With three touchdowns and 165 rushing yards from senior running back Van Neils and the assistance of a dominant defense, Mankato West outlasted Rochester John Marshall 24-14 Friday night at Mankato West High School.

Neils tallied all his TDs in the second half, with the first coming the inaugural play of the third quarter. The senior seemed to be jammed at the line of scrimmage, until he busted out of the skirmish and ran untouched 61 yards to the end zone with 11:44 left in the third quarter. 

Coach Mark Esch said Neils is an ideal player.

“He’s awesome,” Esch said. “He’s a leader, he does all the right things, he’s a great kid and he’s a workhorse. We just love him.”       

Neils made his next TDs seem effortless, running both through the middle of the line. He scored his second from 14 yards out with 11:20 left in the fourth quarter and added the other from the 13-yard line with 6:59 remaining in the game. 

Neils credits the Scarlets offensive line most of his stellar performance.

“I can’t do anything but just express my gratitude for such a great offensive line,” Neils said. “When you can pound the ball like that, it’s a telltale sign that your line is just kicking butt.”

Mankato West’s defense dominated Rochester John Marshall. The Scarlets held the Rockets offense to less than 150 all-purpose yards. Mankato West also induced two interceptions and a fumble. 

Senior linebacker Charles Schwartz said the line was the anchor for the defense.

“I really liked the pressure on the defense, the (defensive line) did a great job of that. Even when we didn’t have blitzes called, they got to the quarterback and sacked him and made him think about throws,” Schwartz said.

Mankato West, ranked No.1 in Class 5A in The Associated Press state high school football poll, didn’t turn in a perfect performance.

Besides numerous bad snaps, the Scarlets finished with three fumbles. 

Esch said the team tries to keep a positive mindset after conceding mistakes.

“It’s frustrating for everybody and we just try stay as positive as we can,” Esch said. “During that adversity, I think that makes us better in the long run and we were fortunate to win this game.”

No. 12-5A Rochester John Marshall captured the lead with three minutes left in the quarter in the third quarter on senior running back Josh Mattison’s 45-yard rushing touchdown. Mattison denied what seemed to be the whole Mankato West defense as he trounced every tackler down the right sideline.

The Rockets other TD came with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter. Senior quarterback Jack Stien hurled a pass to senior tight end Brady Tuckner, who was off-balance and covered but make the catch in the left half of the end zone.

Rochester John Marshall had won the last games at Mankato West, including a 21-19 victory in last season’s regular-season finale that was the Scarlets’ first loss of the season. 

Neils said this victory is a morale booster.

“Knowing we can beat a team we couldn’t beat last year, it really means a lot to us and it gives us a lot of confidence,” he said.    

Van Neils rushed for three touchdowns and 165 yards, providing the driving force in Mankato West’s 24-14 win over  Rochester John Marshall Friday night at Mankato West High School.

The senior running back scored his first TD on the first play of the second half. Neils appeared to be stopped at the line of scrimmage but busted through the first level of the defenders and sprinted untouched 61 yards to the end zone.  

His second and third TDs came in the fourth quarter, and he made it look effortless running from 14 and 13 yards out, respectively.    

The only points of the first half came off the foot of Scarlets junior kicker Tyler Defor, who converted a 34-yard field goal.

Rochester John Marshall scored its two touchdowns on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter. Senior tight end Brady Tuckner was off-balance has he hauled in a 26-yard pass from senior quarterback Jack Stien in the left side of the end zone with 4:21 left in the third quarter.

Rockets senior running back Josh Mattison scored on a 45-yard rushing touchdown less than two minutes later.

Both teams face Big Southwest District rivals next Friday. The Scarlets (3-0, 1-0) travel to Austin in a Blue subdistrict matchup, while the Rockets (1-3, 0-2) seek revenge against Rochester Century in a Red subdistrict contest.   

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