By Becky Walz,
Two undefeated teams are left standing in Class 4A as the postseason is set to get under way Friday night — and the Vikings are one of them.
The Class 4A No. 2 Decorah football team routed Waterloo East 35-10 Friday night to notch its ninth win of the season and now turns its focus to the playoffs.
Earning the top seed in the district, the Vikes will host Newton (6-3) Friday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m.
“I am proud of our team,” said coach Mike Tangen. “Completing the season the way that we did is exciting and a testament to the hard work from everyone in our program. We now move our focus to the playoffs. Records and rankings get thrown out the window and a new season begins. We are excited about the opportunity to play in front of our home crowd and are ready for the challenge and looking forward to a great game.”
Finale
After forcing the Trojans to punt on their first possession, Decorah took advantage of running and passing lanes on a seven play, 61-yard drive. Tanner Caddell spotted an open Tommy Sexton, who spun his way around the Waterloo East defense 34 yards to score Decorah’s first touchdown with 7:19 left in the opening quarter.
While Decorah held the Trojans scoreless in the first 12 minutes, it was the second play of the second period that led to a 29-yard field goal for Waterloo East. However, nothing could slow Trevor Kuennen down as he took the handoff from Caddell at the Viking 23-yard line and ran away from the Trojan defense to score on a 74-yard carry just six seconds after the Trojan field goal. A blocked PAT still allowed the Vikes a 13-3 lead. Decorah later tacked on another Kuennen touchdown run with 3:43 left in the half and a two-point conversion by Noah Milburn gave Decorah a 21-3 halftime advantage.
The night of big Viking plays continued when Gavin Groux took a punt return back 83-yards late in the third quarter. That score combined with Brayden Wemark’s second PAT of the night put Decorah on top 28-3. Groux topped off the night with his second score of the night in the fourth on a three-yard carry, capping off a seven-play 36-yard drive. Waterloo East would make a big push in the final minute, scoring its lone touchdown of the game with 22 ticks remaining on the clock.
On the night
Decorah had 21 first downs with 262 yards rushing and 98 yards passing for a total of 360 yards of offense. Waterloo East had 302 total yards.
Individually, Kuennen carried the ball 13 times for 163 yards. Caddell kept the pigskin seven times and scampered for 66 yards. Caddell was 7-for-14 passing for 98 yards. Milburn hauled in three passes for 47 yards, while Sexton had one reception for 34 yards.
On defense, Gatlin Dahlberg had four solo and four assisted tackles to lead the way. Groux had four solo stops and two assists while Sexton had three solo and three assisted tackles. Will Larson provided three solo stops and recovered a fumble.
Game stats
Total yards: Decorah 360; Waterloo East 302
Passing (comp/att/yds): Tanner Caddell (7-14, 98 yds., 1 TD, 1 INT)
Rushing (att/yds): Trevor Kuennen (13-163, 2 TD); Caddell (7-66); Gavin Groux (8-27, 1 TD); Mason Avila (2-7); Caleb Krieg (1-(-1))
Receiving (att/yds/TD): Noah Milburn (3-47); Tommy Sexton (1-34, 1 TD); Carter Dlhy (1-14); Kuennen (1-5); Groux (1-(-2))
Tackles (total): Gatlin Dahlberg 6.0; Groux 5.0; Sexton 4.5; Kuennen 4.0; Henry Brynsaas 3.5; William Hahn 3.5; Will Larson 3.0; Milburn 2.5; Krieg 2.0; Avila 2.0; Kade O’Hara 2.0; Ian Giddings 2.0; Josh Adam 1.5; Jackson Pipho 1.5; Landon Quandahl 1.5; Jameson LaBelle 1.5; Keaton Orris 1.5; Mason Vote 1.5; Peyton Webb 1.0; Bradan Darling 1.0; Caleb Johnson 1.0; Nathan Friend 1.0; Dlhy 0.5; Luke Franzen 0.5; Cash Riehle 0.5
Fumble recoveries: Larson 1
Punts (att/yds): Milburn (1-27)
Punt returns (att/yds): Groux (3-95, 1 TD)
Kick-offs (att/yds): Brayden Wemark (6-303, 3-4 PAT)
Kick-off returns (att/yds): Avila (1-31); Groux (1-25)
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