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The St. Mary's Cardinals opened up their 2025 season at home on Friday, August 29. The Cardinals took down the Twin Loup Wolves l8-13 in a good match testing both squads. Both squads played tough defense, with St. Mary's being held to scoring three times in the second, and Twin Loup trying to play catch-up in the fourth, scoring twice. The Cards return this year with a solid group from last season. Gage Hedstrom returns to lead the Cardinals at quarterback. Hedstrom averaged 18 points per game last season, taking the Cards 6-4 in last year's season. Ben Barlow, a junior, returns this season. Barlow, a key player for the Cards, whether it is in receiving or running, always has an impact in helping the Cards secure a win. The Cards are not limited, and they also have a healthy cache of seniors, juniors, and underclassmen to propel the Cardinals towards a postseason showing. The Cards ran 61 plays and had 17 first downs, with eight penalties for 43 yards. The Wolves ran 52 plays and had 13 first downs and four penalties for 24 yards. Hedstrom didn't disappoint in the first match. The Cards managed to get all their points in the second quarter. Gage carried the ball 30 times for 143 yards and had one touchdown; Barlow had three carries for two yards, and Drake Berg also had three carries for three yards. Ben Pongratz got into the end zone on a 17-yard touchdown interception, and the final score of the game went to newcomer senior Lane Bybee on a 26-yard catch. The Cards had new season jitters as they were unable to get the ball in for the two-point conversion. Barlow had four receptions for 27 yards, James Eby had two catches for eight yards, and Bybee had five catches for 91 yards and the one touchdown. Leading the Cardinal defense was Hedstrom with 18 tackles, Bybee with 11 tackles, Dalton Herley with 11 tackles, Berg with nine tackles, Pongratz with seven tackles, Eli Banks with eight tackles, Pongratz with seven tackles, Barlow with six tackles, Keigan Couch with five tackles, and Myles Hamilton with one tackle. Bybee had one sack for an eight-yard loss, and Banks had two sacks for a total of 19 yards lost.
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