goveronski connected with wide receiver Cade Stasiek for a touchdown and again on the two-point conversion to take a seven-point lead, 21-14.

That was the way things stayed until the final 4:00 of the game when Wolves running back Owen Kober broke away on a 30-yard touchdown run followed by a successful two-point attempt to retake the lead 22-21.

With the season on the line and just over three minutes to go, Spring Valley rallied for one last drive and pushed downfield. These are the times when an offense needs to reach within, execute and give their offensive playmakers the chance to shine - and that’s exactly what happened. As the Cardinals approached the red zone with under 1:30 left on the clock, Schmitt broke loose for a 28-yard touchdown and got the lead back for the Cardinals, bringing the final score to 27-22 after the missed two-point conversion attempt.

The player of the game was Schmitt for the Cardinals who racked up 233 yards and three touchdowns on a massive workload of 31 carries. The offensive play makers were a little more diverse for the Wolves with Birtzer picking up 71 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and running backs Blake Allen and Owen Kober combining for 132 yards rushing and a score.

Head Coach Mike Birtzer likes a lot of what he saw from his team ahead of their playoff push.

“We were able to move the ball most of the night. The turnover to start the game hurt us, but we took the lead with just over three minutes to go and just couldn't come up with a stop,” Birtzer said. “A win on Friday would qualify us for the playoffs, so we need to win.”

For the Cardinals, this win was a little too close for comfort. Ryan Kapping, Spring Valley’s head coach, sees room for growth ahead of their showdown for the ‘ship this Friday.

“We didn't capitalize on some opportunities in the second half, and it turned into a game that came down to the wire. Fortunately, we were able to put together a drive with a few minutes left to get a score and pull out a win,” Kapping said. “For this week, we will prepare like any other week and get ready for what Boyceville does and put ourselves in positions to be successful. For us to be successful, we will need to take care of the ball and not turn it over and minimize big plays.”  

With this win, the 5-1 Cardinals’ hopes for a conference championship are still alive as they return home to host the undefeated Boyceville Bulldogs in a winner take all clash in Spring Valley Friday night. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. for that game.

For the 3-3 Wolves, their conference championship hopes are now gone, but they will look to secure their hopes for a playoff spot this Friday when they travel to Glenwood City to face the 3-3 Hilltoppers. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Wildcats

The River Falls Wildcats lost to the Menomonie Mustangs by a score of 39-15 in Menomonie on Friday night.

The Wildcats got on the board first with a touchdown pass from quarterback Jacob Range to wide receiver Eli Johnson to take a 7-0 lead early. However, the Mustangs completely shut down the River Falls offense and scored five unanswered touchdowns, taking a 32-7 lead.

Late in the third quarter, running back Jonah Severson got loose for a 28-yard score and a two-point conversion attempt which left the score at 32-15 going into the final frame. Unfortunately, the only score in the fourth quarter was a touchdown pass by Menomonie to bring the final score to 39-15.

The Wildcats weren’t sharp on either side of the ball on Friday putting up half as many yards and first downs on offense as they allowed on defense and getting dominated on time of possession by a tough Mustangs team that put up nearly 400 yards of offense.

Ryan Scherz, head coach of the Wildcats, wants to focus on playing a clean game going into the final week of the regular season.

“Our kids played hard on Friday, we just weren't able to dig out of some holes we found ourselves in,” Scherz said. “We will be focused on playing error-free football on Friday. When we limit big mistakes, we have given ourselves a chance to win.”

With this loss, River Falls drops to 3-3 on the season and returns home for a must win game against the 2-4 Eau Claire North Huskies. If the Wildcats win, they will secure a spot in the playoffs. If not, this will be the last game of the year.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. this Friday at Ramer Field.