Perham quarterback Colton Hackel ran for 215 of his 249 yards in the first half to lead the Yellowjackets to a 42-7 win over the Green Wave on Friday night in East Grand Forks.
Hackel ran 30 times, scored four rushing touchdowns and added another through the air. The 6-foot-2 junior finished 31 rushing yards off the school record and six away from his personal best (the school's second-highest single-game total) he achieved last year against EGF.
"I thought he did a great job," Perham coach Kyle Knutson said. "He had support in front of him, with the offensive line doing a nice job making holes. (Hackel) is a heck of an athlete, and it was nice to see him have that type of game."
Hackel didn't play last week in Perham's loss to Detroit Lakes.
"That's the kind of kid he is -- he's a hard-worker," Knutson said. "We needed a lift. He put the team on his back and gave us the lift."
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After Perham turned the ball over on downs on its first possession, the Yellowjackets had Hackel run the ball on seven of the eight plays on the team's second drive.
That drive ended with an 8-yard Hackel touchdown run. Hackel's 2-point conversion run made it 8-0 with 5:45 left in the first quarter.
Perham would score three times in the second quarter. Chas Melvin scored on a 17-yard run, Hackel on a 10-yard run and then Hackel connected on a 17-yard touchdown pass with Josh Peterson to give Perham a 28-0 advantage into halftime.
At halftime, Hackel had 215 rushing yards and 17 passing yards. The rest of the team had added 41 rushing yards at that point.
On East Grand Forks' first drive of the second quarter, running back Carter Vasek broke around the outside and appeared to score a 60-yard touchdown.
The play was called back for holding.
It was that type of night for the Green Wave.
East Grand Forks' lone touchdown came in the third quarter. Green Wave quarterback Sam Votata hit Tanner Campos on a 60-yard deep pass to eventually set up a Cole Gerber 7-yard touchdown catch in the end zone.
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"We obviously have lots to work on," Green Wave coach Ryan Kasowski said. "There are things we aren't doing right that we were at the beginning of the year. We look like a team that hasn't played in a couple of weeks.
"You have to tip your hat to Perham. They have good playmakers and that quarterback is a special athlete."
Senior High was also hampered by an injury to running back-safety Caleb Schmiedeberg, who was hurt defending a punt return in the first quarter and didn't return. Kasowski said he's hopeful to have Schmiedeberg back for the Wave's game against Park Rapids in EGF on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
East Grand Forks dropped to 1-3, while Perham improved to 2-3.
Perham 42, East Grand Forks 7
First quarter
P -- Colton Hackel 8 run (Hackel run)
Second quarter
P -- Chas Melvin 17 run (Hackel run)
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P -- Hackel 10 run (run failed)
P -- Josh Peterson 17 pass from Hackel (run failed)
Third quarter
P -- Hackel 5 run (run failed)
EGF -- Cole Gerber 7 pass from Sam Votava (Justin Overgaard kick)
P -- Hackel 3 run (Peterson pass from Hackel)
Individual leaders
RUSHING -- EGF: Sam Votava 12-68, Carter Vasek 17-48; P: Colton Hackel 30-249, Chas Melvin 13-125
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PASSING -- EGF: Votava 3-7-0, 79 yards; P: Hackel 2-5-0, 42 yards
RECEIVING -- EGF: Tanner Campos 1-60, Jeremiah Haavig 1-12, Cole Gerber 1-7; P: Melvin 1-25, Josh Peterson 1-17
