Elk River runs — and passes, too — past Andover, piling up 67 points in the process

It didn't start out that way, although Elk River coach Steve Hamilton knew it was a possibility. A 67-35 victory over Andover on Friday turned out to be one of those games that finds a way onto the Elks' ledger frequently.

"We played about as poorly as we could in the first half," Hamilton said, despite his team's 26-13 lead ay halftime. "If we'd ever stop hurting ourselves, this team could be really good."

The Elks led 6-0 early, then allowed Andover to take its only lead of the game, 7-6, late in the first quarter on a touchdown run by quarterback Landyn Nelson.

The Elks' big-strike capabilities showed through after that. They got touchdown runs of 23 and 42 yards and even a 74-yard passing score just before halftime.

But they were prone to miscues as well. They turned the ball over twice, on a fumble and an interception, and allowed Andover to return a short kickoff 60 yards for touchdown,

Right after halftime, Andover cut the deficit to 26-20 in the aftermath of an amazing play by Huskies linebacker Nolan Israelson, who did his best Superman impression when he soared over the line of scrimmage and caused Elk River to flinch and fumble. A 25-yard pass to Teddy Hiller two plays later cut the lead to six.

Elk River answered immediately on a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown by Darioh Balisidya. The Elks scored five more touchdowns after that, all on plays of at least 23 yards, to pull away.

When Hamilton told his team after the game that the Elks had put up 760 yards of total offense in 60 plays, the players cheered wildly.

"It's amazing," said sophomore running back Gavin Schmidt, who scored three touchdowns, the last on an 80-yard run. "The Power-T offense, I don't know what it is. It works so well."

The biggest cheers of the night came for senior kicker Breanna Bernardson, who made four extra points. A goalie on the soccer team, she is believed to be the first female to score a point for the Elk River football team. "It's an incredible feeling, to hear everybody cheering line that," she said.