The Esko and Two Harbors football teams knew the importance of their matchup Friday night. Both squads were unbeaten entering their Great Polar White Conference opener and hoped to get on the scoreboard first.
Ryan Vang made sure the Eskomos did just that. The senior running back rushed for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a48-20 victory over the Agates at Two Harbors High School field.
"It was a big game coming in," said Vang, who had touchdown runs of 30 and46 yards. "Coach [Bill Hudspith] was talking about getting on top first because they're a very emotional team."
Esko (3-0 overall, 1-0 conference) helped quiet Two Harbors (2-1, 0-1) with an opening-scoring drive that lasted just 2 minutes, 13 seconds, resulting in Vang's first touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
The Agates' excitement wasn't contained for long. Junior running back Ryan Guentzel broke two tackles for a 62-yard touchdown run on Two Harbors' first series, and Tim Horgan's extra point tied the game at 7.
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The Eskomos re-established momentum with first-quarter touchdown runs by Matt Grusznis (2 yards) and Vang for a 20-7 lead after 12 minutes.
But the crushing blow came at the start of the third quarter. Trailing 28-7 at halftime, Two Harbors received another boost from Guentzel, who returned the second half's opening kick 85 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Eskomos' lead to 28-13 and injecting life back into the Agates' bench.
The result was short-lived, however. Esko's Cody Townsend responded with a 75-yard return for a score on the ensuing kick, giving the Eskomos a 22-point cushion. That, combined with six Two Harbors turnovers (five fumbles and one interception), sealed the Agates' fate.
"That was awesome. You don't know what would've happened [without Townsend's kick return]," Hudspith said. "We work on that a lot. We've got some pretty skilled athletes, and that was very big for us because I think that took the wind out of their sails."
Two Harbors coach Tom Nelson was disappointed in his team's execution and penchant for putting the ball on the wet ground.
"Give [Esko] credit for probably making us look worse than we are, but I thought we played poorly," Nelson said. "Against some teams, you might get away with putting the ball on the ground a time or two. You don't turn the ball over to a good team like Esko two times, let alone six."
Esko quarterback Jake Toman threw three touchdown passes, including two to Steve Lewis for 18 and 21 yards. Richard Jubie had a 42-yard catch for a score.
