By Chad Koenen

Publisher

The Otter Tail Central Bulldogs rushed past Ortonville on Friday night with a 42-8 win. The lopsided victory put an exclamation mark on a busy homecoming week in the Henning and Battle Lake as the Bulldogs gear up for their final three weeks of the regular season. 

Teigan Bjerke put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the first quarter when he scored on a 3-yard run, before Braxtyn Cameron found Elijah Fronning on a 47-yard pass to make the score 16-0 after the first quarter.

Cameron made the score 22-0 in the second quarter when he scored on a 1-yard run, before Tayden Soma became the fourth different Bulldog to find the end zone in the first half when he cored on a 4-yard run. 

Bjerke made the score 36-0 st halftime when he broke loose on a 59-yard run to find the end zone for the second time in the half.

With running time throughout the second half, the Bulldogs once again found the end zone early in the third quarter on a 3-yard run to make the score 42-0. With a number of the reserves in the game, Ortonville found the end zone for the first time when the Trojans scored on a 25-yard run. 

As a team the Bulldogs, who won their fourth straight game to improve to 4-1 on the season, rushed for 298 yards on the ground and passed for 84 yards. They held the Trojans to just 166 yards of total offense and held the Trojans to just 4-13 on third down. OTC faced just three third downs all game and converted two of them to keep the offense on the field.

Cameron went 3-4 passing for 84 yards and a touchdown. Bjerke led the way rushing 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just four carries, while Anthony Rousu finished with three carriers for 50 yards. Memphis Nelson rushed seven times of r49 yards and a touchdown, while Fronning also rushed three times for 40 yards. Fronning also led the team in receiving with two catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. 

This week OTC will travel to Ashby/Brandon-Evansville to take on the 2-3 Bolts. ABE has lost two games in a row after falling to Hancock 52-20 and Hillcrest Lutheran Academy by a score of 50-30 last week. The Bolts come into the game averaging 25.2 points per game on offense, while giving up 38 points per game on defense. 

OTC averages 31.6 points per game on offense, while giving up 25.6 points per game on defense. 

First Quarter

OTC- Teigan Bjerke 3 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion)

OTC- Elijah Fronning 47 Yd Pass From Braxtyn Cameron (Braxtyn Cameron Run For Two-Point Conversion)

Second Quarter

OTC- Braxtyn Cameron 1 Yd Run (Failed Two-Point Conversion)

OTC- Tayden Soma 4 Yd Run (Failed Two-Point Conversion)

OTC- Teigan Bjerke 59 Yd Run (William Schwartz Run For Two-Point Conversion)

Third Quarter

OTC- Memphis Nelson 3 Yd Run (Failed Two-Point Conversion)

Orton.- Brody Vangsness 25 Yd Run (Two-Point Conversion)

TEAM TOTALS – TOTAL YARDS: OTC 382, Orton. 166; PASSING YARDS: OTC 84, Orton. 33; RUSHING YARDS: OTC 298, Orton. 133; FIRST DOWNS: OTC 14, Orton. 11

INDIVIDUAL STATS

RUSHING: T. Bjerke 4-92-2, A. Rousu 3-50-0, M. Nelson 7-49-1, E. Fronning 3-40-0, W. Schwartz 5-24-0, S. Mills 3-16-0, B. Cameron 3-9-1, T. Soma 2-9-1, E. Stans 2-6-0, J. Saurer 1-1-0

PASSING: B. Cameron 3-4-84-1-0

RECEIVING: E. Fronning 2-81-1, T. Soma 1-3-0