SHERBURN – The Martin County West Mavericks couldn’t get their offense going against an aggressive Wabasso Rabbits defense on Friday night, resulting in the Rabbits spoiling the Mavericks’ homecoming. It became.
Injuries and penalties were also the talk of the South Division, Southwest Subdivision football game, with the Rabbits pulling off a 12-6 upset victory in overtime.
“Too many mistakes, too many self-inflicted injuries, too many pre-snap penalties,” MCW head football coach Tom Elliott said. “Putting the ball on the 1-yard line. Three penalties in a row, about 20th place. It’s hard to recover from something like that. You can’t do that. It was just the story of the night. It seems like we took one step forward and two steps back.”
Leading the way for the Mavericks was Maddex Faber, who went 4-for-13 for 34 yards through the air and eight carries for 40 yards on the ground. MCW running back Cameron Meyer had 12 carries for 72 yards and Torrey Paplow had 28 yards on seven carries. Jacob Wilmes led the defense with a 74-yard pick-six, and Bryce Scholl and Eli Owens each added a sack.
The Mavericks’ homecoming game got off to a slow start, with the Rabbits establishing a fast-paced run game that initially put the Mavericks on their backs. However, the MCW defense gained a foothold but was unable to break down on the Rabbits’ 7 1/2-minute opening drive, keeping them off the scoreboard thanks to Berent Kosbab interfering with a deep pass and converting a fourth down. ended in failure. For the rabbits. The quarter ended 0-0 with MCW still in possession.
A few quick four-and-outs started the second quarter. Kosbab went for the jump ball again, this time scoring it, but the ball came loose on impact with the ground and he was sent off with an apparent shoulder injury, never to return. With just 4:30 remaining, Willms picked off Rabbits quarterback Drew Kemp and found space on the sideline to open up and score the Mavericks’ only touchdown of the night. It was the same for the Rabbitohs as Kemp connected with Zachary Skoblik for a 13-yard touchdown through the air.
The third and fourth quarters were a defensive battle, with neither team looking to break down their defense. Each team was in scoring position multiple times, but neither was able to capitalize on their chances.
The game went into overtime, and the Mavericks had a chance to take the lead, but the Rabbitohs’ defense was able to thwart their offense, keep them off the scoreboard, and put them in position to take shots to tie the game. After a few runs, Kemp floated a pass into the back corner of the end zone and connected with Nolan Leopold, giving the Rabbits a 12-6 victory.
Injuries to the team hurt the Mavericks’ offense and defense, requiring backup players to take over, but they were able to hold on.
“Berent Kosbab and Cam Meyer are big players for us offensively and defensively,” Elliott said. “Anytime you have to take them out, you’re going to be limited in what you can do and what you’re comfortable doing. The backups came in and they did a great job keeping us in the game and until the end. We stayed competitive. And, you know, that’s all we can ask of them.”
The Mavericks next play Friday against Sleepy Eye United.
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