Cloquet Takes St. Louis Park To Double Overtime

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Aug 31, 2012

Kerry Rodd-NSO

The Cloquet Lumberjack football team opened the season on the road at St. Louis Park on Friday night. The Jacks led for much of the game, but in the end the Orioles were able to sneak out a double overtime 20-13 win.

Sean Kedrowksi gave the Jacks the lead early in the first quarter when he finished off a drive by scoring on a quarterback keeper that went five yards for the score. Nick Niemi knocked the extra point through and the Jacks held a 7-0 lead. That lead would stand up until the third quarter.

It was obvious in the second half that St. Louis Park pushed up their intensity as they came out strong on their first offensive series and eventually scored when Cole Hoyt took a handoff and rambled 10-yards for the score. After the extra point kick the game was even at 7-7.

With 10:47 remaining in the fourth quarter the Lumberjacks regained the lead when Kedrowski dropped back and found Austin Gotchnik at the three yard line and Gotchnik did the rest by slipping into the end zone giving Cloquet a 13-7 lead. However, the Jacks were unable to convert the extra point kick and that would prove costly later in the quarter.

The Orioles managed to bounce back quickly with a score of their own when Davon Malone scampered 32-yards for a touchdown with 10:10 remaining. The St. Louis Park drive took only 37 seconds and evened the game at 13-13, but the Orioles also missed the extra point which eventually sent the game into overtime.

Neither team scored in the first overtime, but in the second overtime the Orioles scored on their first play when Malone scored on a 10-yard run and Nick Shaugnessy booted the extra point kick for a 20-13 St. Louis Park lead.

The Lumberjacks tried to answer again, but after Henry Backus bulled his way to the five-yard line on second down the Jacks had two straight incomplete passes to end the game with the victory going to the Orioles.

The teams were nearly identical in the stats department with Cloquet racking up 303 yards of offense and the Orioles 313 yards in total offense. Kedrowski passed for 120 yards in a 15-for-29 effort. The Jacks had 18 first downs compared to 14 for St. Louis Park. Brad Butcher led the Jacks ground attack with 80-yards on just nine rushes.

The Lumberjacks fall to 0-1 on the season and play Barnum at home on Friday night. The Bombers dropped their opener on Friday as well when they lost a tough 21-6 game to next door neighbor Moose Lake-Willow River.

Kerry Rodd can be reached tat Kerry@northlandsportsonline.com