By Reagan Hoverman

The River Falls High School football team begins the 2022 season with a 1-0 record in non-conference play, as the Wildcats used a dynamic rushing attack to cruise to a 28-7 victory on the road against Wisconsin Rapids on Thursday, Aug. 18.

River Falls entered 2022 with a strong re- turning presence along the ouensive line, a battle for the starting quarterback position, and a dynamic runner in the backfield in ju nior Jonah Severson. Out of that predictably came a week one performance that relied heavily on the strength of the River Falls offense – experience and power.

After a stalemate in the first quarter and nearly half of the second quarter, River Falls had the ball at their 29-yard line. A routine handou from senior quarterback Dylan Bra thol to the aforementioned Severson quickly turned into a nightmare play for the Wildcats.

Severson got popped by a Wisconsin Rap- ids defender, the ball flew out and ended up in the hands of senior Rapids defensive back Brennan Huber who scampered into the endzone untouched. A successful PAT made it 7-0 Rapids with approximately seven min- utes remaining in the first half. That lone defensive touchdown proved to be the only time Wisconsin Rapids scored against River Falls.

After the ouensive miscue, the Wildcats' ouense bounced back with a methodical six-minute drive down the field that featured a steady diet of Severson runs behind that veteran River Falls ouensive line. The Wild –

cats capped ou the drive with a one-yard Sev erson touchdown run and a PAT that made it 7-7 heading into the halftime intermission.

After a first down and a couple of fruitless runs around the line of scrimmage, the Wildcats were stuck in a third and 11 at near mid- field. That's when senior quarterback Brathol dropped back to pass and delivered a strike downfield to Jordan Karras, who hauled in the pass before falling out of bounds on the River Falls sideline.

The 23-yard pitch and catch led to a fresh set of downs for River Falls. Two minutes later, the Wildcats took a 14-7 lead when Severson scored on a 10-yard touchdown run to give River Falls its first lead of the evening.

The Wildcats forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive which got Severson and the rest of the River Falls ouense back on the field. After a run on first down gained only two yards, River Falls dialed up a deep play-action pass. Brathol unleashed a throw down the middle of the field to senior running back Wyatt Bell, who hauled in a diving catch near the Wisconsin Rapids 12-yard line.

Severson capped ou the drive a couple of plays later with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 21-7 in favor of River Falls with under two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Wildcats scored again late in the fourth quarter when Gavin Kohel scam pered in for a three-yard touchdown to make it 28-7 Wildcats. River Falls head coach Ryan Scherz spoke about the win against a tough Wisconsin Rapids squad.

“Rapids had some really good players and great athletes,” Scherz said. “Our defense did a great job of getting them ou the field, and our ouense sustained a bunch of drives. When we didn’t turn the ball over, they had a hard time stopping us. It was by no means an easy contest.”

Star running back Jonah Severson finished the game with 191 yards on 38 carries and three touchdowns, and that lone fumble in the first quarter. Severson's numbers reflect that of a traditional high school bell cow back. Scherz spoke about the combination of a tal- ented ouensive line and a talented athlete in the backfield.

“As usual, it’s a combination of both,” Scherz said. “Our new OL played aggressively. They are smart and knew where they were going. Jonah is very talented. He’s a taller running back, but he almost always falls forward. He’s a load to tackle.”

Wisconsin Rapids finished the 2021 sea son with a 7-4 record as a team, scored more than 23 points per game, and averaged nearly 300 yards per contest. Although the roster isn’t the same this year, River Falls shut down a Wisconsin Rapids ouense that is expected to be talented again this season. Scherz spoke about what his defense was able to do against that ouense.

“Coach Paul Haskins and the defensive stau put together a great plan and taught it well,” Scherz said. “The kids played really hard, fast, and physical. The linebackers and defensive backs were great.”

Throughout the week one game, Brathol and junior Jacob Range split time at quarterback. After Brathol had some success in that second quarter, Scherz stuck with him for the rest of the game. Scherz stated that the position battle isn’t over and that the two QBs will split time moving forward.

"Dylan and Jacob ouer diuerent skill sets,” Scherz said. “The things that were working on Friday were things that played to Dylan’s strengths, so he stayed in the game. Going forward, we will continue to use both and try to play to their strengths.”

Up next for River Falls is a game on Friday, Aug. 26, at home against the Holmen Vikings. That non-conference game is slated to begin at 7 p.m. at David Smith Stadium in River Falls.

River Falls senior quarterback Dylan Brathol calls the play in the Wildcats’ huddle during the 28-7 road game victory against Wisconsin Rapids. Brathol finished the game with 67 passing yards on three completions, two of which were big throws downfield that proved to be pivotal to scoring drives in the second half. Photo courtesy of Brayden Engstrom