ARMSTRONG – It didn’t take long for Ridge View Raptors quarterback Tyler Wingert to show off his passing skills. The senior accumulated 212 yards on 14-for-20 passing and 10 yards rushing to lead the Raptors over the North Union Warriors, 40-8, during Class A, District 2 football play Friday night.

“Heck of a football player,” Raptors head coach Jeff DeHaan said. “You talk about a dual-threat quarterback … You have to respect his run; he’ll kill you with the arm. He does a tremendous job for us.”

The arm was very accurate as Wingert threw a 62-yard touchdown to Juan Nava on the first play of the game. Ryan McGuire kicked the extra point for a fast 7-0 lead for the Raptors.

“We knew it was going to be a challenge with their spread offense,” said Warriors head coach Matt Ernster. “They took advantage of some things and, at times, they had more athletes than we did and executed a little better.”

Wingert came right back on the next possession and connected on three passes to get the Raptors to the Warriors’ 29-yard line. Despite getting pushed back a yard, Wingert and Nava connected again for a 30-yard score with 7:27 remaining in the opening quarter.

McGuire’s successful PAT put the Raptors up by 14.

The Raptors forced another Warriors’ three-and-out, and scored on another drive. The visiting team started at its own 21. Wingert targeted Nava six times in the game, with one resulting in a 51-yard completion to set the Raptors up at the Warriors 3-yard line.

The Warriors’ Eythan Blair and Trent Pedersen assisted each other on a tackle, and Andrew Schiltz got a tackle, causing the Raptors to lose two yards. But, on a third-and-goal situation, Wingert got a block on the right side and ran in the five-yard TD with 1:51 to go in the opening frame.

The Warriors got the ball back, but couldn’t convert and were forced to punt shortly after the second quarter started. The Raptors took over on their 20. Wingert tried to run, but was stopped short and went back to his air raid. He connected on every pass with a final 36-yard throw to Jake Mitchell with 9:15 left in the half. McGuire’s kick made a 28-0 Raptors lead.

Nava recorded his second receiving TD from Wingert on the next possession. A short nine-yard flip added another six points to the Raptors’ lopsided lead.

The Warriors couldn’t get a score in, but also kept the Raptors from scoring on the last drive as the Raptors went into halftime with a 34-0 shutout lead.

“I told the kids that the game was going to come down to owning the line of scrimmage and that’s what they did. They took it to heart and did an excellent job,” DeHaan said about the team’s defensive performance.

The Warriors got the ball to start the third quarter and got down to the Raptors 20. But Warriors sophomore quarterback Elliott Hagebock couldn’t get the final yard on a fourth-and-four scenario, turning the ball over on downs.

Neither team scored during the third quarter, but the Raptors came right back with a final TD at the beginning of the final frame.

Jake Tokheim came in for Wingert and threw a 33-yard bomb to get the Raptors to the Warriors’ 3. Austin Degen ran the final yards and, with a failed kick, the Raptors went up, 40-0, to start running time.

The Warriors managed to avoid a shutout with a late score. The Warriors used a 33-yard run from junior running back to get to the Raptors’ 6-yard line. Thompson picked up the remaining yards to put the home team on the board with 58 seconds to go in the game. Isaac Engeman ran in the two-point conversion for a final score of 40-8.

“We talked at halftime about trying to wipe the slate clean and start over 0-0. I told them I didn’t recognize the team that played in the first half, but was much more proud of the effort and the way that we competed in the second half,” Ernster said.

Nava tallied 151 receiving yards on four catches, and Ryan McGuire caught two passes for 46 yards.

Thompson was limited to seven yards in the first half and rebounded in the second half to end the game with 121 yards on 26 carries.

“He (Thompson) definitely finished runs hard in the second half. It kind of gave us that spark that we needed with those longer runs and getting the juice going for us,” Ernster said. “Moving forward, he’s going to have to continue to be a big part for us if we’re going to have more success this year.”

North Union (1-2) travels to Bishop Garrigan next Friday for a 7 p.m. district contest, while Ridge View (2-1) hosts Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn.

RV 21 13 0 6-40

NU 0 0 0 8- 8

Scoring Plays

1st Quarter

RV-Juan Nava 62 pass from Tyler Wingert (Ryan McGuire), 11:42.

RV-Nava 30 pass from Wingert (McGuire), 7:27.

RV-Wingert 5 run (McGuire), 1:51.

2nd Quarter

RV Jake Mitchell 36 pass from Wingert (McGuire), 9:15.

RV-Nava 9 pass from Wingert (kick failed), 4:54.

3rd Quarter

No scoring

4th Quarter

RV-Austin Degen 3 run (kick failed), 10:50.

NU-Derek Thompson 6 run (Isaac Engeman run), 0:50.

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs: Ridge View 10, North Union 6. Rushing: North Union 37-135; Ridge View 21-42. Passing: Ridge View 16-22-0-275; North Union 1-7-1-7. Fumbles-lost: North Union 3-2; Ridge View 1-0. Penalties: Ridge View 6-60; North Union 4-22.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Offense: Rushing: Derek Thompson (NU) 26-121; Caden Wandrey (RV) 9-29. Passing: Tyler Wingert (RV) 14-20-0-212; Elliott Hagebock (NU) 1-7-1-7. Receiving: Juan Nava (RV) 4-152; Jake Mitchell (RV) 2-46; Colton Wunschel (RV) 3-31; Brady Anderson (NU) 1-7.

Defense: Interception: Caden Wandrey (RV). Fumble recoveries: Colton Wunschel (RV); Kevin McGuire (RV). QB Sack: Eythan Blair (NU).

Blue Earth Area 41, St. James 10 – Logan Jahnke completed 7 of 17 passes for 163 yards to lead the Bucs over the Saints during South Central White District action Friday night in St. James.

Jahnke passed for three touchdowns and ran in two scores for 101 yards rushing on 18 carries. Kaylan Legred recorded five carries to accumulate 52 yards and made two receptions for 76 yards with two TDs to complement an interception in the win.

Jacob Vaske finished with 22 yards on three catches for Blue Earth Area.

The Bucs totaled 386 yards of offense, including 223 yards rushing.

Brady Stevens went 6-for-18 for 140 passing yards with 53 yards on nine totes for the Saints.

Blue Earth Area (1-1) plays district foe Redwood Valley at 7 p.m. next Friday in Redwood Falls.

BEA 12 8 14 7-41

SJ 3 0 7 0-10

Redwood Valley 40, Martin County West 6 – The Cardinals took a 34-point win over the Mavericks during South Central White District play Friday night in Redwood Falls.

No team or individual statistics were reported.

Martin County West (0-2) hosts St. James at 7 p.m. next Friday in Sherburn.

Ellsworth/Edgerton 64, Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman 0 – The Flying Dutchmen shut out the Jaguars during District 9 South-West action Friday night in Edgerton.

No team or individual statistics were reported.

Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman (0-2) hosts Cleveland at 7 p.m. next Friday in Granada.