LeRoy-Ostrander coach Stan Olson couldn’t make heads or tails of his football team’s 52-20 statement win over Alden-Conger until he saw the tape.

Sunday, October 03, 1999

LeRoy-Ostrander coach Stan Olson couldn’t make heads or tails of his football team’s 52-20 statement win over Alden-Conger until he saw the tape.

"I’m looking at the videotape right now," Olson said. "Because of the snow last night I couldn’t make out the stat sheet."

Olson liked what he saw.

"We played very well," he said. "We played exceptionally."

With the win the Cardinals tighten their share of the Nine-Man Southern Confederacy knot that includes Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Martin Luther and Nicollet - all are tied at 4-1.

"I can tell you we ran for 350 yards," Olson said. Junior Eric Kottschade accounted for 130 of those yards and two touchdowns.

Clint Hodgdon carried for 111 yards and a pair of TDs and Brandon Vreeman scored twice to go with his 51 yards on the ground.

"We were really controlling the line of scrimmage," Olson said. "We were getting 5, 6, 7 yards or more on every down."

LeRoy was ahead 24-0 after one quarter, 38-0 at the half and 52-0 after three quarters. The B-squad began play in the middle of the third. GHECML scored all of its points off the LeRoy-Ostrander B-squad.

Sophomore Grand Lunning pitched in a 44-yard TD gallop and Chad Orum caught Ryan King’s only TD pass, a 10 yarder.

King finished 5-of-7 passing for 45 yards in the snow.

"He played well," Olson said. "He’s only a sophomore but he’s talented and so poised. I think he’s going to be one of the great ones."

Pine Island 21, Hayfield 14

Coach Vince Reynolds lamented his ballclub’s loss which came complete with a dagger late in the fourth quarter.

"We had a difficult time moving the ball in the second half [in a cold driving rain]," Reynolds said. "And if we wouldn’t have given up that kickoff return … Our defense made some good stands."

Pine Island broke a 14-14 tie by scoring with 1 minute, 26 seconds left in the game, after what Reynolds called "a good solid drive," that was capped by an 18-yard quarterback keeper.

Their second-straight loss dropped the Vikings to 3-2 and 0-2 in the Hiawatha Valley League.

Pine Island scored first, but the Vikings responded.

"We drove downfield with some power running," Reynolds said.

The drive was interupted by a on-field power outage.

"Pine Island went black," Reynolds said. The Vikings struck almost immediately after a 15-minute delay.

"Two plays after the lights came on," Reynolds said.

But moments after HVL rushing leader and leading scorer Justin Oakland capped the drive with a touchdown, the Panthers returned the kickoff for a TD.

Hayfield tied the score before halftime. Jon Severson connected with Oakland on a 70-yard scoring strike in the snow.

Oakland was limited to 32 yards on nine rushes. He did catch three passes for 83 yards.

The Panthers outgained the Vikes 265 to 200 and racked up 14 first downs to Hayfield’s five.