CLEARING BLOCK — Blue Earth Area tight end Ashton Lloyd (14) blocks Redwood Valley defender Bill Jahger (3) to create running room for Bucs quarterback Gavin Storbeck (9) during high school football action Saturday in Redwood Falls. Redwood Valley’s Carter Peterson (far left) and Jaxon Lang (25) watch the action. (Photo by Greg Abel)

REDWOOD FALLS — Blue Earth Area’s high-powered offense continued a perfect football season.

The Class AA No. 4-ranked Bucs beat the No. 3-ranked Redwood Valley Cardinals 46-18 Saturday in Redwood Falls, advancing BEA’s streak of 40-point performances.

Through the team’s first three wins, the Bucs have averaged 44 points per game. BEA head coach Randy Kuechenmeister said the high-scoring is due to the team’s overall size and speed at its skill positions.

“That means we’re doing some things very right,” Kuechenmeister said. “Kids making plays and buying in is what has led to it.”

The Cardinals started strong, marching down the field on an eight-play, 67-yard drive and scoring the first touchdown of the game when quarterback Alex Lang found receiver Carter Peterson on a fade route in the left side of the end zone for a nine-yard score.

Redwood Valley went for the 2-point conversion, but BEA’s Cameron Anderson picked off the pass to keep the Cardinal lead at 6-0 with 7:18 left in the first quarter.

The Bucs’ impressive offense responded immediately.

After the Cardinals attempted a surprise onside kick, the Bucs’ first drive started at their own 40. Max Ehrich took the first two carries for the Bucs to gain 18 yards before quarterback Gavin Storbeck hit Ashton Lloyd and Cameron Anderson on out routes to add another 16 yards.

Storbeck connected with Lloyd on another out route to get the Bucs in the red zone, then Ehrich and Storbeck combined for 19 yards on three carries, ending with an Ehrich 6-yard score on a run up the middle.

Kean Hicks’ extra-point kick was good to give the Bucs the lead they would not relinquish with 2:02 left in the first quarter.

After BEA’s strong defense forced a three-and-out, the Bucs’ second drive started on the same yard line as their first.

Storbeck faked a handoff, then rushed left for five yards, before connecting with Lloyd on another out route for 7 yards.

Cameron Anderson then took a sweep to the left, breaking for the sideline, where he sprinted past most of the Cardinal defense and nearly reaching the end zone before getting pushed out of bounds at the 1.

Ehrich finished the drive with a direct-snap run out of the wildcat formation for a 1-yard score.

BEA needed only two plays to score on its next drive. Ehrich took a carry up the middle for four yards, then Storbeck hit Cameron Anderson on a short stop route. The cornerback defending Anderson attempted to jump the route, but without safety help behind him Anderson was able to run away from any defender for a 76-yard TD to put the Bucs ahead 20-6 with 8:04 left in the first half.

Lang went down with a hurt ankle on the Cardinals’ next drive, with Isaac Louwagie replacing him. An Anders Fering sack ended Louwagie’s first drive and the Bucs regained the ball at the Cardinals’ 36.

Ehrich, Storbeck, Austin Thielfoldt and Cameron Anderson combined to handle the ground march, with Anderson finishing the drive on a 13-yard sweep from the upback position.

The Bucs were able to score once more before halftime. Fering forced a fumble, which Luke Schonborn recovered at the Bucs’ 36. Storbeck then threw a pass down the visiting sideline, finding Lloyd for a 64-yard TD to send the Bucs into halftime with a 32-6 lead.

“I think once we adjusted to the speed and what was going on, I felt like we really controlled the game,” Kuechenmeister said. “They (Redwood Valley) were really stacking the box, so we threw more today than we had in our first couple games, but it was all based on how we were being defended.”

The Cardinals attempted another surprise onside to open the second half, and looked to have recovered, but a Redwood Valley player touched the ball one yard too early to give the Bucs the ball at the Cardinals’ 49.

Four rushes and two passes later, Storbeck connected with Lloyd for another TD. Lloyd ran an out-and-up toward the visiting sideline and jumped over his defender’s outstretched arms to bring in the pass.

Redwood Valley’s defense held the Bucs’ next possession to three plays and forced BEA’s second punt of the season. After a Bucs’ flag on the return, the Cardinals started with the ball on BEA’s 17.

Three rushes, including a 15-yard tote from receiver Andrew Stephens and a 2-yard TD run from Carter Johnson brought the Cardinals within 40-12 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.

BEA responded with its final touchdown. Storbeck connected on three passes to Thielfoldt for a total of 37 yards and a touchdown on the drive, finishing with an 11-yard completion where Storbeck extended the play in the backfield and Thielfoldt was able to find an open spot in the middle of the end zone.

The Cardinals scored their final touchdown when third-string quarterback Tyson Irlbeck connected with Zach Reck-Paulsen for a 10-yard.

Storbeck led the Bucs with 13 completions for 264 yards and four TDs — two to Lloyd, one to Cameron Anderson and one to Thielfoldt.

Lloyd ended with six catches for 105 yards, while Cameron Anderson had four catches for 122 and Thielfoldt had three catches for 37 yards.

Ehrich led the BEA rushing attack with 71 yards on 15 carries.

Blue Earth Area (3-0) plays host to Pipestone Area at 7 p.m. Friday.

BEA 7 25 14 0 — 46

RV 6 0 6 6 — 18

Scoring Plays

1st Quarter

RWV–Carter Peterson 9 pass from Alex Lang (pass failed), 7:18.

BEA–Max Ehrich 6 run (Kean Hicks kick), 2:02.

2nd Quarter

BEA–Max Ehrich 1 run (kick failed), 9:55.

BEA–Cameron Anderson 76 pass from Gavin Storbeck (Kean Hicks kick), 8:04.

BEA–Cameron Anderson 13 run (kick failed), 2:24.

BEA–Ashton Lloyd 64 pass from Gavin Storbeck (pass failed), 1:46.

3rd Quarter

BEA–Ashton Lloyd 13 pass from Gavin Storbeck (Thielfoldt pass from Storbeck), 8:36.

RV–Carter Johnson 2 run (pass failed), 3:41.

BEA–Austin Thielfoldt 11 pass from Gavin Storbeck (kick failed), 1:06.

4th Quarter

RV–Zach Reck-Paulsen 10 pass from Tyson Irlbeck (pass failed), 5:18.

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs: BEA 20; RV 7. Rushing: BEA 42-249; RV 24-105. Passing: BEA 13-19-0-264; RV 8-18-0-56. Fumbles-lost: BEA 2-0; RV 2-1. Penalties; BEA: 7-80; RV 3-35.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Offense: Passing: Storbeck (BEA) 13-19-0-264; Lang (RV) 5-6-0-29; Louwagie (RV) 1-3-0-14; Irlbeck (RV) 2-8-0-13. Rushing: Ehrich (BEA) 15-71; Cameron Anderson (BEA) 3-83; Lang (RV) 4-46. Receiving: Cameron Anderson (BEA) 4-122; Lloyd (BEA) 6-105; Connor Josephson (RV) 4-35.

Defense: Forced fumble: Anders Fering (BEA). Fumble recovery: Luke Schonborn (BEA).