You can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Elk River's strategy against Brainerd on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Elk River Elks blew the Brainerd Warriors out of the water with a 50-14 final score. With the Elks ahead 36-14 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
Elk River had a senior duo take command as Brecken Keoraj rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns and Gavin Schmidt gained 171 total yards and two touchdowns. Schmidt got the majority of those receiving yards when he pulled down a pass and took off for a gain of 71 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan Ramert, who rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Elk River was moving up and down the field and finished the game with 618 total yards. That's the most total yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Elk River wouldn't let Brainerd keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Elk River can thank Gavin Kerns and Schmidt for forcing both of them. That's the most total yards Schmidt has posted since back in September of 2023.
The win made it two in a row for Elk River and bumps their season record up to 2-0. As for Brainerd, their loss dropped their record down to 1-1.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Elk River will challenge St. Francis at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Brainerd, they will head out to face off against Sartell-St. Stephen at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
