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Football: Hawley routs Pelican Rapids
Published 6:41pm Saturday, October 31, 2009HAWLEY — For the second straight season, the Hawley football team ended Pelican Rapids’ season in the Section 8-2A semifinal.
But unlike last year, this one wasn’t close.
The sixth-seeded Vikings, who earned a rematch with the second-seeded Nuggets by defeating Frazee last Tuesday, dug themselves into a gigantic hole in the first half and eventually lost 59-14.
The lop-sided defeat ends what was an up-and-down campaign for the youthful Vikings.
After losing virtually every starter from last season’s squad that won the Heart O’ Lakes Classic Conference title and finished with a 10-1 record, Pelican Rapids began the 2009 season with four straight losses.
A week after losing in the final seconds to West Central Area on Sept. 25, the Vikings (3-7) picked up their first win at Warroad and ended the season with three wins in six weeks, including a 14-0 victory over third-seeded Frazee in the opening round of the postseason.
The Nuggets (9-1), however, ended any hopes of a second-straight upset with an explosive first half, mounting a sizeable 45-0 lead.
Hawley, which defeated Pelican Rapids 30-22 exactly a year ago, scored four touchdowns in the second quarter on plays of 5, 22, 37 and 52 yards.
