The Cavalier Tornadoes football team hit the road on Friday night to travel to New Rockford to take on the New Rockford/Sheyenne Rockets. After opening the season with a pair of 11-man games, this was the Tornadoes first 9-man contest of the year. The offense got off to a sluggish start, but the defense held firm and kept the Rockets off the board while the Tornadoes figured things out offensively. With roughly 5:00 to go in the first half, Landon Carter took a handoff and bounced around he right side of the line where he found open field ahead. He out ran the defense for a 64 yard touchdown to take a 8-0 lead. The Tornadoes forced a pun and got the ball back with under 20 seconds to go in the first half. Carter again made a huge play, this time as a receiver. He hauled in a pass from Sterling Enerson and thanks to some key blocks he found the end zone again, this time from 62 yards out. The two big plays boosted the Tornadoes to a 14-0 halftime lead.
The defense continued their dominating ways in the second half finishing what they started and earning the shutout for the second straight week. The offense tacked on three more scores as well. Landon Carter sandwiched his third and fourth touchdowns of the game, both rushes, around Sterling Enerson's 11 yard touchdown run in the third quarter to propel the Tornadoes to a 32-0 final score.
Enerson finished 6/11 passing for 131 yards and 1 TD pass. He also forced a pair of fumbles defensively.
Landon Carter was the leading rusher gaining 152 yards on 10 carries and 3 TDs while hauling in 2 catches for 84 yards and another TD. Landon added 8 solo tackles and 3 assists defensively.
Jake Steele had a well rounded game as well. He ran the ball 7 times for 38 yards and added 2 receptions for 26 more yards. Defensively he led all tacklers with 3 solos and 9 assists including 2 tackles for loss and 1 fumble recovery.
The Tornadoes move to 3-0 on the season with the win. They will be back at home on Friday, September 9th as they host Nelson County who is also 3-0 on the season. This will be the first regional contest for the Tornadoes in 2022. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm from Rod Oksendahl Field.