Bulldogs top Cardinals in a Friday night thriller

The Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Cardinals (1-1) came up short Friday night when an Algona (2-0) field goal split the uprights to secure the game’s final lead change, 23-21. It was an electric game of back and fourths, as two evenly-matched teams squared off in non-district action that left no one sleeping in the stands.

“We played a tough Algona team,” said GHV Head Coach Scott VanDusseldorp. “We came out a little flat and made some mistakes early – second half was much better.”

Algona got things going with a big 42-yard kickoff return, but the Cardinals soon stopped the drive. The Cards, then the Bulldogs went three-and-out. But the Cardinals fumbled the punt, relenting possession to the Bulldogs, who soon scored on a 27-yard run. The PAT kick attempt was no good.

The Cardinals’ offensive woes continued after kickoff, but a Ryan Meyers interception got things rolling in the right direction. On a long, plodding drive the Cardinals tied things up on a four-yard Nick Joynt touchdown.  Meyers’ kick was good to put the Cards up 7-6 in the second quarter.

Another big Bulldog return set the stage for another lead swap, 12-7 Bulldogs.

GHV returned the favor. The Cards marched the length of the field to strike on a 21-yard pass from Meyers to Colton Schroeder. Meyers’ PAT kick was good.

But the lead was once again short-lived.  The Bulldogs found the end zone in the half’s final two minutes, thanks to a few long plays. This time, the PAT run attempt was good for a halftime score of 20-14, Algona.

A round of back of fourths was brought to an end by the Cardinals, who took the lead once more on a 38-yard pass from Meyers to Joynt. Meyers’ PAT kick was good, 21-20 Cards.

What came next was an exchange of turnovers that gave the Bulldogs possession of the ball midway through the fourth quarter. It was a long, winding drive defined by a 39-yard pass that resulted in a booming 25-yard field goal as time expired for a 23-21 win over GHV.

Statistically, the game was as close as the final score. GHV had 283 total yards of offense to Algona’s 304; both were as successful with the pass as the run; GHV had 14 first downs to Algona’s 12; time of possession was split, turnovers, penalty yards and total plays were even.

The Cardinal offense came by an even mix of ground and aerial assaults with 150 and 133 yards, respectively.

Leading the ground game was Connor Burke with 56-yards on eight carries. Jace Pringnitz had 54-yards on 18 carries and Joynt finished with 36-yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

The air attack was lead by Meyers, who went nine for 15 passing for two touchdowns. His primary target was Joynt, who caught six passes for 84-yards and a touchdown. Also moving the chains was Schroeder with a catch for 21-yards and a touchdown. Anthony Sherwood had a catch for 16 and Pringnitz caught one for 12-yards.

The defensive front was lead by Pringnitz with eight tackles, Joynt with seven and an interception, Meyers had five and an interception, Sherwood picked up four and one-half tackles, Jack VanDusseldorp had three and one-half and Burke, Dane Whipple and Tyler Nielsen all had three. Holden Larson ended with two and one-half and Jade Pringnitz had two tackles.

“The mistakes I saw were very fixable,” said VanDusseldorp. “We will be working on fixing those mistakes this week as we prepare for Clear Lake.”

GHV will play its first district game this Friday as they take on Highway 18 rival, the Clear Lake Lions (1-1) at Garner.