Monarchs pound the rock, pitch shutout in win over GICC – Columbus Telegram

Aquinas Catholic junior Marcus Krivanek (77) runs behind offensive lineman Josiah Brezina (77) Saturday against GICC at Memorial Field in David City.

Aquinas Catholic football hosted Grand Island Central Catholic Saturday afternoon in its non-district finale at Memorial Field in David City.

The Monarchs pounded the rock all game with tailbacks Kurtis Baer, Marcus Krivanek and Lydon DeWispelare. On defense, Aquinas limited GICC's aerial attack in a 23-0 victory.

"We played really well on defense. Played really well in space. Kick teams were solid. Offense ground things out. We're becoming who we are. We're kind of a run-at-you offense and we didn't throw the ball," Monarchs head coach Ron Mimick said. "We got ahead, had some protection issues on one or two but we're getting better. Hopefully, we can just keep getting better and make a run at the end of the year."

Baer, Krivanek and DeWispelare engineered the Monarchs offense. The trio combined for 58 carries, 299 yards and three touchdowns.

Krivanek finished the game as Aquinas' leading rusher with 12 rushes for 115 yards and one touchdown. The junior scored the final touchdown of the game with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter.

"Marcus (Krivanek) really ran well (today). We're building depth," Mimick said. "Other guys are getting to play more. We're playing good. We're playing solid football. It's kind of old-fashion football, but it's solid football."

Baer received the bulk of the carries, running the ball 33 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns. The junior scored a 2-yard touchdown on the Monarchs' opening drive of the game, capping a 15-play, 65-yard drive that took six minutes.

That score proved to be the only points of the first half as Aquinas entered halftime with a 6-0 lead.

After a Kailer Pohl field goal made it 9-0 entering the fourth quarter, Baer punched the ball into the end zone for the second time on a 3-yard run with 11:10 remaining in regulation to extend the Aquinas lead to 16-0.

"The O-line really stepped up their game (today)," Baer said. "They made good holes, not just for me but for the halfbacks too and we were able to take advantage of it."

Monarchs junior Kurtis Baer spins off a tackle in Saturday's game against GICC at Memorial Field in David City.

Baer has been the bellcow running back for the Monarchs this season. He leads the team with 97 carries for 394 yards and two touchdowns this season. Saturday was Baer's second straight game of at least 30 carries and 100 rushing yards.

Baer gained experience in the backfield last season as a sophomore after an injury to then-senior A.J. Oltmer created the opportunity. He said that experience was beneficial for him entering this season.

"I've definitely improved a lot since the beginning," Baer said. "I've gotten a lot more physical since last year and excited to get better throughout the season."

Down starter Calib Svoboda for the third straight game, the Aquinas offensive line of Brady Junck, Wesley Miller, Josiah Brezina, Tyler Kastl and Aiden Rerucha won the battle in the trenches. Junck said they made adjustments at halftime to improve their blocking scheme.

"At first we had some guys blocking the wrong way and then coach kind of talked to us at halftime and then we started flowing together," Junck said. "We just kept saying next play, keep your heads up and then it seemed we got our ducks in a row and started going."

Monarchs senior Josiah Brezina pressures GICC quarterback Grayson Sack Saturday at Memorial Field in David City.

Defensively, the Crusaders relied on the passing game to move the ball downfield. GICC turned the ball over on downs five times, including on its final three possessions. It punted the ball four times.

"We stopped them the two times they got to our 30," Mimick said. "They had maybe one or two drives where they had multiple first downs, so that was good. Good consistency. We don't give up cheap plays."

GICC quarterback Grayson Sack completed 13-of-28 passes for 142 yards. Brezina and Pohl sacked Sack once and Junck and Miller combined for one sack.

On the ground, the Crusaders gained just seven yards on 18 attempts.

"After watching film, I felt like our D-line can get through and give them some pressure," Junck said. "Back guys did a really good job of covering too, so I felt like we got it taken care of."

Junck was named to the All-District Honorable Mention team last season after posting 45 tackles and one fumble recovery last season. He described how his season is going so far.

"I can definitely be a little bit faster off the line for defense," Junck said. "I need to start breaking down more. Slick field out here because of the previous rain. Other than that, I'm doing alright."

Aquinas Catholic junior Brady Junck wraps up GICC quarterback Grayson Sack Saturday at Memorial Field in David City.

The Monarchs improved to 2-2 as they embark on district play beginning on Friday against Louisville. Mimick said the team is where he expected them to be.

"We don't have any explosiveness on offense. We hope to get a little better the next couple weeks and take some shots downfield," Mimick said. "We have to get a little bit better on offense. We only ran two options (today). Got to go back to them as a part of who we are."

Sam Ficarro is a sports reporter with The Banner-Press. Reach him via email at DVDsports@lee.net.

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Monarchs pound the rock, pitch shutout in win over GICC - Columbus Telegram