Stalled drives hamper Wolves in playoff defeat

 PAULLINA (Oct. 22) -- IKM-Manning outgained South O’Brien by 16 yards Friday night, finished even in turnovers (1-1) and was not flagged for a single penalty.
 It still wasn’t enough, though, as South O’Brien senior Parker Struve rushed for 233 yards and two touchdowns and had eight tackles on defense, leading the host Wolverines past the Wolves 21-7 in a Class A football first round playoff game.
 The difference in the final outcome came down to red zone efficiency.
 South O’Brien made three trips inside the 20 and scored two touchdowns (both in the second half), also having a 27-yard field goal blocked in the opening period.
 Following a slow start on offense, IKM-Manning breached the Wolverine 20 four times and also crossed the 30 in its final five drives. The Wolves scored their only touchdown with 10:11 left in the game - pulling within 14-7 - but were stopped on downs four other times.
 “They just made a couple more plays than we did,” said IKM-Manning head coach Cory McCarville.
 Trailing 7-0 at the half, IKM-Manning opened the third quarter with a 15-play drive that stalled at the 16. Struve broke loose for 54 yards on the next play and South O’Brien used a quick score to go up 14-0.
 Late in the fourth, a 12-play Wolves’ drive ran out of steam at the 8 with 1:17 to go, allowing the Wolverines to run out the clock.
 “We took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove all the way down. Not getting points there I think hurt,” McCarville said. “If we could have got points there and made it a tie game, who knows what happens with the rest of the game.
 “We made some really nice adjustments at halftime and we moved the ball, but we’ve got to be able to finish."
 IKM-Manning finished the season at 5-4 overall while South O’Brien improved to 7-2 and faced top-ranked West Hancock (9-0) on Oct. 29.

Full story in Oct. 26 Harlan Tribune

South O’Brien 21, IKM-Manning 7
S. O’Brien: Parker Struve 33-yd. run (Brock Riedemann kick) - 1st qt., 0:00.
S. O’Brien: Jacob Van Lith 1-yd. run (Riedemann kick) - 3rd qt., 1:04.
IKM-M: Amos Rasmussen 1-yd. run (Rasmussen kick) - 4th qt., 10:11.
S. O’Brien: Struve 8-yd. run (Riedemann kick) - 4th qt., 3:56.
IKM-M                                     S. O’Brien
15            First Downs             13
46-214    Rush att.-Yards        40-246
70            Passing Yards         22
284         Total Yards              268
6-21-0     Comp.-Att.-Int.        2-5-0
2-1          Fumbles-lost           2-1
3-27.3     Punts-avg.              3-41.7
0-0          Penalties-yards       3-30

IKM-Manning Individual Stat Leaders
    Rushing -- Amos Rasmussen 21-121, Cooper Irlmeier 21-78, Nolan Ramsey 2-12. Passing -- N. Ramsey 6-21-0, 70. Receiving -- Eli Dreyer 1-36, Hunter Smith 2-26.
    Tackles -- Cooper Perdew 8.5 (5s/7a), Luke Ramsey 7.5 (3s/9a), Irlmeier 4.5 (2s/5a), N. Ramsey 4.0 (3s/2a), Nolan Kerkhoff 4.0 (1s/6a), Rasmussen 3.0 (2s/2a), Tanner Crawford 2.0 (0s/4a), Conner Halbur 2.0 (0s/4a).
 Tackles for loss -- N. Ramsey 3.0, Kerkhoff 1.0. Fumble recovery -- L. Ramsey.
South O’Brien Individual Stat Leaders
    Rushing -- Parker Struve 35-233. Passing -- Jacob Van Lith 2-5-0, 22. Receiving -- Boston Riedemann 1-16.
 Tackles -- Struve 8s/0a, Pete Bottjen 8s/0a, Riedemann 7s/0a, Tsion Davis 6s/0a, Kaedon Louscher 6s/0a, Eddie Millan 6s/0a. Fumble recovery -- Bottjen.