Charlie Hrdlicka rushed 18 times for 266 yards and four touchdowns and caught a 33-yard scoring pass to spark the United North Central football team to a 46-19 victory at Browerville in the season-opener last Friday night.
Hrdlicka opened the scoring with an 82-yard TD run, followed with a 33-yard TD reception from Brady Yrjo, and added a 27-yard TD run as the Warriors built a 24-0 lead after the first quarter.
Tyler Ahlf's 3-yard TD run gave UNC a 30-7 lead at the half.
Browerville opened the second half with a score before Hrdlicka's 75-yard TD run made it 38-13. Hrdlicka capped off the victory with a 21-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
Ahlf added 82 yards on 16 carries as UNC compiled 361 yards on the ground. Ahlf also ran in four two-point conversions. Yrjo completed 4 of 10 passes for 76 yards with Alex Brockpahler catching two passes for 35 yards.
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Defensively, Mike Hepola had five solo tackles and a quarterback sack while Brockpahler made four solo tackles. Ethan Puttonen had six assists. The Warriors forced two turnovers on Cory Chouinard's fumble recovery and Brockpahler's interception.
"I thought the key to victory was the offensive and defensive line play. For most of the night we controlled the line of scrimmage and were able to get some big plays and control the tempo of the game," said UNC head coach Jeremy Nordick. "Whenever you go to Brow-erville, you expect a four-quarter battle. I thought we were very fortunate to get off to such a good start and we used that momentum to carry us through the game. It was a great start to the season."
The Warriors hosted Royalton Friday night at Sebeka and will host Upsala /Swanville Area next Fri-day night at Menahga.
UNC 24 6 8 8 46
Browerville 0 7 6 6 19
SCORING
UNC-Hrdlicka 82 run (Ahlf run)
UNC-Hrdlicka 33 pass from Yrjo (Ahlf run)
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UNC-Hrdlicka 27 run (Ahlf run)
B-Kruse 24 pass from Johnson (kick good)
UNC-Ahlf 3 run (run failed)
B-Mueller 1 run (kick failed)
UNC-Hrdlicka 75 run (Hrdlicka run)
UNC-Hrdlicka 21 run (Ahlf run)
B-Motzko 24 run (kick failed)
UNC OFFENSIVE STATISTICS
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RUSHING: Hrdlicka 18-266, Ahlf 16-82, Yrjo 1-8, Beck 1-4, Gruchow 2-1.
PASSING: Yrjo 4-10-0 for 76 yards.
RECEIVING: Brockpahler 2-35, Hrdlicka 1-33, Anderson 1-8.
KICK RETURNS: Hepola 1-25.
UNC DEFENSIVE STATISTICS
SOLO TACKLES: Hepola 5, Brockpahler 4, Chouinard 4, Hrdlicka 2, Sams 2, Klettenberg 2, C. Thompson 2, Pederson 2, Anderson 1, Ahlf 1, Hendrickson 1, Puttonen 1, Ty. Hillukka 1, Floyd 1, Meech 1, Ylitalo 1, Clements 1.
ASSISTED TACKLES: Puttonen 6, Ahlf 5, Hrdlicka 4, C. Thompson 4, Hepola 3, Floyd 3, Meech 3, Chouinard 3, Sams 3, E. Thompson 3, Anderson 2, Hendrickson 2, Brockpahler 2, Ty. Hillukka 2, Klettenberg 2, Pederson 2, Ylitalo 1, Clements 1, Haverinen 1, Nevala 1.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Chouinard 1.
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SACKS: Hepola 1.
INTERCEPTIONS: Brockpahler 1.
KICKOFFS: Ahlf 7 for 302 yards.
PUNTS: Ahlf 4 for 112 yards, Gruchow 1 for 26 yards.
