(Storm Lake) Atlantic’s strong ground game and aggressive defense led them to a 47-22 victory over Storm Lake in a non-district football game on Friday night.
The Trojans amassed a total of 431 yards of offense, consisting of 379 rushing yards and 52 passing yards. Ethan McNeal was central to the Trojans’ success, rushing for 222 yards with notable runs of 3, 10, and 3 yards. Gavin McLaren added to the score with runs of 1, 19, and 50 yards. Quarterback Zayden Parker completed 2 out of 3 pass attempts. Corbin Ritter caught one pass for 27 yards, while Brock Goodrich had one reception for 17 yards.
Cam Boyd threw two touchdown passes to David William for nine and 15 yards, and Marco Cortez-Oropeza scored on a one-yard run for Storm Lake.
Atlantic Head Coach Joe Brummer felt they had a good game plan heading into the contest, and the players executed.
Atlantic won the coin toss and chose to defer until the second half. On Storm Lake’s opening drive, quarterback CAM Boyd was sacked on a crucial fourth-and-three play at their own 36-yard line. The Trojans then initiated a 36-yard drive, capped off by an Ethan McNeal three-yard run.
On the next drive, the Tornadoes advanced to the Trojans’ one-yard line, primarily utilizing their passing game. Marco Cortez-Oropeza capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge to tie the game at 7-7.
Atlantic quickly regained the lead at 14-7 with a short touchdown run by McLaren early in the second quarter. However, Storm Lake responded with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Boyd to David William, tying the game again.
The Trojans then scored 13 consecutive points, with McNeal contributing touchdown runs of ten and three yards, giving Atlantic a 27-14 lead at halftime.
Atlantic wasted no time on its first possession of the second half. Senior fullback Gavin McLaren broke free for a 50-yard run, extending Atlantic’s lead to 34-14.
It seemed Storm Lake might make a comeback during their first possession of the second half. Marco Cortez-Oropeza broke loose on several running plays, setting up a 15-yard touchdown pass to David William, which narrowed the Trojans’ lead to 34-22. However, that would be the last time the Tornadoes threatened Atlantic. The Trojans pulled away with back-to-back touchdowns, finalizing the score at 47-22.
Atlantic will enter district play next Friday against Creston with a 2-2 record, while Storm Lake drops to 1-3 and will face Sioux City West.
