By Reagan Hoverman

Spring Valley and Elmwood/Plum City have sustained early success through the first week of the conference schedule, as both the Cardinals and Wolves won their first games in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference in week three.

Spring Valley began its Dunn-St. Croix Conference schedule on the road against Boyceville on Friday night. The Cardinals got on the board first with seven minutes remaining in the first quarter when Spring Valley junior quarterback Wyatt Goveronski scampered into the endzone on a two-yard touchdown run to make it 6-0.

It wasn’t until there were five minutes left in the first half that Spring Valley added to its lead. The Cardinals drove into Boyceville territory shortly before senior running back Justin Rielly broke a few tackles and scored on a 26-yard touchdown run to make it 12-0 for Spring Valley.

The Bulldogs wouldn’t go quietly, as they responded with a nearly five-minute drive that Boyceville capped off with a four-yard passing touchdown from junior quarterback Nick Olson to junior wide receiver Caden Wold. A successful PAT made it 12-7 in favor of Spring Valley going into halftime.

After a couple of fruitless offensive possessions by both teams in the third quarter, Boyceville took the lead when the aforementioned Olson scored on a three-yard touchdown run to make it 14-12 for the Bulldogs with three minutes remaining in the third quarter.

However, it was Spring Valley that scored the lone touchdown of the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Less than 60 seconds into that final frame, Goveronski capped off a four-minute Spring Valley drive with a two-yard touchdown run to take an 18-14 lead which the Cardinals held until the end of the game.

The win improved Spring Valley’s record to 2-1 for the season, including a 1-0 record in Dunn-St. Croix Conference games. It was a rushing attack by committee for Spring Valley on Friday night, as three different players had more than seven rushing attempts for a total of 187 yards.

Leading the charge for the Cardinals was junior running back Diego Schmitt who accumulated 72 rushing yards on 19 total carries. Rielly had seven carries for 43 yards and a touchdown and Goveronski accounted for 35 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 11 carries.

Spring Valley joins Elmwood/Plum City, Cadott, and Turtle Lake as the teams to start the conference schedule with a 1-0 record. Up next for the Cardinals is a game on the road on Friday, Sept. 9, against Glenwood City. That game will begin at 7 p.m.

EPC routs Glenwood City 40-13

Elmwood/Plum City’s offensive success continued in week three at home against Glenwood City in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference opener. The Wolves rode the large halftime lead to an eventual 40-14 victory to improve to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.

Elmwood/Plum City senior quarterback Trevor Asher had another outstanding day offensively, which included 228 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 24 total carries. The Wolves jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the opening frame against Glenwood City.

Both the Wolves and Hilltoppers added a touchdown in the second quarter, but Elmwood/Plum City capped off the score with a successful two-point conversion whereas Glenwood City made a PAT. The Wolves took a 22-7 lead into the halftime intermission.

The third quarter was a wash as both programs scored a touchdown with no successful PAT or two-point conversion. Elmwood/ Plum City scored two touchdowns in the final quarter to secure that 40-14 victory over Glenwood City.

While Asher certainly dominated the offensive production for the Wolves, junior running back Blake Allen accounted for 104 yards and a rushing touchdown on 14 total carries. Elmwood/Plum City had 366 total yards of offense, all of which came from the rushing attack.

In just three games, the aforementioned Asher has tallied 695 rushing yards and is on pace to eclipse the 2,000-yard rushing mark in a single season. Up next for the Wolves is a home game against Clear Lake on Friday, Sept. 9. That game is slated to begin at 7 p.m.