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LAKE PARK -- The St. Edmond football team continued to fight and claw their way back here Friday night, but it wasn't enough to overcome Tyce Gunderson and Harris-Lake Park.
Gunderson accounted for six touchdowns and almost 400 yards of total offense to lead the Wolves to a 63-34 victory.
"We talked all week about making sure to tackle him because he is elusive and quick," SEHS head coach Matt Dillon said. "We didn't do that and he made us pay. We had them in so many third-and-long situations in the first half and he found a way to hurt us.
"Credit him because he's a tremendous talent, but as a football team, we are going to have to figure out how to get out of those situations because we are going to continue to see tremendous talent at the quarterback position moving forward."
Gunderson ran for 187 yards and five touchdowns, while throwing for 142 and another score before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. He was knocked out for a series before returning to action for a short time.
For the Gaels (2-2 overall, 1-2 in district), JT Laufersweiler was 14-for-30 for 288 yards and four touchdowns, adding another 125 yards on the ground. Dominic McClain caught two touchdowns, while Johnny Dickerson and Klay Baker each had one.
Dickerson hauled in four passes for 91 yards before also leaving the game early after suffering an injury. McClain caught four for 45 and Jakob Koopman had two for 61.
"It was a physical game," Dillon said. "Both teams were playing hard and playing smart for the most part.
"We were left with some really young puppies out there, but I thought they stepped up. That group has a lot of talent and has had success at the lower levels, so we know they can do it. But doing it at the varsity level against a team like this can be tough."
St. Edmond struck first, marching down the field on the opening drive as Laufersweiler hit McClain. Harris-Lake Park, though, would answer, reeling off 35 consecutive points to take command.
Late in the third, Laufersweiler hit Baker on a perfectly-designed pass that cut the deficit to 43-28, but the Wolves marched right back down the field to extend the advantage.
Baker had 51 yards receiving and 33 yards rushing, Caleb Schaeffer caught three passes for 40 yards and Tyler McDowell had a safety. Both John Nemmers and Quintin Jaeschke recorded sacks for the St. Edmond defense.
"Look, we knew this was going to be a difficult challenge, but I'm proud of the effort of the kids," Dillon said. "We did a lot of good things and we also saw where we need to get better if we want to compete with the best teams in the state."
The Gaels will see just that next week, heading to top-ranked Remsen St. Mary's.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – St. Edmond: JT Laufersweiler 16-125, Klay Baker 12-33, Jakob Koopman 1-5, Ethan Swisher 1-4, Kinnick Henning 2-(minus-1). Harris-Lake Park: Tyce Gunderson 23-187, Caleb Hemphill 11-86, Lucas Ahrenstorff 5-48.
PASSING – St. Edmond: JT Laufersweiler 14-30-0-288, Ethan Swisher 0-1-1-0. Harris-Lake Park: Tyce Gunderson 9-12-0-142.
RECEIVING – St. Edmond: Johnny Dickerson 4-91, Jakob Koopman 2-61, Klay Baker 1-51, Dominic McClain 4-45, Caleb Schaeffer 4-40. Harris-Lake Park: Caleb Hemphill 5-71, Lucas Ahrenstorff 2-39, Tyce Gunderson 1-36.