A year after one-win season, NRHEG football team finishes 5-4
By DALE KUGATH
Sportswriter
NEW RICHLAND – Coming off a one-win season in 2012, the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva football staff wanted to see improvement this fall. The Panthers passed many expectations with a 5-4 season in 2013.
“We still have a ways to go to get Panther football where we want it to be,” said NRHEG coach Dan Stork. “But, we have a lot of good young players in the program and we think the future is bright.”
Stork completed his 11th season as the Panther head man. He improved his career mark to 62-46 at NRHEG.
The Panthers finished 4-1 in the Gopher/Valley AA Conference, good for second place. Their lone loss was an overtime defeat to Maple River.
NRHEG was 3-2 on the road this season, and 2-2 at home.The four teams that the Panthers lost to combined for a 35-8 record and included three section finalists.
NRHEG outscored its opponents 198 to 141. The Panthers averaged 22 points per game and allowed 15.7.
NRHEG scored a season-high 41 points against Mankato Loyola and scored 40 points against Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop.
The Panther offense was held to seven points against Blooming Prairie and Maple River.
The NRHEG defense had one shutout (GFW) and held three other opponents to seven points or less.
NRHEG managed 294 yards of total offense per game. The Panthers allowed 224 yards per contest.
NRHEG averaged 215 rushing yards and 79 yards through the air each night.
Panther opponents ran for 103 yards and passed for 121 yards per game.
NRHEG’s turnover ratio was a minus-1 in 2013.
Senior Dillon Parpart was the main cog in the Panther offense this season. Rushing for 1,495 yards. He did not carry the ball in the opening game, but ran for at least 131 yards in the remaining eight contests.
Parpart averaged 166 yards per game, 5.7 yards per carry, and scored 15 touchdowns. His single game high was 261 yards against Medford.
Nick Bartness was the only other Panther to run for over 100 yards. He finished with 155 yards for the season.
Junior Trevor Tracy did most of the passing and it is an area that the Panthers have to improve next fall. Tracy completed just 38 percent of his throws.
Tracy completed 33 of 87 for 604 yards and seven TDs, but threw 10 interceptions. His season high was 132 passing yards against Blooming Prairie.
Preston Peterson and Spencer Tollefson were the two NRHEG receivers to snare at least 10 passes.
Peterson caught 17 passes for 517 yards and six scores, including an 80-yarder. He had 114 receiving yards in a game twice this season.
Tollefson had 10 receptions for 99 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Parpart was the all-purpose yards leader by a huge margin with 1,684 yards.
Peterson was next with 587 yards, followed by Tollefson (322), Bartness (178) and Tracy (139).
Parpart topped NRHEG in scoring with 92 points. Peterson scored 40 points, Tracy and Tollefson finished with 20 points apiece and Bartness chipped in with 12 points.
Parpart also topped the defensive charts for NRHEG. He led the Panthers with 39 solo tackles, 59 assists and 99 total tackles.
Noah Krell was second in tackles with 64. His two sacks tied Keith Maxon for second on the team.
Tollefson had 49 hits, by followed Zeke Erickson with 42 and Bartness with 40. Erickson led the Panthers with three sacks.
Maxon had 32 tackles, Peterson finished with 30, Matt Jensen was in on 27 stops and Nic Goette ended up with 25 tackles.
Peterson’s two interceptions were best on the team.
NRHEG will graduate just six seniors from this team. Completing their Panther careers were Parpart, Krell, Peterson, Goette, Tyler Logan and Ross Chester.