RIVER FALLS — Superior was the third and latest victim of a Wildcat walloping, with River Falls moving to 3-0 record with a 48-20 win.

The game was nice and easy for River Falls. They got up 34-0 largely led by senior running back Joseph Tarasewicz’s four touchdowns (three on the ground and one receiving).

A deep ball to junior Ryker O’Keefe down the sideline marked the first touchdown not scored by Tarasewicz and a 28-0 lead.

“We started really fast,” Head Coach Ryan Scherz said. “Played really well on both sides of the ball.”

A Luke Anderson fumble recovery on the final play of the first was the final touch on a perfect quarter. Nolan Hoepfl read a fumbled snap and smacked the Superior player that went to pick it up to keep the ball bounding around near the end zone for Anderson.

Senior quarterback Tino Massa tossed another accurate deep ball early in the second, finding Charlie Burke without a defender within 15 yards.

River Falls has now scored 45, 54 and 48 in its three games on the year. The offense is cruising off great blocking from the line, a stellar pass game led by Massa and a running back that seemingly does not go down in Tarasewicz. The team’s final score came in the second when beautiful blocking found Tarasewicz some open field to score his fourth touchdown. Indiana commit Sam Simpson was bulldozing defenders on the run. Tarasewicz also had four scores a week ago and three in the opening week.

“He’s a super hard worker. He’s a really physical runner,” Scherz said. “He’s 195 pounds, so as a high school running back that’s a problem for a lot of kids, especially if you can spring him into the secondary.”
It’s not just the offense, though. This River Falls defense is something special. They seem to always come up with the big play, and they fly around the field unlike anything you have ever seen.

“They’re being really intentional about running to the football and finishing plays,” Scherz said.

Three dominant wins has meant a lot of players have seen varsity time for River Falls this year. Scherz said the road only gets tougher, so having a list of guys he can go to at each position and rely on could make a difference as the season’s wear and tear builds.

“It’s only going to get more difficult from here,” Scherz said. “Hopefully it helps build some depth.”

The team has the talent to make a run this year. The only thing that could stand in their way is overconfidence or overlooking an opponent.

“Every week you’ve got to be 1-0,” Scherz said. “What’s happened so far is the result of the work and practice that they’ve put in. They have to continue to practice and prepare the same way for each opponent because you can’t win more than one game a week.”

Next up, River Falls heads to Chippewa Falls for a road conference game Friday night.