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09/27/2006: "RoughRiders 20 Vikings 0"

By Rick Solem | Winona Daily News

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Despite a double-digit lead, the Winona/La Crosse Rough Riders amateur football team had something to play for.

Cedar Valley had never been inside the Rough Riders’ 20-yard-line all night on Saturday at Maxwell Field.

Not until a Rough Riders’ fumble gave the Vikings the ball with just over two minutes remaining inside the 20.

The Rough Riders played like it was a tie game and pushed the Vikings back with three sacks, maintaining the shutout and the 20-0 home-opening win.

“We’ve got to keep going hard,” said Rough Riders linebacker Tony Ford. “If we stop, coach is going to chew us out.”

The Rough Riders defense never stopped.

They held Cedar Valley to negative-10 yards of offense in the first half, while the offense broke out the running game.

Keantay Jackson made his Rough Riders home debut a great one, putting them up 7-0 with a powerful seven-yard run in the first — diving for the right pylon.

On the next possession, he really gave the crowd something to cheer about, breaking off a 58-yard draw play for his second touchdown of the day.

According to Jackson, none of his eight carries for 70 yards were about him.

“For that draw, you got to give it all to Dempsey Miller,” Jackson said of his lineman. “It’s easy when you’re following a 300-pounder down the field. I give my line all the credit for my yards today.”

Jackson wasn’t the only back carrying his load. Deejay Spencer also got into the action with a 35-yard touchdown run with 20 seconds remaining in the half. He ended with 43 yards on seven carries.

Those three touchdowns were all the Rough Riders defense needed.

“It was great to see the guys hold onto that shutout,” Rough Riders coach Paul Anderson said.

The Rough Riders put up 172 yards of offense in the first half, but ended with just 119 yards mostly because of sacks.

“It was like night and day between the two halves,” Anderson said. “But it was nice to see the running game get going in the first.”

Quarterback David Dechant was 6-for-9 in the first half with 72 yards.

Aaron Woelfel caught four of those passes for 59 yards, including a 20-yard tight end screen that set up Jackson’s 58-yard touchdown run.

Cedar Valley ended with 116 yards of offense.