St. Charles fell to 1-5 this season.
Brad Claycomb accounted for 14 first-quarter points as the Panthers held a 14-6 lead.
He scored on touchdown runs of 15 and four yards, and caught a two-point conversion pass from Casey Rosacker.
After Claycomb’s second TD, Zack Felker of the Fighting Saints returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a score.
Both defenses stiffened in the second quarter, leaving NRHEG with its 14-6 advantage at halftime.
St. Charles pulled into a 14-14 deadlock in the third quarter. Daniel Chavez intercepted a Rosacker pass and returned it 61 yards for a score. A pass from Jerricho Braun to Nathan Boice tied the score.
NRHEG regained a 20-14 lead when Claycomb reached pay-dirt for the third time, this one on a four-yard run.
St. Charles came right back to take its first lead of the night. Cody Ball rambled 30 yards for a score, and Taylor Montgomery booted the extra point, giving the Fighting Saints a 21-20 advantage after three quarters.
But, the final quarter belonged to the Panthers.
Dillon Parpart hauled in a four-yard TD pass from Rosacker. Claycomb caught a two-point pass from Rosacker giving NRHEG a 28-21 lead.
The Panthers clinched the win when Rosacker snuck in from a yard out late in the game.
NRHEG ran 76 plays in the contest, 31 more than St. Charles. The Panthers finished with a 366 to 183 advantage in total yards.
NRHEG out gained the Fighting Saints 289 to 179 on the ground and 77-4 through the air.
Claycomb put the Panthers on his shoulders, lugging the ball 51 times for 271 yards. He scored three touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions.
“Brad was a true workhorse tonight,” said Stork. “(Nic) Goette, (Noah) Krell, (Keith) Maxon, Parpart, (Sam) Jewett, (Brendon) Arnold and (Spencer) Tollefson did a great job up front.”
Brock Mueller ran for 73 yards to pace SC, one more yard than Ball.
Rosacker completed 6-14 passes for 77 yards. He fired one TD and was intercepted twice.
Parpart was his main target with five receptions for 54 yards and a score.
Braun hit only 1-10 passes for four yards for the Fighting Saints.
Parpart and Preston Peterson sparked the Panther defense with 12 and 11 tackles respectively. Parpart had NRHEG’s only sack while Peterson came up with an interception.
Nick Bartness chipped in with eight tackles, while Tollefson and Krell added four stops apiece.
Maple River comes to town Friday for another conference game. The Eagles are 4-2 for the season following Friday’s 29-8 triumph over Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop.
NRHEG won last year’s meeting 14-12.
NRHEG 34, SC 21
SC 6 0 15 0 21
NRHEG 14 0 6 14 34
Scoring
1st Quarter: (NR)-Claycomb 15 yd. run (EP-no).
(NR)-Claycomb 4 yd. run (EP-Claycomb pass from Rosacker).
(SC)-Felker 82 yd. kickoff return (EP-no).
2nd Quarter: No scoring.
3rd Quarter: (SC)-Chavez 61 yd. interception (EP-Boice pass from Braun).
(NR)-Claycomb 4 yd. run (EP-no).
(SC)-Ball 30 yd. run (EP-Montgomery kick).
4th Quarter: (NR)-Parpart 4 yd. pass from Rosacker (EP-Claycomb pass from Rosacker).
(NR)-Rosacker 1 yd. run (EP-no).
Team Statistics
SC NR
First downs 10 21
Yds. Rushing 179 289
Yds. Passing 4 77
Passes 1-10 (1) 6-14 (2)
Total plays 45 76
Total yds. 183 366
Turnovers 1 2
Penalties/yds. 5/55 8/55
Individual Stats
NRHEG Rushing: Claycomb 51/271 (3 TDs), Rosacker 10/15 (1 TD), Bartness 1/3.
NRHEG Passing: Rosacker 6-14 (1 TD, 2 intcp.) 77 yds.
NRHEG Receiving: Parpart 5/54 (1 TD), Tollefson 1/23.
NRHEG Defense: Parpart-12 tackles (1 sack), Peterson-11 (1 intcp.), Bartness-8, Tollefson-5, Krell-5, White-4, Claycomb-3, Rosacker-3, Webster-2, Jewett-2, Maxon-2, Goette-2, Sletten-1.
NEXT: Friday - Maple River at NRHEG, 7 p.m.
