Hornets to host Bulldogs in regular season finale

Photo by Chad Koenen
Ben Reierson was able to pull down this dramatic one-handed catch during the first quarter of Friday’s 28-22 win over Lake Park-Audubon.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Adam Vigen rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Ben Reierson added 113 yards and a touchdown on the ground as the Frazee Hornets improved to 5-2 on the season and put themselves in the driver’s seat for a second seed in Section 8AA last Friday night. The Hornets would go on to win by a final score of 28-22. 

Hunter Malone looks for an opening during the opening quarter of action on Friday night. He rushed one time for five yards in the game.

The Hornets took an early 14-8 lead at halftime and held on despite a tough Lake Park-Audubon comeback in the second half to secure their fifth win of the season. The five wins is the most for Frazee since 2022 when the Hornets went 6-4 overall, which included a 1-1 record in the playoffs. The Hornets have not won five games in a regular season since they went 8-3 overall (6-2 in the regular season) and advanced to the Section 8AA finals in 2014. 

“I think it went good. There were a couple of drives or situations where we could have put it away, but we played well,” said head coach Russ Hackel. “We made plays when we needed to.”

Dawson Lyman tries to shed a tackle during Friday’s 28-22 win over Lake Park-Audubon. Lyman finished with 35 yards rushing in the game.

As a team the Hornets had 354 yards in total offense with the team picking up 278 yards on the ground on just 44 carries.
Frazee went 5-8 passing for 76 yards through the air with Vigen going 4-7 for 73 yards and Dawson Lyman going 1-1 for three yards in the win.

The Hornets were led offensively by Reierson who rushed 18 times for 113 yards and one touchdown with Mason Mickelson rushing 11 times for 79 yards and a touchdown. Vigen added six carries for 44 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Lyman rushed seven times for 35 yards and Hunter Malone rushed one time for five yards and Tanner Moe rushed one time for three yards. 

Reierson caught one pass for 34 yards, while Ayden Grossman caught two passes for six yards and Noah Mekalson caught two passes for 36 yards. 

The Hornets will now turn their attention to the Otter Tail Central Bulldogs who will come to town on a short week. 

“They are very similar to us they have some good linemen up front,” said Hackel. “It is going to come down to skill positions and executing.”

Otter Tail Central is currently 5-2 on the season and averages 24.3 points per game on offense, while giving up 21.1 points per game on defense. The Bulldogs have wins against Ashby/Brandon-Evansville by a score of 22-18, New York Mills by a score of 22-14, Wadena-Deer Creek by a score of 34-14, Lake Park-Audubon by a score of 22-16 and Menahga by a score of 54-14. They have lost to Breckenridge by a score of 42-0 and Parkers Prairie by a score of 30-16. 

The Hornets head into Wednesday’s game averaging 28 points per game on offense, while giving up just 17.9 points per game on defense.

Kickoff for Wednesday’s game will be at 7 p.m. in Frazee. 

Frazee holds a narrow lead over Pelican Rapids in the Section 8AA standings with the Vikings going into Wednesday’s game with a record of 3-4 overall and a QRF ranking of 35.8. The Hornets have a QRF ranking of 39.5 and trail just Barnesville with a QRF ranking of 43.7 in the section standings.  If Frazee is able to secure a win over Otter Tail Central on Friday night they should have the advantage in receiving a top two seed in the section tournament for the first time in over 10 years. 

“We are excited about that opportunity and that chance,” said Hackel.

The Vikings defeated Warroad 32-21 on Friday, but are scheduled to travel to fourth ranked Staples-Motley on Wednesday to take on a Cardinals team that lost for the first time all season to sixth ranked Pillager on Friday by a score of 30-24.