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Russell Wins Season Opener

KRSL RHS Football
KRSL RHS Football

The Russell High School football team won its season opener 17-6 over Ellis on Friday, September 3 at Shaffer Field in Russell.

The score was 0-0 after the first quarter.

The Broncos (1-0, 1-0 Mid-Continent League) finished a 13-play, 64-yard drive early in the second period with a 26-yard field goal by kicker Charlie Krug and led 3-0 at halftime.

At the 5:13 mark in the third quarter, on defense linebacker Krug recovered an Ellis fumble and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Andrew Roth rushed for the two-point conversion and Russell led 11-0. With 1:34 remaining in the third stanza, Ellis (0-1, 0-1 MCL) got on the scoreboard when quarterback Easton Burton connected with wide receiver Bryson Luea for a 16-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was no good. Russell led 11-6 entering the fourth quarter.

The Broncos' final score came with 5:12 remaining in the final period when running back Jacob Windholz exhibited a powerful run for a 28-yard touchdown on the ground. The extra-point attempt was no good. On the next Railroader drive, Burton threw an interception and sealed the 17-6 victory for Russell.

That fourth quarter INT was the fourth Ellis turnover of the night. The Bronco offense did not turn the ball over in the game, finishing plus-four in turnover margin. For Russell, Josh Sohm and Krug recovered fumbles and Jacob Ney and Seth Schneider intercepted passes.

The Railers actually outgained Russell 276 total yards to 211. Ellis finished with 31 yards on the ground and 245 yards through the air. Russell totaled 199 yards rushing and 12 yards passing.

For Russell, Roth had 55 yards on 11 carries, running back Ney had 40 yards on 12 carries and Windholz had 45 yards on seven carries.

For Ellis, Burton completed 24 passes for 245 yards. Luea led with 90 yards receiving on seven catches.

Russell next hosts longtime rival TMP-Marian for homecoming at Shaffer Field on Friday, September 10. Catch the game on KRSL AM 990, 98.1 FM and KRSL.com with pregame coverage at 6:15 PM and kickoff at 7 PM.