Prep Football: Sixth-ranked Ottertail Central runs past United North Central, 33-6

Marty Charest was too much for United North Central to handle as Ottertail Central racked over 300 yards of total offense in the 33-6 Prairie Conference victory Thursday night.

Charest rushed for three touchdowns and completed six passes for 105 yards to help the sixth-ranked Bulldogs ice the season-opening win in Menahga.

“[It] was a tough start to the season, we obviously expected to do better,” said United North Central head coach Jeremy Nordick. “We had too many mental mistakes and need to execute the little things so much better.”

Ottertail Central struck first when Charest found the endzone from 12 yards out, but the Warriors’ Carlos Castro ignited the hometown crowd when he rumbled downfield for a 55-yard touchdown run with 5:00 left in the opening quarter.

A three-yard run by Charest gave the Bulldogs the permanent lead with under a minute left in the opening stanza and the senior quarterback would later add a nine-yard run just before the break.

Jake Williams’ 12-yard touchdown run with 2:06 left in the third quarter gave the Bulldogs the 28-6 advantage. Ottertail Central would add a safety and field goal to cap the scoring.

“We're disappointed in the loss, but we're not going to let it break our season.” Nordick stated. “We're going to watch film and correct our mistakes and move on. We look forward to playing a tough Royalton team at home next week.”

The Bulldogs run-orientated offense rushed for 211 yards while attempting nine passes. Alex Ukkelberg was a perfect 4-for-4 on the Bulldogs' extra point kicks and the senior also nailed a 21-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

Castro finished over the century mark in rushing yardage for the Warriors. The junior had 13 carries for 109 yards rushing and added one reception for 10 yards. Brandon Junes completed four passes for 19 yards, as the Warriors posted 195 yards of total offense in the loss.

Teague Weaver led the United North Central defense with nine tackles. Bryson Vasey added seven tackles and both Justin Luedke and Castro added six.

United North Central (0-1) will host Royalton at 7 p.m. in Sebeka.

Ottertail Central at United North Central (in Menahga) on September 1
Bulldogs 33, Warriors 6
OTC 14 7 9 3—33
UNC 6 6 0 0—6
First Quarter
OTC—Marty Charest 12 run (Alex Ukkelberg kick) 7:54
UNC—Carlos Castro 55 run (kick failed) 5:00
OTC—Charest 3 run (Ukkelberg kick) 0:59
Second Quarter
OTC—Charest 9 yd run (Ukkelberg kick) 1:42
Third Quarter
OTC–Jake Williams 12 run (Ukkelberg kick) 2:06
OTC—Safety
Fourth Quarter
OTC–Ukkelberg 21 yd FG 8:08

Team Stats
Rushes-Yards: UNC 28-176; OTC 48-211
Pass Comp-Att-Int-Yards: UNC 4-13-1-19; OTC 6-9-0-105
Total Offense: UNC 195; OTC 316
Penalties-Yards: UNC 5-55; OTC 5-35
First Downs: UNC 7; OTC 17

Individual Stats
Rushing: UNC—Carlos Castro 13-109; Justin Luedke 9-43; Dylan Huttunen 2-10; Taylor Carlson 2-8, Teague Weaver 2-6; OTC—Not available
Passing: UNC—Brandon Junes 4-12-0-19; OTC—Marty Charest 6-9-0-105
Receiving: UNC—Castro 1-10; Mitch Hesse 3-9
Defensive Standouts: Teague Weaver 9 tackles, Bryson Vasey 7 tackles, Luedke 6 tackles, Castro 6 tackles, Tanner Burgau 5 tackles, Huttunen 5 tackles