• Groton's gridiron team lost a heartbreaker last night with a 14-6 overtime loss to the Deuel Cardinals in a game played in Clear Lake.
• Groton scored first with 7:44 left in the first quarter when Wyatt Lone had a fumble recovery in the endzone. The two-point run failed.
• Deuel returned the favor with 10 seconds left in the half when Tanner Brandt recovered a fumble in the endzone. The PAT run failed. "We wanted to take a knee, but we were too close to the endzone," said Coach Shaun Wanner. "We thought Parker Rossow could try to lean forward to stay out of the endzone, but the ball got lose in the handoff and Deuel ended up dropping on it."
• The defensive battle continued in the second half with neither team scoring. The high wind and wet conditions prevented any attack from the air with Groton attempting only one pass and Deuel completed one of six passes for 39 yards, but two passes were intercepted by Mason Madsen.
• Deuel scored in the overtime on fourth down when Lincoln Swenson took the ball in from two yards out. Swenson also ran in the PAT. Groton was unable to score on its four attempts in the overtime.
• Deuel had one more first down than Groton, 8-7, and only 10 more yards rushing, 141-131.
• The game featured 11 fumbles with Groton having eight and losing four and Deuel having three and losing one. "It was a muddy mess," Wanner said. "It was soupy and I feel sorry for the parents who have to wash the uniforms. They were not white after the game. The kids will remember this game." There were only seven penalties in the game with Groton having three for 21 yards and Deuel four for 26 yards.
• Swenson led the rushing attack for Deuel with 37 carries for 157 yards while the other ball carriers had either negative or zero yards.
• Kasey Kurtz and Jackson Doeden both had 51 yards rushing for Groton while Toby Carda had 26 and Dalton Locke 11.
• Defensive leaders for Groton were Kurtz with 17 tackles followed by Locke with 10, Doeden 10 and Tyler Holm nine.
• Groton finishes the season with a 4-4 record. Deuel is now 6-2 on the season and will advance to the playoffs.
• "The kids played their hearts out and I know they were disappointed after the game, but they can't hang their heads," Wanner said. "They fought all year and got better with each game. It was a fun year and we're proud of the team."