Homecoming could not come at a better time for the St. Edmond football team.

After back-to-back long road trips to South O’Brien and Ridge View, the Gaels return to Dodger Stadium Friday night to face Hartley-HMS.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

St. Edmond (2-3 overall, 2-1 in Class A, District 2) is looking to keep pace with the league leaders following a 16-7 setback to the Raptors last Friday.

With four weeks remaining in the season, No. 5 Bishop Garrigan (5-0, 3-0) and Ridge View (4-1, 3-0) are tied for the lead with HMS (3-2, 2-1), Sioux Central (3-2, 2-1) a game back. These still have several head-to-head meetings left.

Following a 34-7 road win in Paullina over South O’Brien two weeks ago, the Gael offense struggled with the bigger Raptors, scoring just seven points.

“We just had a lot of execution errors,” SEHS head coach Jon Borer said. “We watched the film with the kids and they understood where the mistakes came and how they hurt us.

“In football, you need all 11 clicking at the same time. It just seemed like (vs. Ridge View), we had one mistake on every play that came at the wrong time and really hurt us.”

Junior quarterback Andrew Gibb has thrown for 741 yards and four touchdowns, with Isaac Lursen leading the way with 29 catches, 486 yards and two scores.

Through five games, Lursen, a senior, ranks fifth on the school’s single-season reception list and eighth for yardage. Dave Conell holds both records with 38 and 772.

On the ground, Cade Naughton has a team-high 295 yards followed by Charlie Shelly (265) and Gibb (159). They have combined for 10 rushing touchdowns.

Borer’s offensive changes have brought a spark to the program, as they already have more points scored, total yards and passing yards compared to all of last season. They are averaging just under 28 points and almost 295 yards per game.

Ty Smith, a senior who suffered a hand injury in Week 1, returns to the offensive line at right guard. That shifts Sean Flaherty back to his natural spot at left tackle.

“It’s great to have Ty back in there,” Borer said. “It’s always good to have a senior get back out there after missing time with an injury.

“The one positive from it is that we were able to gain some depth up front with Gabe Rodenberg stepping in.”

St. Edmond heads to Armstrong next week to face North Union before closing out with Sioux Central at home and Bishop Garrigan on the road.

“Every game is important, but now that we are the heart of district play, they are even more important,” Borer said. “You have to play with high energy.”

Hartley-HMS lost to Ridge View two weeks ago and still has dates with Sioux Central and Bishop Garrigan on the docket. The Hawks have alternated wins and losses this year, including a 42-18 victory over North Union.

Brett Wohlert, a junior quarterback, ran for 132 yards and scored three touchdowns in the win. He also completed 3 of 6 passes for 33 yards with a 15-yard TD to Jacob Van Dyke.

“They run a double-wing, triple-option that you see from Navy and Georgia Tech,” Borer said. “(Wohlert) wants the ball in his hands and he can make things happen. He is a playmaker.

“We have stressed assignment football, which is the key when playing an offense like this. The kids have really responded.”

On the year, Wohlert is 21 of 46 for 249 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Cade Schiphoff is his favorite target, hauling in seven passes for 109 yards. Van Dyke also has seven catches for 61 yards.

Wohlert leads the ground unit, rushing for 549 yards on 100 carries followed by Tommy Heetland (41-254) and Trevor Dodd (14-110).

HMS has forced seven turnovers, including five picks. Max Meyers is the top tackler with 32 stops, with Heetland recording four tackles for loss and Eli Honken two sacks.