Red Oak Tigers drop district opener in Ida Grove

 “OA-BCIG is a very talented football team,” Red Oak head coach Ryan Gelber said of the 64-7 Tiger loss to the Falcons in the opening night of district play on Friday, Sept. 27. “They do things the right way in all facets of the game, and have some very talented personnel. We were a little outmatched, but I give credit to our guys for busting their tails all night and playing hard until the end.” 

Red Oak’s score came late in the game as quarterback Jake Echternach ran in for a TD and Kyndal Kells made the PAT.

Echternach was five of 12 passing for 60 yards and Braden Woods went two of six for 28 yards passing.

“Freshmen getting varsity reps is invaluable to our program,” Gelber said. “Having those guys out there in tough situations will only get them better. With not having enough players to field a JV team, we really need to try and maximize reps, so when the situations call for it, getting those younger guys reps is great.”

Top rushers for Red Oak were Carter Maynes with 41 yards; Echternach 20 yards; Justin McCunn 19 yards; and Dawson Bond nine yards.

McCunn caught two passes for 21 yards; Jacob Athen two for 21 yards; Landon Couse one for 18 yards; and Bond and Aiden Bruce one pass each for 14 yards. 

Defensively, Couse made an interception and had one tackle. McCunn made five tackles; Maynes and Austin Johnson three each; Dominick Brittain two; and one each from Bond, Echternach, Fernando Lepe, Bruce Lukehart, Chase Sandholm, Andrew Shipley, and Luke Sperling.

Kells had two kick offs for 89 total yards and two punts totalling 52 yards.

McCunn returned three punts for 60 yards; Bond four for 56 yards; and Sandholm one for 10 yards. 

Red Oak prepares for Shenandoah to cap off homecoming week with the kick off at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4.

“It’s homecoming, and it’s rivalry week,” Gelber said. “It’s another opportunity to make some things happen. The team is excited, and we are going to prepare and practice with incredible tempo and enthusiasm.”