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One thing that is constant in high school football is there is strength in numbers.
That was something the Potosi/Cassville co-op football team had Friday and something Highland did not. The end result was a 42-6 P/C victory against a tired but fearless group of Cardinals. The combined enrollment for both schools is 190 (114 for Potosi and 76 for Cassville) while Highland's is 87.
"Potosi/Cassville was able to rotate kids in and out throughout the game," said Highland coach Mike Aide. "They have a roster of 45 or so. Thirteen of those are from Cassville and four of them are starters. It definitely helped them in the end to win the game. We have 26 on the roster and did the best to hang in there. It definitely made a difference in the end. We also have been playing with a young group that gained a lot of experience throughout the season. We played with a lot of heart Friday night."
Highland was tied with P/C for much of the first half at 6-6. P/C scored first on a 43 yard pass play, Ben Udelhofen to Ty Dressler, while the Cardinals got their six on a one yard plunge by Cal Dorota.
P/C slowly started to gain the upper hand when Ryan Kruser scored from the four just before half and Nick Edge ran in the conversion for a 14-6 halftime lead.
Udelhofen started to lead his team into the end zone more often the second half. He scored on a keeper from the 53 to send the score to 20-6 then clicked with Edge on a 34 yard pass. He ran in the conversion and P/C led 28-6.
The P/C squad finished the game with two touchdowns in the fourth frame. Udelhofen got his second of the game on a two yard run with Edge running in the conversion for a 36-6 lead. They finished it with an touchdown by Dressler who carried in one of four interceptions from the 48.
It came down to a solid performance from Udelhofen who threw for 135 yards on seven completions off 15 attempts and ran for 112 of P/C's 24 ground yards on seven carries. His performance drew praise from Aide.
"Ben Udelhofen had a good night for them," Aide said. "He was able to make some great throws for big gains. We didn't tackle as well as we should have. He made us pay for that getting big gains on the ground. Ben is a good player and definitely was the difference in the game Friday night."
Leaders for the Cardinals were Dorota and Justin Miller who ran for 55 and 23 yards along with Miller's passing that netted 131 yards as he completed nine of 21. Maximus Oleson grabbed three of his offerings and carried them 81 yards.
The Cardinals fought their way into scoring position twice.
"We had two opportunities in the red zone only converting once,"said Aide. "Our offense came alive Friday night and it showed. Justin Miller and Maximus Oleson did a great job. Justin was patient in the pocket and Maximus was aggressive running routes and going after the throws from Justin. Miller also ran the ball well. Justin and Cal Dorota did a good job running our mesh for some good gains."
Aide said several Cardinals turned in some of their best football of the season.
"Cal Dorota was great Friday night," Aide said. "He was solid at linebacker. Cal was able to disrupt Potosi/Cassville run game by shooting gaps. Donald Laufenberg and Josh Bowen had a lot to do with that. Josh and Donald played almost every snap both ways and played their best game Friday night. Maximus Oleson also played his best game of the season on both sides of the ball. Maximus was huge on defense helping us by making big tackles on any outside run plays."
Six seniors saw their careers as Cardinal gridders come to a close.
"It's tough to see our kids play their last game," Aide said. "Our Seniors have worked hard the past four years and have enjoyed seven post season games over that span. Making it to the playoffs three out of four years is pretty special. Josh Bowen, Jadyn Halverson, Iassac Kutzke, Owen Murphy, Riley McMannes and Grant Hying have been a big part of our success as a football program the past four years. They each have made a contribution in some way throughout their careers and I'm thankful for all that they have done."
When asked about what the 2020 Cardinals will be challenged to do Aide said:
"Our season didn't quit on Friday. Our new season has already begun. I look forward to seeing new faces and upperclassman work even harder this off season. I know we can be a better program next year if we put in the time to getting better. Weight room and agility are two goals this off season we are going to be committed to. If we want to make it to the next level or further we need to accomplish those tasks. The future is bright as long as we keep getting faster and stronger."