By Reagan Hoverman

The Prescott Cardinals offense has officially put the Middle Border Conference on notice.

Prescott’s talented sophomore class had a field day against the Osceola Chieftains’ defense on Friday night as the Cardinals racked up more than 500 yards of total offense during the 43-23 blowout at Laney Field in the Middle Border Conference opener on Fri- day, Sept. 2.

After Prescott took a 23-13 lead going into halftime, Osceola produced a strong third quarter that included a 10-0 scoring run to tie the game 23-23 going into the fourth quarter. That’s when the Cardinals’ offense exploded and scored 20 unanswered points in the closing frame to secure the victory against Osceola and improve to 1-0 in the Middle Border Conference.

The Cardinals’ fourth quarter excellence came as a result of dominant offensive line play and shifty running from sophomore running back Barrett Temmers. Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter with the game tied, Temmers bounced a run to the outside and scored on a six-yard touchdown run to make it 30-23 Prescott.

The Prescott defense quickly forced an Osceola turnover which gave the Cardinals the ball at midfield less than two minutes later. Prescott methodically drove down the field before Temmers scored on an eight-yard touchdown run to make it 37-23 for the Cardinals.

On the ensuing Osceola possession, Prescott stuffed a running back dive on fourth and one. The Cardinals’ stout defensive stand gave the ball back to the offense which put the game away on the next play.

It was again Temmers, who broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes remaining in regulation. It was his third score of the fourth quarter and it gave Prescott a commanding 43-23 lead which it held until the end of the game. Prescott head coach Jordan Hansen spoke about his team’s excellence in the fourth quarter.

“If you look at our team as a whole with how fresh we look in the fourth quarter, I think that plays a big role (in our success),” Hansen said. “Both weeks we were able to break off long runs and finish it. It’s the hard work that (our athletes) put in at the weight room and the dedication they put into their cardio, it paid ou in the fourth quarter both weeks.” Temmers finished the game with 164 rush – ing yards and three touchdowns on 26 total carries. While Temmers had an exquisite fourth quarter, it was the other sophomore who carried the offense in the first half and for portions of the third quarter.

Sophomore starting quarterback Teddy Bernick sliced and diced the Osceola defense with the assistance of sophomore wide receiver Will Packard. Bernick and Packard connected multiple times in the first half, which included a 31-yard touchdown pass down the sideline to take a lead late in the second quarter.

Bernick finished the game with an astounding 357 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing more than 55% of his throws. He also ran for a touchdown during the first quarter. Throughout the night Bernick successfully navigated the pocket, delivered accurate balls downfield and hit receivers in stride. Coach Hansen spoke about Bernick’s performance.

“He’s got a really good arm and he’s never going to get too high or too low. He’s pretty even-keeled,” Hansen said. “For a sophomore quarterback, that’s pretty impressive.” While Bernick has been sensational through the first three weeks of the season, so has the aforementioned Packard, who seems to require double coverage every time he’s on the field. Packard finished the evening with seven receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns.

“Two weeks in a row, if they’re going to one-on-one cover (Will Packard), we’ve got to take a shot,” Hansen said. “He’s a great player for us and he’s going to be a great player for us for the next three years.” Prescott junior wide receiver Nolan Thomley also crossed the century mark, as he tallied 109 yards on only four receptions. In total, Prescott compiled more than 500 yards of total offense in the 20-point victory at home against Osceola on Friday night.

While Prescott had that 10-point lead at halftime, coach Hansen knew that Osceola would battle back and go on a run in that third quarter. He spoke about the Middle Border Conference and how teams in that league are always going to put up a fight.

“To get a win is huge because they don’t come easy in this league,” Hansen said. “This is what our season is going to be from here on out. That’s why we play teams like Regis and Durand – that’s going to get us ready to go in the Middle Border.” Perhaps the most exciting part of the opening three weeks of the season for coach Hansen and the Prescott community is that the major contributors are nearly all sophomores. According to coach Hansen, that’s an exciting place to be and it leaves a lot of room for growth in an offense that has already dis – played flashes of brilliance.

“We start a lot of young guys on offense with a sophomore quarterback, tailback, and wide receiver,” Hansen said. “It’s a different offense from last year. We had Aiden Russell last year who we were going to pound the ball with. This year, we’ve got athletes all over that we can spread the ball to. We worked really hard in the offseason to implement something that will work for our kids and I think we found a good thing for us.” With the win, Prescott improved to 2-1 for the season and 1-0 in Middle Border Conference play. Other teams in the Middle Border securing wins in the first game of the conference schedule include Baldwin-Woodville, Ellsworth and Rice Lake.

Up next for Prescott is a home game on Friday, Sept. 9, against the Somerset Spar –

tans. That game is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

The Prescott offensive line dominated at the line of scrimmage on Friday night against Osceola. Deep into the fourth quarter, the line continued to open holes for sophomore running back Barrett Temmers, who scored three touchdowns in that final 12 minutes of action. Photo by Reagan Hoverman

Prescott sophomore Will Packard follows blocker Barrett Temmers (#23) on the wide receiver run after taking the handoff from sophomore quarterback Teddy Bernick during the home game victory against Osceola on Friday, Sept. 2. Photo by Reagan Hoverman