Football: Fergus hands Thunder first loss 26-6

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by Bruce Strand, Sports editor

The Zimmerman Thunder are no longer unbeaten but look ahead to playing in a championship game next Friday.

The Thunder got thumped by Fergus Falls 26-6 on Friday at  the Otters’ homecoming game, a non-conference game.

Next week, the Thunder (5-1) will host St. Cloud Cathedral (6-0) with championship of the Granite Ridge Conference’s inaugural season on the line.

“Defensively we are missing too many tackles, and our offense is out of sync,” assessed Thunder coach Tom Kish. “We have our work cut out for us if we want to play with Cathedral next week.”

One reason they’re out of sync is the absence of their best breakaway threat, Collin Ashley, who has carried the ball just once in the last two weeks.

On that lone carry, the junior tailback rambled 59 yards, setting up the Thunder’s lone touchdown, a three-yard score by Caleb Lunning.

Ashley, who missed last week’s game with a thumb injury, jarred his knee on that play when tackled by the shoulder pads, and missed the rest of the game.

The Otters (3-3) led 12-6 after three quarters, getting a one-yard touchdown run, a field goal and a safety, then broke it open in the final period on Hayden Zenner’s 52-yard touchdown run and an 11-yard scamper by Harvey McMahon.

Thunder quarterback Ethan Lunning completed six of 16 for 95 yards. The Thunder had 95 yards passing and 153 rushing.

 

Fergus Falls 26, Zimmerman 6

 

Zimmerman …….. 6   0   0     0 –  6

Fergus Falls …… 7   3    2   14 — 26

 

Zim — Hayden Zenner 1 run (kick failed)

Zim — Caleb Lunning 3 run (kick failed)

FF — Peter Gaustad 27 field goal

FF — safety

FF — Zenner 52 run (Gaustad kick)

FF — Harvey McMahon 11 run (Gaustad kick)

 

Zimmerman leaders

 

Passing — Ethan Lunning 6-16-95-0, Evan Bye 0-1-0-0

Receiving — Jake Wlson 1-36, Bye 2-31, Cam Korlath 1-22, C. Lunning 2-6

Rushing — E. Lunning 7-24, C. Lunning 11-33, Noah Lunning 7-28, Bye 2-(-4), Ashley 1-59, Brandon Smith 2-14, Korlath 1-1, Schmit 1-(-2)

Tackles — C. Lunning 14, Jeff Mueller 8, Korlath 7, Jake Antolak 6, Smith 6, Jeremy Sloneker 6

Tackles for loss — Sloneker 2, Mueller 1, Antolak 1

 

 

GRANITE RIDGE CONFERENCE

Standings

 

St. Cloud Cathedral …….. 5-0     6-0

Zimmerman …………………. 4-0     5-1

Foley …………………………… 2-2     4-2

Mora ……………………………. 2-2     3-3

Little Falls ……………………. 1-3    1-5

Milaca …………………………. 1-4    1-5

Princeton …………………….. 0-4    0-6

 

Results Friday

Fergus Falls 26, Zimmerman 6

St. Cloud Cathedral 32, Foley 7

Little Falls 25, Princeton 0

Mora 26, Milaca 14

Games next Friday

St. Cloud Cathedral at Zimmerman

Mora at Little Falls

Princeton at Foley

Milaca at Big Lake