Last year, Brainerd kept the score close enough to squeeze past Elk River in the final quarter of their 2023 matchup, leaving a young Elk River team with a dissatisfied taste in its mouth.
On Friday, the Elks didn’t let the Warriors stay within striking distance in their 50-14 win.
As Elk River was up 28-14 with less than a minute remaining in the first half, Brainerd’s offense rolled down the field, picking up first downs and looking to cut the host’s lead to seven — until Elks senior defensive back Gavin Kerns stripped the ball after a Brainerd reception, setting up a 70-yard touchdown run by senior running back Brecken Keoraj as time expired.
“Our team was really out for revenge,” Keoraj said. “We beat ourselves last year.”
A potential two-touchdown scoring swing set the tone for the rest of the Class 5A matchup, as Elk River (2-0) never punted once.
“That was crushing for them,” Elk River head coach Steve Hamilton said. “And I’ve been on that other side — when they score on the last play of the half, it’s just so deflating. If they go down and score, we still got a game going into the second half.”
Junior quarterback Levi Harris helped Elk River orchestrate several explosive drives against the Warriors, with four scoring plays of more than 70 yards. Keoraj scored twice in the Elks’ run-heavy Power-T offense, as Harris only attempted two passes.
“Once you break one free, the whole team has got a whole lot more confidence, not playing nervous, playing free, playing loose,” Elks senior running back Gavin Schmidt said.
