Breckenridge runs over royalton ahead of big matchup with barnesville

• By Robert Wanek Jr.

Breckenridge put on a house of horrors in Minnewaska on Saturday, where they ran over an opposing Royalton team with 35 first-half points on their way to a 41-8 victory. Coach Chad Fredericksen's team was led by another electric effort from Jacob Vizenor, who scored three rushing touchdowns and added 54 receiving yards. Breckenridge was far too physical for the Royals with their combination of size and athleticism on the offensive and defensive lines.

The Cowboys improved to 4-0 with the victory, placing them atop Section 6A. They share that spot with New York Mills, who is also 4-0. 

Vizenor started the scoring with a nifty juke move that sent two Royals sliding past on the turf. He punched in the two-point conversion with a hurdle and Breckenridge jumped out 8-0. James Mertes put the Cowboys up two scores when he broke loose for a 59-yard rushing touchdown on a toss play. Vizenor tacked on two more scores, the longest of which stretched 74 yards on the ground. The lone receiving score on the afternoon came from Sebastian Anderson --- the first of his career. After securing the catch he exclaimed, "That's for 22 baby," a shoutout to teammate Christian Nieto who suffered a knee injury early in the contest and was forced out.

​Cooper Yaggie's model of efficiency returned once again, as the senior slinger completed all four of his passes for 64 yards while adding 21 rushing yards.

On the defensive front, Breckenridge gang tackled the Royalton backfield frequently and recovered five fumbles. In on the recoveries were Yaggie, Anderson, Jared Aamold, and Daniel Erlandson. Reese Pederson forced his second fumble of the season, both were chase downs of breakaway ball carriers and potential touchdown saving plays.

Breckenridge is scoring 41 points per game and allowing 9 points per game ahead of Friday's matchup with the also undefeated Barnesville Trojans. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Breckenridge for what's sure to be a classic Heart O' Lakes rivalry showdown. Barnesville is averaging 38 points per game and has allowed just two touchdowns.