Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley
The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals ended the homecoming week with a win on the football field on Friday, September 23rd. After an early 8-8 tie, St Mary scored 40 straight points on their way to a 48-16 win over Oldham-Ramona/Rutland.
Nic Gaspar broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run with 7:19 in the first quarter. The two-point conversion was good, and St Mary led 8-0. The Raiders tied the game after a seven-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion with 1:36 left in the quarter. The Cardinals then went on a big run from there. Gaspar scored his second touchdown on a four-yard run with 1:03 to play in the quarter for a 14-8 lead.
With 7:07 to go in the second quarter, CJ Smith had a 22-yard touchdown pass to Maverick LeBrun. Gaspar got himself into the end zone right before halftime. He scored on a 42-yard run with :57 left in the second quarter. St Mary led 26-8 at halftime.
St Mary scored three more times in the third quarter, all three by Gaspar. With 8:10 to go in the quarter, Gaspar had a 27-yard touchdown run. After an interception, Smith connected with Gaspar on a 12-yard touchdown pass. with 7:54 to play in the third. Gaspar’s final touchdown came on a 57-yard run with 6:17 left in the third. The Cardinals made two of three two-point conversions for a 48-8 lead. The Raiders got a 59-yard touchdown run with 4:34 to play in the game.
The Cardinals finished the game with 419 yards of total offense, 295 rushing yards and 124 passing yards. The Raiders had 173 total yards, 157 rushing yards and 16 passing yards.
Smith finished 3-3 passing for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Tate Bunkers had a catch for 62 yards. M. LeBrun had a catch for 22 yards and a touchdown. Gaspar had a catch for 13 yards and a touchdown. Gaspar also had eight carries for 224 yards and five rushing touchdowns. Lincoln LeBrun had two carries for 26 yards.
Gaspar finished with 13 tackles and a pass break-up on defense. M. LeBrun and Gabe Lindeman each had six tackles. Aiden Allen had five tackles and a fumble recovery. L. LeBrun had three tackles and an interception. Camden Gilbert had four tackles, and Trimmier Hanson finished with three tackles.
“The kids played hard tonight. I felt they improved as the game went on and started to find a groove,” said head coach Ross Flemmer.
The Cardinals (3-3) will host Kimball/White Lake on Friday, September 30th.
