Frazee to travel to TRF on Friday

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Friday was a homecoming football game unlike any other for the Frazee Hornets. 

Not only were the Hornets the away team for their own homecoming game, but a two-point conversion late in the third quarter will be long heralded as one of the most memorable moments in recent Frazee football history. 

Following Jake Nagel’s third touchdown run of the game, to put the Hornets up by a score of 35-0, Frazee senior Carson Maneval ran in the two-point conversion to a standing ovation by both teams.

“Honestly Underwood was really good about it. The kids were cheering. They cleared the bench and took to the field,” said head coach Russ Hackel. “It was a very cool moment for him and just for both towns in general.”

Prior to the game, Hackel said he informed the Underwood coaching staff of Frazee’s intention to dress Maneval for their homecoming game. 

“He just wanted to be on the sidelines,” said Hackel of Maneval. 

Throughout the week the coaches began looking at ways to get Maneval in the game, whether it be on an extra point, or an offensive play in the game. With the game in hand, Maneval checked into the game and rushed in the two-point conversion to make the score 37-0.

Hackel said the entire week leading up to the game, as well as the chance to get Maneval into the game, was better than the team could have ever planned given the situation of playing a road game nearly an hour away.

“You think about how this is all going to work, and in the end, even our homecoming parade was better than I anticipated,” he said, 

The Hornets got on the scoreboard in the opening quarter when Nagel scored on a 13-yard run. The extra point kick was no good, but the Hornets led Underwood by a score of 6-0. 

Frazee added a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, just over 2 minutes apart when Brady Crabtree scored on a 69-yard run and just 2:30 later Hunter Haugen blocked a punt that was recovered by Roy Hoehne. He returned it for a touchdown to make the score 22-0 heading into halftime.

In the second half the Hornets continued to find success on the ground as Nagel rushed for a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter from 44 and 4-yards out to make the score 37-0 heading into the fourth quarter.

Jack Graham added one final score for Frazee on a 9-yard run to end the scoring at 43-0 in favor of Frazee.

As a team, the Hornets outrushed the Rockets by a 283-102 margin, while holding the Rockets to just 116 yards of total offense. Hackel said the Hornets were able to run the ball well throughout the game, which led to their success. 

“We ran the ball fairly well. Underwood is a good team, they are young and they have had a tough season too,” said Hackel. 

Nagel led the way offensively with 19 rushes for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Crabtree rushed 6 times for 96 yards. Tyler Moe added 5 rushes for 37 yard, Jack Graham rushed 2 times for 18 yards, Tanner Moe rushed 4 times for 4 yards, Cade nagel rushed 1 time for 3 yards, Adam Vigen rushed 1 time for -1 yard and Carter Sonnenberg rushed 2 times for -10 yards. 

Sonnenberg completed 4-7 passing for 59 yards with Roy Hoehne catching 1 pass for 36 yards, Cade Nagel catching 1 pass for 10 yards, Crabtree catching 1 pass for 7 yards and mark Jaroszewski catching 1 pass for 6 yards.

The win improves the Hornets to 3-2 on the season as they will travel to Thief River Falls to take on the Prowlers on Friday night. The Prowlers are 1-4 on the season and Hackel said the defense will need to once again play well and watch for the ball under the new Thief River Falls offense that resembles one being run by Barnesville.

“The defense has to play very well. Technically we will have to be sound,” he said.

The Prowlers will have a run game that involves hiding the ball and misdirection to get down the field. Hackel said the Prowlers are a Class AAA school will present a challenge for the Hornets on Friday night.