St. Michael-Albertville made the plays it needed on defense, while senior running back Chris Kartes carried the offensive load in a 14-7 victory over Monticello. 

Both teams struggled to put together extended drives in the first half with mistakes and turnovers keeping the halftime score 7-7. 

An extended St. Michael-Albertville drive in the third quarter led to a go-ahead score, putting the pressure on Monticello to move the ball in the fourth. After driving down to the 5-yard line, home team St. Michael-Albertville went for a touchdown with 1:56 remaining and failed to score as the rollout pass was batted down. 

The failed gamble didn't matter, though, as the Knights forced Monticello to turn the ball over on downs.

Recap: A 36-yard scoring pass from St. Michael-Albertville’s Dallas Freeman to Austin Wick tied the game at 7-all into halftime. The second half belonged to the Knights’ rushing attack, led by senior Chris Kartes, who gained 103 yards and scored a TD on 23 carries.

Key of the game: A Monticello penalty for too many players on the field, called on a Knights’ fourth-and-4 play, extended their final drive with just over six minutes to play. 

Quote: “We just needed to have intensity, in the first half we didn’t have it. At half, our coach told us to hit, and we picked it up.” — St. Michael-Albertville running back Chris Kartes

One thing to know: With just under two minutes remaining in the game on Monticello’s 4-yard line, St. Michael Albertville coach Jared Essler decided to go for the touchdown instead of kicking the field goal and making it a 17-7 game. The play failed but the Knights were able to stop the Magic on downs.

DAVID HOUFEK