By John RittenhouseA clutch drive late in the fourth quarter kept the Adrian football team undefeated Friday.Playing their homecoming game against Little Sioux Conference foe Minneota, the situation didn’t look good for the Dragons when the Vikings gained a 21-18 lead with a touchdown late in the third quarter.The score remained the same until late in the fourth quarter when the Dragons put together an 11-play, 66-yard drive that ended with Adrian scoring the final seven points of a 25-21 win.The Adrian defense, which surrendered 14 points and two leads in the third quarter, came up with a big play when it stopped the Vikings on downs with 4:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.Adrian’s offense took over on its own 34-yard line and used 11 running plays to produce the deciding points of the game. Senior tailback Billy Anderson, who ran for 136 yards in the game, capped the march with a seven-yard touchdown run with 1:09 left to play. Anderson’s third touchdown run of the game was followed by a successful extra point by Levi Bullerman, giving the Dragons a four-point lead they would never relinquish.Minneota did get the ball back and move it to the Adrian 35 in the final seconds, but back-to-back sacks by Adrian’s Will Lutmer and Alex Suedkamp iced the team’s sixth straight win of the season.The late sacks were a welcome sight for AHS coach Randy Strand, who admitted his defense had trouble stopping Minneota in the second half."We got some big plays from our defense at the end of the game. We couldn’t put any heat on their quarterback, who was hot at the time, until the very end," he said.The Adrian defense came up with a big play early in the game when it produced a fumble that was recovered by Cody Reverts on the Minneota 43 to end the Vikings’ first offensive possession of the game.The turnover set up a five-play, 43-yard drive capped by a two-yard touchdown run from Anderson with 6:53 remaining in the opening period. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the Dragons with a 6-0 lead.Both teams found the end zone in the final four minutes of the second period to end the scoring in the first half.Minneota put together a 19-play, 80-yard drive that ended with quarterback Derek Stripling tossing a two-yard touchdown pass to Josh Timmerman at the 3:14 mark of the second quarter. Joe DeVlaeminck tacked on the extra point to give the Vikings a 7-6 edge.The Dragons answered the challenge three plays later.Anderson returned the ensuing kick 41 yards and Bullerman scampered for a 40-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage. Anderson then capped a two-play, 46-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown run with 2:49 left in the first half. The pass for a two-point conversion fell incomplete.Minneota did move the ball to Adrian’s 13-yard line late in the first half, but the Vikings were unable to erase Adrian’s 12-7 lead before the second quarter was complete.The third quarter featured three lead changes.Minneota received the first possession of the period and marched 79 yards in six plays. Stripling tossed a 46-yard touchdown pass to Tony Ufkin before hitting Stefan Sticklestad for a two-point conversion that gave the Vikings a 15-12 advantage.Adrian countered with an 11-play, 65-yard drive (all running plays) that ended with Bullerman scoring on a six-yard run at the 4:29 mark of the third quarter. The pass for a two-point conversion fell incomplete, leaving the Dragons with an 18-15 lead.The Vikings drove 53 yards in seven plays with their next possession to regain the lead at 21-18. Sticklestad capped the march with 58 seconds left in the third quarter. Adrian’s Casey Knips blocked the ensuing extra point.Adrian was able to settle the issue with its drive late in the fourth quarter, which was made possible by solid blocking from the Dragons’ offensive line."Our offensive line was the key in this game," Strand said. "We were able to control the ball most of the game because our linemen did a good job of getting off the ball. Getting off the ball was something we worked on all week, and it carried over to the game."The 6-0 Dragons will need a strong defensive effort in order to beat an offensive-minded Murray County Central team in Slayton tonight."MCC is 1-5, but it is a very dangerous 1-5 team," Strand said. "They have a good offense that controls the ball and puts up a lot of points. If we don’t keep our hands on the ball, we could be in for a long night."Team statisticsAdrian: 301 rushing yards, 35 passing yards, 336 total yards, 15 first downs, two turnovers, three penalties for 40 yards.Minneota: 182 rushing yards, 205 passing yards, 387 total yards, 20 first downs, two turnovers, eight penalties for 55 yards.Individual statisticsRushing: Anderson 21-110, Bullerman 14-136, Tony Sauer 7-55.Passing: Bullerman 2-8 for 35 yards.Receiving: Anderson 2-35.Defense: Knips 14 tackles, three sacks and one blocked kick, Sauer 14 tackles, Nick Weidert 18 tackles, Will Lutmer 10 tackles and one fumble recovery, Reverts one fumble recovery.
