A little aerial success in the first half was enough to keep Forest Lake unbeaten Friday night.
The Rangers got a pair of first-half touchdown passes, including one in unexpected fashion, on their way to beating East Ridge 28-7 on an unseasonably warm early October night at Ranger Stadium.
Forest Lake – ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 6A – improved to 6-0. East Ridge – which has been without starting quarterback Cedric Tomes since the University of Minnesota basketball recruit suffered a broken finger in a season-opening loss to Minnetonka – fell to 3-3.
The Rangers got on the board first when senior Connor Johnson connected with classmate Jacob Rehfeld on an 11-yard touchdown pass, then ran for the 2-point conversion with 3:11 to play in the first quarter.
A 28-yard field goal by senior Jayden Onuonga expanded the margin to 11-0 with 5:32 left in the second. Then, after recovering a fumble at the Raptors’ 41 on East Ridge’s next possession, the Rangers reached into their bag of tricks.
Johnson tossed the ball back to junior wide receiver Mika Sauvageau, who found wide-open senior DJ Westman streaking toward the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown strike.
That put Forest Lake on top 18-0 with 3:25 remaining before halftime.
The Raptors had two chances to get on the board in the final seconds of the first half. After Forest Lake blocked a 25-yard field goal attempt, the officials ruled the ball remained live and a whistle should not have blown.
That allowed East Ridge a second chance at the field goal, but the next kick too was no good.
After a scoreless third quarter, Onuonga added another 28-yard field goal early in the fourth, then junior Mack Jurkovich scored on a 10-yard run with 7:07 left to play.
The Raptors, though, spoiled Forest Lake’s bid for a third shutout of the season when senior Ben Knaup scored on a 1-yard run with 3:38 to go.
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