MMCRU Vs Wolverines

SOHS Vs MMCRU

South O’Brien lost its second straight district game, falling to MMCRU 48-20 September 15 at Marcus. The Wolverines are 0-2 in Class A District 1 and 0-4 on the season.
Royals quarterback Jonah Petersen hooked up with receiver Jace Colling for a pair of touchdowns and Petersen ran for two more. South O’Brien also had two passes intercepted. MMCRU has a 3-0 district record, leading the way.
“I think we took a step forward offensively Friday,” commented Wolverine head coach Mark Fuhrman. “We were able to run the ball and throw the ball with some consistency. Damian Villalreal, a sophomore, had his first start at tailback and rushed 26 times for 107 yards. Justin Paulsen moved into fullback and rushed 18 times for 49 yards. Justin did a great job of lead blocking and the rushing attack opened some passing as Justice Frerk and Derek Paulsen connected on three passes for 107 yards.”
Fuhrman did not sound as optimistic on the other side of the ball. “Defensively, we struggled this evening,” said the coach. “MMCRU’s quarterback is a very talented player and created some opportunities that we didn’t do a very good job containing. We also had some missed tackles that created longer plays than necessary. I did think we broke up some big plays in their passing game that Sibley exposed a week ago.”
Fuhrman saw mixed results on special teams. “Kick return almost broke a long one but then struggled a couple times trying to cover it up,” he noted. “Just really inconsistent right now.”
South O’Brien trailed 19-6 at halftime and then was outscored 29-14 in the final two quarters. “It still comes down to blocking and tackling,” said Fuhrman. “We need to maintain blocks longer and wrap up when tackling. Obviously, the long touchdown run in the first quarter that was called back due to a hold was important. I believe there was a long 3rd or 4th down early in the game that led to a score in the first quarter. We are struggling getting our defense off the field at times.”
It’s Homecoming Week for the Wolverines and they host Alta-Aurelia Friday night. The Warriors are 1-2 in district play and also lost to Kingsley-Pierson outside the district. Alta-Aurelia was beaten 42-6 by Sibley-Ocheyedan last Friday. “I haven’t watched them on film as I am more concerned about how to get us better,” said Fuhrman. “They will try and throw it around a bunch and they are in the same boat as us as far as getting into the win column. We are both gonna be playing hard trying to get a W.”