There were puddles on the sidelines but the rain had stopped in

time for the field to be dry. The rowdy Cedarcrest crowd was warm and

ready to cheer the Red Wolves to another victory. The people in the stands

were restless during the first half but turned it up in the second half, even as

the players did.

In the end, all doubts of a victory were erased, as the Red Wolves

beat the Interlake Saints, 42-7.

It was a game of superlatives. As usual, the offensive line created

hole after hole through which the backs made their way. The first

Cedarcrest possession ended in a 6-yard Tom Harding touchdown. The missed

point after made it Cedarcrest 6, Interlake 0.

Interlake’s first drive resulted in lost yardage and a fumble, with

Josh Rosen recovering on the 10. Cedarcrest failed to score

and Interlake responded by moving to the Red Wolf 2. Great defensive play

kept Interlake out of the end zone, and on a run around the end, Josh

Testerman made a hard tackle that knocked the ball out of the runner’s hands,

with Testerman recovering. The subsequent 98-yard drive ended with a reverse

by Dan Merrick, making it 12-0 following a failed two-point conversion

attempt.

Cedarcrest kicked off to start the second half. A bone-crushing

tackle by Kyle Eldred appeared to cause a fumble, but Interlake held onto the

ball at their own 41. On the very first play from scrimmage, Jason Bresler

recovered an errant snap. Dan Merrick then caught a 35-yard pass, setting up a

6-yard Rob Westerman touchdown. The extra point was missed and the

score was 18-0.

Interlake needed a quick score on their next drive to get back some

of the momentum, and they succeeded.

The Saints’ quarterback rolled out and threw to their running back,

who took the ball 69 yards for a touchdown. The extra point made it Cedarcrest

18 – Interlake 7, and it looked like the momentum was changing.

However, Dan Merrick used great blocking on the kickoff return to

get the ball beyond the 50-yard line. On the next play, Harding rambled

49 yards for the touchdown, making it 24-7.

The hits kept coming, with the Wolves forcing the fumble and

taking advantage of Interlake miscues. Subsequent scoring plays by

Testerman (24-yard run) and Merrick (20-yard run, 17-yard double reverse)

resulted in the final score of Cedarcrest 42, Interlake 7. The Saints repeatedly

tried to move the ball but fell victim to more fumbles and incomplete passes.

Special kudos go to the offensive line for again doing a fantastic job.

The linebacker core of Westerman, Alan Shults, Merrick, Harding

and Adam Greenstreet also deserve mention for holding the Saints – with

help from their defensive linemen – to very few yards rushing.

Although not everybody’s name has been mentioned in this report,

all did their part in another Cedarcrest victory.