Football: Strong defense lifts Goodhue

Goodhue coach Tony Poncelet said his team’s defensive performance Tuesday night was the difference in the Section 1A playoff game. Goodhue defeated Southland 32-6 on the road.

The Wildcats were the No. 5 seed, while Southland was the No. 4 seed. Goodhue (4-5 overall) advances to play top-seeded Blooming Prairie at 7 p.m. Saturday in Blooming Prairie.

“Our defense came up with some huge stops tonight,” Poncelet said. “They played great. It was the typical bend-but-don’t-break.”

The Rebels scored first on a 4-yard touchdown run by Decker Bendtsen in the opening quarter. But Goodhue answered back with a 4-yard scoring run of its own by Riley Huemann.

The Wildcats scored the lone touchdown in the second frame when Huemann ran in a 2-yard scamper to give Goodhue a 12-6 lead at the intermission.

In the third quarter, Goodhue’s Zach Hinsch caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Schumacher, and Kyle Drehmel scored on a 48-yard run.

Drehmel added another 48-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter to seal the Wildcat win.

Goodhue rushed for 334 yards as a team, led by Drehmel’s 253-yard performance on 20 carries. Huemann carried the ball 18 times for 56 yards. Schumacher finished with 63 yards passing, completing 5 of 9 attempts.

Tags: sports, prep, football, goodhue