In 76th Battle for the Ark, Central beats Logan in regular-season finale
The wind and rain made passing virtually a non-factor as the Central High School football team relied on defense and three rushing touchdowns to get passed the Logan 20-10 on Friday night.
It was the 76th Battle for the Ark between the two La Crosse schools.
The loss means the Rangers (3-6, 3-4 MVC) fall below .500 in conference and likely won’t make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Riverhawks (8-1, 6-1) improve their seeding heading into the postseason.
WIAA playoff pairings will be announced Saturday morning.
Trailing just 13-10 and momentum seemingly on Logan’s side, the Central defense came up big, forcing quarterback Johnny Leaver to fumble at near midfield with 7:35 left in the game.
The Riverhawks hit paydirt just one play later when junior quarterback Jude Alvarado took a direct snap 53 yards to the end zone.
Central keeps the Ark of Victory in tonight's 20-10 win over Logan. Jude Alvarado helped seal it with this long td run in the 4th quarter pic.twitter.com/3CpnLCxxJh
— WKTY Sports (@wkty) October 14, 2023
Central’s defense held Logan at bay the rest of the game.
Ball control was the theme of the first half with both teams having just two drives.
After forcing a punt, Central took over at their own 7 yard line. It would plunge into the end zone 4 minutes later on a Christian Rudrud 1-yard run with 1:01 left in the first quarter.
Logan would finally get on the board with 18 seconds left in the first half, when Danil Roberts hit a 27-yard field goal, making it 7-3 at halftime.
Logan would take its only lead of the night when Leaver finished a lengthy possession with a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:57 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
The Riverhawks took the ensuing possession 66 yards, ending with the first play of the 4th quarter when Rudrud scored on a 10-yard run for his second score of the night, making it 13-10.