Cardinals stay perfect in last pre-district game

The Columbus Cardinals defeated the Rogers Eagles 56-8 on Friday, Oct. 4, on the road in Rogers.

The Cards first half was a little rocky but given the circumstances this week it’s completely understandable and they bounced back in the second half.

“In the first half they did a great job of controlling the clock and limiting our possessions,” Cardinals head coach Matt Schobel said. “I think in the first half we only had five or six snaps on offense, we were able to score on two of those snaps, but for us to get into a rhythm it was difficult.”

The first half finished with a score of 14-8 which is unusual for the highflying and potent Cardinal offense. They struggled to find a rhythm but were still able to move the ball and find the end zone in multiple different ways.

Quarterback Adam Schobel scored a total of five touchdowns Friday night and threw the ball only nine times in Friday’s game completing eight of those passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Schobel also showcased his running ability carrying the ball three times for 107 yards and two touchdowns.

Cardinals running back Grayson Rigdon also had a big night for the Cards carrying the ball three times for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Will Fitzgerald also had a lot of success out of the Columbus backfield carrying the ball 5 times for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Rigdon also caught a pass from Schobel for a 19-yard touchdown, but it was Braylon Fisher who led the team in receiving with two catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively in the first half the Eagles did a good job of disguising their plays against the ferocious Cardinal defense. The Cards defense gave up a couple of big chunk plays in the first half but like the offense bounced back in the second half to hold Rogers to only eight points for the entire game.

“I thought our defense played great, particularly in the second half,” Schobel said. “I thought our guys made great adjustments at halftime and we shut them out in the second half.”

The Cards defense did not allow Rogers to cross midfield in the second half and forced a turnover as well to put a nice cherry on top of their stellar performance. The Cards forced four fumbles on Friday night and recovered one of them which led to Schobel finding Fisher for a touchdown.

The Cards will get to enjoy their bye week this week and it comes at the perfect time because when they return to the field they will be playing their first district game of the year against Yoakum on Friday, Oct. 18, in Columbus.