Blue Devils win huge N10 clash

NORTH ROBINSON -- Carey and the Colonel Crawford each went into Friday night's game 5-0, with both teams winning by an average of more than 30 points per game.Friday's game was much closer, with the defending Division VI state champion Blue Devils claiming a 7-3 win.As one Carey spectator noted before the kickoff, "this might be the best high school football game anybody sees all year."It was a solid prediction.From the opening kickoff, it was clear that this would be a true clash of the titans.Carey received the opening kickoff, and it ended in an interception. On the following drive, Colonel Crawford also threw an interception.The game continued to be neck and neck throughout the contest.Late in the second quarter, the Eagles connected on a 22-yard field goal from Braxton Morton, to go ahead 3-0.That was until Carey quarterback Lance Rickle did what he does best -- make winning plays.Rickle connected on a 36-yard pass to back Austin Niederkohr, netting Carey the only touchdown of the game. Rickle also connected on the extra point, something he excels at (he's now 19 of 22 on extra points this season).Rickle became the No. 1 scorer in the N10 with 70 points, passing Eagles' wideout Trevor Vogt.For Rickle, he knew that Friday's game was going to be a battle."We knew this was the best team in the N10, and we had to come out and play our hearts out," he said. "That's what we did."The Blue Devils improved to 6-0, securing the victory thanks to some cruicial plays from Rickle.He finished with 36 yards on 11 carries, and 88 yards passing, going 4of 9 through the air. Niederkohr finished with 76 yards on just four receptions, an average of 19 yards per catch.Blue Devils head coach Jonathon Mershman talked about the continued great play from Rickle. "He's a special one, ain't he? He's electric," Mershman said. "He really opens the playbook for us. He can run, he can catch, I think we're doing a fantastic job of being dynamic."As for the rest of the Blue Devils, their run game was as strong, with Landen Kemerley tallying 33 yards on six carries. Eli Steen finished with 33 yards on 10 carries. Conner Norden had eight carries for 20 yards. These performances, along with Rickle's 36 rushing yards, accounted for a large part of Carey's offensive attack.For Colonel Crawford, this loss brings them to 5-1. Quarterback Kamryn Lohr completed 10 of 24 passes ending with 58 yards. When running the ball, Lohr finished with 148 yards on 13 carries.Mershman spoke on preparing for such a high-powered offense like the Eagles."They did a good job of spreading it out, they had a dynamic offense, he said. "I thought our defense played lights out. If we play defense like that the rest of the way out, we're gonna be a tough team to beat. I think we took away some of their best attributes with their scorers, and I'm just really proud of the way we played as a whole.There were several instances in the game where it looked like Colonel Crawford would drive it into the end zone. The Blue Devils' defense stood its ground, however, making several key stops.Rickle spoke about how important the Carey defense was."Very (important). I mean they were on the 30 (yard-line) and we stopped them," he said. "That was huge. They missed a field goal. That brought the intensity up for our crowd, everything. The defense was on a different level tonight."