March 28, 2024

Lynnville-Sully concludes season on winning note

BELLE PLAINE — “Our kids went out the right way tonight,” said Mike Parkinson, Lynnville-Sully head coach. “We went out and controlled the game from the opening kickoff. This was a huge win for us.”

Going into the Class A District 7 game, the Hawks had a chance to get into the playoffs. Things had to fall right in other district contests, but they had to win. They upended Belle Plaine, which was 4-2 in district play, 36-6.

Lynnville-Sully (4-5), Belle Plaine and Colfax-Mingo all tied in district games, 4-3. The tiebreaks went against the Hawks.

“We could’t worry about that tonight. It was about finishing the right way no matter what,” Parkinson said.

On the first possession of the game, Kobe Fisk intercepted a Belle Plaine pass and returned it 48 yards to the Plainsmen’s 2-yard line. Sage Ehresman scored the first of his four touchdowns of the night and tacked on the two-point conversion.

The Plainsmen answered with a touchdown. The Hawks denied the two-point conversion attempt. Lynnville-Sully’s defense shut the Plainsmen out the rest of the game.

“This was a great team win. The guys took it over and we ran the ball so effectively,” Parkinson said. “Offensively, we took care of the football with no turnovers for the first time all season. Our defense played lights out against a good ball team on the road. We made two interceptions.”

Ehresman added touchdown runs of one yard and three yards in the second quarter and another two-point conversion. Noah Engle kicked an extra point and a 30-yard field goal to give the Hawks a 26-6 halftime lead.

Ehresman rushed for 210 yards on 24 carries. That pushed his season total to 1,047 yards on 127 carries. He also finished with 14 rushing touchdowns. The run that put him over the mark was for 56 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter.

Engle had connected for a 28-yard field goal earlier in the third period. He kicked the extra point for the final margin.

Senior Noah Zylstra, a converted lineman to fullback, rushed for 77 yards on 14 carries in his final high school game. Caleb James, a senior, ran for 25 yards on six carries.

Zylstra also led the Hawk defense with seven unassisted tackles and three assisted tackles. Ehresman made seven solo stops and one assisted tackle and had an interception. Fisk had four solo tackles and an interception.

Senior Baker Zegers was credited with four solo stops and two assisted tackles. Engle posted two unassisted tackles and three assisted tackles. Kyle Van Dyke had a quarterback sack.

“After losing our first four games of the season, the kids could have folded but they believed in themselves and what we were doing here,” Parkinson said. “As coaches we’re very proud of these kids. We’re happy we were able to send our seniors out with a win.”

Parkinson said finishing the season on three-game winning streak helps build momentum for the underclassmen to work with in the offseason. He said the Hawks have a lot of potential going into next year.