-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Isaac Landwehr

The St. Edmond football team will try to get back on the right track here Friday night for Homecoming.

The Gaels will welcome in Harris-Lake Park to Dodger Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

After opening the season with a thrilling 62-56 overtime victory vs. Ar-We-Va, St. Edmond (1-2 overall, 0-1 in district) has dropped its last two games to West Bend-Mallard and North Iowa.

Finding ways to get stops and keep drives going have been on the mind of SEHS head coach Matt Dillon in practice this past week.

“Over these first three weeks, we’ve definitely had our fair share of bumps and bruises,” Dillon said. “But we’ve just got to keep fighting and keep working to get better, both in terms of the players and the coaches.”

Against North Iowa, the Gaels fell in another early hole, trailing by 14 after the first quarter and 34 at halftime. Tyler Rossmanith ran for 62 yards, Quinten McCarville came on for an injured Caleb Schaeffer and had 67 total yards at quarterback to go along with 47 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Sophomore JT Laufersweiler will get his first varsity start at quarterback. Laufersweiler has seen the field this year in a variety of roles. Schaeffer’s return will be evaluated on a week-by-week basis, Dillon said.

“It’s a tough, but exciting time for JT,” Dillon said. “As a former quarterback, I can still remember my first start in high school and again in college. You get a little extra juice flowing because you are trying to prove you belong and prove to your teammates you can be that guy.”

The St. Edmond defense allowed 227 yards on the ground and 157 in the air, with North Iowa scoring seven offensive touchdowns.

Harris-Lake Park (1-2, 0-1) dropped games to Remsen St. Mary’s and Northwood-Kensett before topping Kingsley-Pierson last Friday, 28-8.

Tyce Gunderson returns at quarterback, as the junior has thrown for 543 yards with six touchdowns, adding another 152 and two scores on the ground. Lucas Ahrenstorff, a sophomore, is his top target, having caught 24 passes for 246 yards and three TDs.

Gavin Elser has 10 receptions for 181 yards and Austin Gilmore has 138 yards rushing and a score.

The Wolves defense has six sacks, 15 tackles for loss and forced five turnovers, with Colton Voss returning an interception for a touchdown.

“Harris-Lake Park has a really good offense, but the strength of their team is the defense,” Dillon said. “We’ve got to find a way to match that and try to create some big plays. They are not huge guys, but they are strong and athletic and run to the football.

“We have to come out and meet that intensity, meet that strength and get the job done.”