Sports

PHOTOS: St. Michael-Albertville Takes Advantage of Rogers Mistakes in 28-14 Win

The Knights moved to 3-1 in the Mississippi 8 Conference and on the season by picking up a much-needed win over the Royals.

From the outset, it was clear the coach Jared Essler and the St. Michael-Albertville Knights were going to attack the Rogers Royals defense. 

And while Rogers did everything it could to defend the STMA air assault, it committed too many penalties from the opening drive on, and could only watch as the Knights left town with a 28-14 win, Essler's first over the Royals. 

STMA's Cole Krutzig used his arm to set up the Knights' offense from the opening snap, and junior running back Chris Kartes carried it the rest of the way with his legs, racking up three touchdowns on what finished as a blustery, wet night in Rogers. 

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Krutzig and the Knights drew not two, but three interference penalties on their opening drive, then converted on a fourth down from the Royals' 5-yard line to take a 7-0 lead. Krutzig hit Kartes on a screen, and the junior made two men miss on his way to the goal line. 

The Knights would make it 14-0 in the second quater when Kartes got his second touchdown of the night, this on a drive that was all his. On the second play of the drive, Kartes squirted through the hole for 51 yards. Then, on second down in Rogers territory just two plays later, he busted tot he edge again, sprinting in from 29 yards out. 

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Rogers would storm back, keyed by the only STMA miscue of the night. After the Royals played the field possession game perfectly and pinned the Knights deep, Krutzig and the offense began digging out. Then, Krutzig fumbled an exchange behind the line, and no one could find the ball. The Royals picked it up, and No. 20 Nathan Hadjer took the rock 20-yards for the Royals' first touchdown. 

With its first possession of the second half, Rogers ran a scripted drive perfectly, using its passing game to pick apart the Knights defense. The drive, keyed by a 40-yard strike by Connor Henderson to Levi Simpson, culminated in a 9-yard TD strike between those two same players. An extra point tied the game at 14. 

But the Knights defense would give up nothing more. Henderson would complete a few passes, but then wind and rain moved in for the fourth quarter and killed the Royals offense with it. 

Meanwhile, Kartes capped off an STMA drive to open the final frame with a 5-yard score, and Bennie Wilson added a 2-yard plunge with about 90 seconds left as the Knights dominated the fourth quarter of play. 

Again, the unheralded special teams helped key the Knights as well. A third-quarter return helped set up the Knights go-ahead score. And a punt inside the 2-yard line pinned Rogers in its own end in the fourth quarter, and the Royals never bounced back. 

Next week the Knights host winless Buffalo for homecoming and the battle for the Muddy Crow. STMA has never lost the trophy game, and will look to continue its winning streak and stay a game back of Monticello in the Mississippi 8 standings. 

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Middle School West field. St. Michael Patch will have a live webcast of the game, as well as comments on Twitter and Facebook throughout the evening. 


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