Prescott and Spring Valley took the field Friday for their season openers. While both teams showed bright spots against teams expected to make deep runs this season, neither could stay tight till the final whistle.

Spring Valley

Upon losing a senior class with a ton of contributors, Spring Valley is still in the adjustment period, losing the season opener 34-8 to Durand-Arkansaw.

“A lot of inexperience, and with that, we had some opportunities to score early, came away empty,” Head Coach Ryan Kapping said. “Overall, I thought Durand was pretty explosive. We just didn’t have any answers for that.”

Kapping said they are still looking for answers on the right spots for the right players.

Junior quarterback Mason Winger put a solid game together in Kapping’s eyes. Kapping mentioned the quarterback position was a question mark for the Cardinals going in, but Winger showed he is capable of filling the gap Cade Stasiek left upon graduation.

“With a brand-new quarterback that’s never taken a varsity snap, I thought Mason did a good job,” Kapping said. “We were pleased with how Mason played and the poise that he showed.”

Spring Valley is playing another great team this week, taking on Chetek-Weyerhaeuser with high hopes for the season ahead.

“It’s good to play a quality opponent early on, that way we don’t get a false sense of what we are or aren’t,” Kapping said. “We’re coming back with another team that’s picked to finish high in their conference this week.”

Prescott

The Prescott Cardinals put some solid drives together on both sides but came up short in a 40-7 loss to Northwestern.

They got things going right away with a touchdown on the first drive of the game. Senior Andrew Lesso had two big runs to get them to the goal line and quarterback Kobe Russell connected with Gavin Miller for a sideline dime on third and 10 to pick up 30 yards and get inside the 10. Russell took it himself with a rushing touchdown to open the game.

The rest of the game featured a few missed opportunities and an adjustment period for a Prescott team that lost many seniors and is now seeing players getting their first varsity experience or seeing time at a new position.

“We played a really good first half actually, I thought. We couldn’t finish our drive right before half to tie it up. That would have been a big momentum change,” Head Coach Jordan Hansen said after a 14-7 first half.

Coming out of the half, the Prescott defense forced a third and 10 on the first defensive drive. The team could not finish the drive, giving up a touchdown that Hansen said swayed the final score.

“The score doesn’t really indicate, I don’t think, how we played,” Hansen said. “There’s a lot of things that you learn from in a game like that. That’s kind of what you want week one.”

Hansen said Northwestern is one of the state’s best in their division, featuring five senior linemen over 220 pounds. A game like that for a Prescott line that has the size but is working on the experience factor can do wonders.

Next week, Prescott takes on the Durand-Arkansaw team that took down Spring Valley in the opener.

“I know it’s going to be a challenge, so it’s good for us to test our physicality,” Hansen said.

“I just want to see us continue to get better,” Hansen said. “Durand, they got a big win, and I know they’re much improved from last year.”

Hansen said Durand-Arkansaw is a great team and is well-coached.