Six Different Scorers Power Decorah to Victory Against Waukon

Stay informed, stay empowered: invest in the journalism that invests in you. Waukon, Iowa — The prettiest play of the game came at the start of the fourth quarter. The Vikings were on the Indians' 30-yard line. Senior quarterback Tanner Caddell stood in shotgun while senior running back Trevor Kuennen stood to Caddell's left. The ball was snapped and the two guards, senior Luke Franzen and sophomore Ethan Kuennen, pulled to the right. Caddell handed the ball off to T. Kuennen, who followed his two guards. E. Kuennen wiped out the cornerback while Franzen pancaked the outside linebacker, creating a perfect hole for T. Kuennen to scoot through. Waukon's middle linebacker scraped into the hole, but T. Kuennen stiff-armed the would-be tackler to the ground. After that, it was nothing but 30 yards of green grass to the end zone. That touchdown was the fifth of the game for Decorah. They'd go on to score one more—a dive play by senior Landon Quandahl—to cap off 42 points in their opening game against the Waukon Indians, who managed to put up a couple of touchdowns of their own. But it was slow going at first. Decorah opened the game with the ball and drove the length of the field with a combination of run and pass plays. At around Waukon's 20-yard line, Caddell found senior tight end Noah Milburn on a seam route. The free safety slipped and Milburn walked into the end zone for a quick lead. At the end of the first, Decorah was up 7-0. In the second quarter, Waukon hit some big plays, but Decorah's defense toughened up. On second-and-10, Waukon tried an end-around sweep, but senior defensive end Henry Brynsaas stayed home and made a solid solo tackle for a 5-yard loss. On the very next play, third-and-15, Waukon aired one out to a receiver streaking down the field. The receiver caught the ball. The Waukon stands erupted in cheers, but a second later, senior defensive back Peyton Webb emerged with the ball. Tough to say if it was an interception or a fumble/strip of the ball. Either way, possession went back to Decorah, as did the momentum. In addition to his contributions on defense, Webb also put together a solid game on the offensive end, pulling down four catches for 102 yards and one touchdown. And his touchdown came at an opportune time. After the turnover, Waukon forced a four-and-out (the Vikings were in four-down territory at the time), and they marched down the field to score a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to take the lead late in the second quarter—with only 1:56 remaining in the half. The Vikings went into their two-minute drill with a mix of short passes before Caddell hit Webb on a huge pass play with 32 seconds left. A couple of plays later, with Webb lined up in twins on the left with senior scatback Will Larson, Webb was able to come underneath Larson, which created just enough separation for Caddell to thread the needle. After bobbling the ball in the end zone, the sure-handed Webb secured it before the referee raised his two hands. Waukon's 1-point lead lasted for less than two minutes, and Decorah would never look back, as they owned the second half, scoring four more touchdowns. Perhaps the most impressive part of the game wasn't the six touchdowns, but the even distribution—with six different players each scoring one: Larson, T. Kuennen, Caddell and Quandahl each rushed for one, while Webb and Milburn each had a receiving score. And it was a total team effort for Decorah, who looked impressive not only on the offensive end, but on defense (forcing three turnovers) and special teams as well, with their punt return and punt coverage looking sharp. Decorah is back in action Friday, Sept. 5, for its opening home game against Crestwood. The Cadets also had a good opening game against MFL Mar-Mac with a 34-6 victory. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. Elevate your inbox with the DecorahNews.com newsletter! Receive free thought-provoking articles, actionable advice and inspiring stories every week.