LA CROSSE — The Aquinas High School football team stood up to a running back who gained more than 500 yards the first two weeks of the season and scored 42 points in the first half to open the Coulee Conference with a big all-around performance on Friday.
The Blugolds (3-0, 1-0) held Arcadia senior Max Blaschko to 33 rushing yards on 15 carries and used their balance to score a 52-6 victory over the Raiders (2-1, 0-1) at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.
Blaschko rushed for 516 yards and six touchdowns the first two weeks of the season and added his seventh touchdown, but Aquinas scored early and often to stop Arcadia from winning its third straight game.
Senior Ryan Johnson completed 11 of 14 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown pass to senior Logan Becker, who wound up with five catches for 90 yards.
Junior Isaac Miller rushed for two touchdowns, and juniors Landon Teachout and Michael Jones sored once each for the Blugolds, who scored 26 points in the first quarter.
Senior offensive and defensive lineman Will Flottmeyer and junior Cullen Swanson also scored on 4-yard touchdown runs for Aquinas, which has won 54 of its past 58 games and held Arcadia to 86 rushing yards.
Caledonia 40, St. Charles 16
CALEDONIA — Senior Jack Schmitz carried 15 times for 200 yards and scored three touchdowns for the Warriors (1-1) in their first victory of the season.
Schmitz scored on runs of 5, 5 and 95 yards, and Caledonia had a 27-0 lead by halftime.
Senior Will Allen completed 7 of 10 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, and sophomore Chase Hauser rushed for a touchdown for the Warriors, who had 401 total yards.
Ezekiel George led Caledonia receivers with three catches for 53 yards.
Onalaska Luther 28, G-E-T 20
GALESVILLE — The Knights (1-2, 1-0) started their conference season with a victory when junior quarterback Jonny Holub completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to junior Logan Pierce and broke a 20-20 tie. Pierce then scored on a handoff for the conversion to produce the final score.
Pierce carried 17 times for 126 yards, and the go-ahead touchdown was his third of the game after scoring runs of 3 and 27 yards. Senior Jax Hendrickson also had a touchdown run for Luther, which had 271 total yards and held the Red Hawks (0-3, 0-1) to 61 yards on the ground despite 28 carries.
De Soto 42, Wonewoc-Center/Weston 18
WONEWOC — The Pirates (2-0) followed up a forfeit they didn’t get credit for with a one-sided victory over the Wolves.
The Pirates were forced to accept a forfeit from Princeton/Green Lake last week, but nonconference forfeit don’t count as wins. De Soto simply moved forward by scoring 22 points in the first quarter and cruising from there.
Senior quarterback Finn Wrobel completed 7 of 14 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns, and senior Bryce Schmitz caught six of those passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior Austin DeFlorian carried 11 times for 132 yards and scored once in a game the Pirates led 42-6 by halftime.
Eleva-Strum 37, Melrose-Mindoro 14
MELROSE — The Mustangs (2-1, 0-1) were within 24-14 when sophomore Brooks Cowley caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from junior Brady Blaken in the third quarter, but the Cardinals (3-0, 1-0) scored the final two touchdowns.
Melrose-Mindoro was held to 88 rushing yards and allowed 350 total yards in losing for the first time this season.
Blaken completed 15 of 31 passes for 129 yard with two touchdowns but was intercepted twice. Junior Isaiah Kleinsmith, who rushed for 78 yards on 12 carries, caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Blake in the first quarter.
Brett Peterson led the Mustangs in receiving with six catches for 36 yards.
