Staples-Motley Football prioritizes physicality over sectionals

Staples Motley football breezed through the competition en route to an 8-0 regular season record. They have outscored their opponents by an average of 26 points per game, earning a spot in the top 10 in Class AA.

And now, as the Cardinals’ postseason begins Saturday, they’re preparing for a passage through Section 6AA.

After losing to Osakis in the section championship last year, the Cardinals enter 2024 with a chip on their shoulders. They’re coming into the race after a season-opening 47-7 win over Frazee.

“Well, we don’t like losing. Losing is no fun,” senior OL/DL Steven Petrich said. “We worked hard this summer, lifting weights, going to training camps, just getting better as a group and now we’ve come out and are kind of showing that we’re the team now.”

For the Cardinals, their prowess begins in the trenches with Petrich, a 2023 All-District Mid-Northwest Central O&D lineman who has helped set the tone in the ground game.

“I mean, I love hitting people. That’s what matters,” he explained. “It’s a great game and it’s great to play with your brothers out there. If we have to, we can smash their mouths and run outside when their mouths are open.”

And another player benefiting from this is junior quarterback Eli Rutten, who has thrown 13 tuddies so far.

“Having a great line is great,” said Rutten. “I had a lot of time to improve and make some good throws. By giving me time, it definitely allowed our offense to flow and function a lot better and they opened up a lot of space for us.”

Combine that high-octane offense with a defense that posted three shutouts this year, and the Cardinals have shown a winning formula.

“It was always important for us to win the sales battle this year,” explained Rutten. “We try to force a lot of turnovers and take care of the football. We did that pretty well this year and it showed.”

Staples-Motley Football finished 2022 0-9, allowing nearly 45 points per game. But a lot can change in two years, and now they’re 8-0, allowing less than 8 points per game and even earned a first-round bye. They expect Menahga on Saturday afternoon.

“After losing as much as we did a few years ago, we have to change our attitude so we can go out and win,” Petrich emphasized. “That’s the biggest thing, cheering these guys on every game and making sure they know we have the ability to win every game.”