-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Jackson Bemrich of St. Edmond tackles IKM-Manning Amos Rasmussen on Friday

HOLSTEIN — St. Edmond makes its final road trip of the prep football season here Friday, heading west to visit Ridge View in a Class A, District 2 contest.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Last week, the Gaels (2-4 overall, 0-2 in league) suffered their third consecutive loss, falling at Sioux Central, 42-12. Sean Newell ran for 113 yards, including a career-long and school-record tying 99-yard touchdown run, but SEHS had just 106 yards of total offense outside of the score.

Since scoring 60 points on eight touchdowns vs. Eagle Grove, St. Edmond has just 20 points in losses to district leaders Sioux Central and IKM-Manning, along with No. 3 (A) Bishop Garrigan.

“We have to put together some drives if for nothing else, to flip the field position,” SEHS head coach Matt Dillon said. “We haven’t had many big plays over the past few weeks other than Newell’s run, and when you are starting on your own 20, if you don’t get a first down or two, you are giving the ball back to the other team inside the 50.

“And honestly, I felt like our defense played well (vs. Sioux Central). We just didn’t help them out on offense.”

Newell leads the team with 566 yards and six touchdowns, with sophomore Sean Flattery adding 435 and five. Drew Schaeffer has caught six passes for 104 yards on the year.

Jackson Bemrich had 12 tackles, including four for loss vs. the Rebels, with Nick Lawler in on 11.5 stops, and both Newell and Peyton Spangler 9.5 tackles each.

Newell has 61 tackles and Bemrich 48.5, including seven for loss with four sacks. Flattery, Spangler, Schaeffer and Lawler all have at least 40 stops as part of a defense that has forced 13 turnovers.

“I think the kids realize they have been over-matched the past three weeks,” Dillon said. “Physically, Ridge View is bigger than us again, so we just have to execute and execute better than we’ve done the last three weeks.”

The Gaels lost to Ridge View last year here, 16-7, and suffered a 21-7 setback in 2016 inside Dodger Stadium.

The Raptors feature University of Iowa commit Ezra Miller, who is cousins with Fort Dodge Senior High head football coach Matt Miller. Ezra Miller is a 6-foot-6, 305-pounder who is graded as a four-star recruit for the Hawkeyes, and is the top-ranked player in the state according to 24/7 Sports.

Despite returning the likes of Jake Tokheim, Jake Kliegl and Miller, Ridge View (0-6, 0-2) has yet to score a victory this year. They had gone 11-7 over the past two seasons, including six wins last year.

Tokheim has completed 34 of 88 for 405 yards with three touchdowns, Kliegl has 697 yards rushing and four touchdowns, and Logan Cuthrell has caught 26 passes for 228 yards and a score.

“Kliegl is a really good linebacker and we have to get a hat on him every play,” Dillon said. “Miller, with his size, you don’t run into someone like that in Class A football every year. We have to know where he is on offense and defense.”

Miller has recorded 20.5 tackles, including three for loss, with Kliegl leading the state with 98.5 stops. Ridge View has forced just six turnovers on the year.

Last week in a 38-12 loss to Alta/Aurelia, Kliegl had his third 100-yard rushing game of the season, finishing with 185 and a score. He also had 18 tackles, including 16 solo stops.

St. Edmond returns home after this week for its final two games of the season vs. Alta/Aurelia (5-1, 2-0) and Manson Northwest Webster (0-6, 0-2), with Ridge View visiting the Cougars next week before concluding vs. IKM-Manning (4-2, 2-0).