Central and Logan high school football coaches Mitch Olson and Casey Knoble say the Ark of Victory is a topic within the community throughout the year.
Whether he is at the grocery store or any other public gathering, someone will mention to or ask Olson a question about the RiverHawks’ annual battle with Logan.
It makes sense. The teams started this rivalry in 1928, so we are approaching a century worth of heated contests between the RiverHawks and Rangers.
“There’s a special connection and pride that goes with this game,” Olson said. “I’m reminded about it more during this week, but people ask me about it throughout the offseason, too.”
Central (2-2 overall, 2-0 MVC) and Logan (4-0, 2-0) are gearing up this week to play each other for the Ark that goes to the winner Friday night at Swanson Field. The RiverHawks and Rangers enter the game as two of the three remaining unbeaten MVC teams and will put three of the top offensive weapons in the area on the same field when they kick off at 7 p.m.
Logan coach Casey Knoble said his experience during Ark week is similar to Olson’s.
“There are a lot of texts and emails from past players this week,” Knoble said in reference to a series that Central leads 50-42-7. “It also comes from people around the city, sometimes people you don’t even know.
“They all want what’s best for the North side. It’s a big deal.”
The matchup is made bigger with the Rangers unbeaten and the RiverHawks riding a two-game win streak. It’s made even bigger for spectators with Central’s Christian Rudrud and Logan’s Maxim Roberts and Tommy Check on the field.
Rudrud, a senior quarterback who will play next season for Division II Minnesota-Duluth, has rushed for 607 yards and eight touchdowns after gaining 260 and scoring four times in last week’s 42-20 win over visiting Baraboo.
“Rudrud might be the best player in the area,” Knoble said when asked of the challenge that awaits. “When you watch him, you’ll see a play where there’s nothing there, and he turns it into a touchdown or big play.
“Putting (Gabe) Servais next to him, they are both fantastic athletes. Rudrud runs so fast, so hard and with aggression.”
Servais, a junior, has rushed for 222 yards and three touchdowns, passed for 106 yards and a TD and caught nine passes for 97 yards and another TD.
Both have become more effective with each passing week with improved play from an offensive line that is quickly putting things together.
“That was probably their biggest question mark going into the season because there wasn’t a lot of experience there,” Knoble said. “Those kids are playing better, they are getting on people and sustaining blocks better. Those backs don’t need much, but when they get that crease, they are really good.”
Despite the three-touchdown win over the Thunderbirds, Olson said he expects to see more physicality from his team when it lines up with Logan.
“We played better in the second half, but we can’t wait until the second half to play the way we’re capable of playing,” he said. “Part of that was that we saw an offense we hadn’t seen the first three weeks, but we need to be executing on both sides of the ball.”
Rudrud is also a factor on the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker with 29 tackles. Six of those have been behind the line of scrimmage, and he is tied for the team lead in that category with junior Calvin Arentz.
Roberts and Check have also been taking advantage of strong play from their offensive line.
Roberts, a senior running back, has reached the 200-yard mark two weeks in a row and has 528 yards and six touchdowns. Check, a sophomore quarterback, has rushed for 499 yards and nine touchdowns to go with 198 passing yards and a touchdown.
“They are very good with the (offensive) line that they have and the 1-2 punch of Check and Roberts,” Olson said. “They are both extremely good and both capable of taking it to the house and running with physicality.”
Knoble pointed to the return from injury by Mason Cogburn as a boost to an offensive line that already started the season well.
“The O-line and D-line are both starting to click,” Knoble said. “Once we got Mason back, there was a big shift in our O-line play. There has been some nice growth the last couple of weeks.”
The Rangers have allowed 21 points in each game since opening the season with a shutout of an Ellsworth team that is now 2-2 with two wins — one of them over Central — in the past three games.
“They are aggressive,” Olson said of the Logan defense. “They have size and physicality, and they play with a bit of a nasty streak.
“They will come after you and have a lot of guys who have played a lot of varsity snaps. They fly around, and they are fast.”
