Football Recap: Gabriel Shimanski's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Mayer Lutheran over St. James

The Mayer Lutheran Crusaders ended up a good deal behind the St. James Saints on Friday and lost 41-27. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Crusaders, who until this game were averaging 13.57 points allowed.

Several Crusaders players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Gabriel Shimanski, who threw for 182 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 51 yards on only six carries. Wyatt Sunde was another key player, picking up 93 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.

This is the second loss in a row for Mayer Lutheran and nudges their season record down to 4-3. As for St. James, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-2.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Mayer Lutheran will challenge rival Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few points on average (the Crusaders 13.6, the Bulldogs 11.4) so any points scored will be well earned. Meanwhile, St. James is set to square off against their familiar foe Madelia at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.