Detroit Lakes Football Uses Explosive Second Quarter To Beat Perham; Keeps Paddle at DLHS

Detroit Lakes, Minn (KDLM) – The Detroit Lakes football moved to 2-0 on the season with a 42-21 win over rival Perham in the annual Battle for the Paddle game, keeping the coveted traveling trophy in Detroit Lakes for another year.

After both teams exchanged punts and turnovers (after a Charlie Zok fumble was recovered by Perham, Mason Carrier intercepted a Blaiz Schmidt pass three minutes later), the Lakers found the endzone early in the second quarter on an Easton Wahl 12-yard touchdown run. On Perham’s ensuing drive, Wahl picked off Schmidt which led to a Carrier 12-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead in just over two minutes of gametime. Carrier scored his second rushing touchdown of the game on the Lakers next drive on a 35-yard run. Caden Strand followed that up with his first passing touchdown of the season, connecting with Cody Bartnes on a beautiful 19-yard strike on third-and-long just before the end of the half.

Late in the third quarter, Wahl scored again…this time from 50-yards out giving him a 50+-yard touchdown in back-to-back weeks. Wahl finished with 212 yards on 20 carriers and three touchdowns.

Perham finally got their offense going late in the third with Schmidt connecting with Gage Aanenson on a deep 44-yard touchdown pass (a pass Aanenson caught despite the Lakers committing defensive pass interference in the endzone) with 2:31 left in the third quarter. Aanenson got the Jackets even closer when he intercepted Strand at the 40-yard line and ran it back for a pick-six, cutting the lead to 35-14 Lakers.

A long Perham drive in the fourth quarter resulted in another Perham touchdown…a drive finished by a three-yard Hudson Hackel touchdown run to make it a two-score game with 6:00 left. After an unsuccessful onside kick, the Lakers turned the field position into a little breathing room with a 3-yard Wahl touchdown set up by another bold pass from Strand…connecting on a 34-yard pass to a triple-covered Anthony Reading at the Perham three-yard line. Wahl finished off the drive with his second touchdown of the night.

Schmidt was intercepted for a third time on the next drive, this time by Nick Buboltz, ending the threat of a Perham comeback.

Strand finished with 125 yards passing (43 to Bartness, 36 to Reading, 45 to Lawson Greene) and a touchdown. Carrier contributed 79 yards and two touchdowns to a Laker rushing attack that racked up 348 yards on the ground.

The Lakers will put their 2-0 record on the line in Fergus Falls (1-1) against the Otters next Friday night. The Yellowjackets (1-1) will host East Grand Forks.

SCORING SUMMARY

DL-0 28 7 7 -42

PHS – 0 0 14 7 – 21

SCORING PLAYS

Q1: No scoring plays

Q2: DL – 11:19 12-yd rushing TD by Wahl, Buboltz XP good (7-0)

DL – 9:30 12-yd rushing TD by Carrier, Buboltz XP good (14-0)

DL – 5:28 35-yd rushing TD by Carrier, Buboltz XP good (21-0)

DL – 1:51 19-yd passing TD Strand to C. Bartnes, Buboltz XP good

Q3: DL – 3:55 50-yd rushing TD by Wahl, Buboltz XP good (28-0)

PHS – 2:31 44-yard passing TD Schmidt to Aanenson, Hackel XP good (7-28)

PHS – :37 40-yard interception returned for TD by Aanenson, Hackel XP good (14-28)