Stanton beats Armstrong-Ringsted 32-24 for Eight-player title

November 16, 2007 07:19 pm

— CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Don Hicks has won more than 200 games as a high school football coach. He’s in the state hall of fame in two sports.
And finally, after 39 years, he has the one thing that had eluded him — a state championship.
His Stanton players delivered it on Friday, beating Armstrong-Ringsted 32-24 to win the eight-player title. Chris Palmquist passed for two touchdowns and ran for two to lead the Vikings (13-0), who needed every play Palmquist and his running backs could make in the back-and-forth game.
A big stop by Alex McArdle on defense also helped.
After four lead changes, Stanton went ahead to stay at 26-24 on Alex Whigham’s 9-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
Stanton then forced a three-and-out and quickly struck again, McArdle hauling in a 65-yard touchdown pass from Palmquist after the ball bounced off his helmet.
McArdle managed to keep his concentration and grab the ball after it went through his hands and hit the front of his helmet. He slipped out of Dillion McBride’s attempted head tackle, sprinted for the goal line and dove into the end zone for the final touchdown.
With Armstrong-Ringsted (11-2) making a last-ditch drive, McArdle came through on defense, stopping Tyler Tonderum inches short of a first down on fourth-and-1 at the Mustangs’ 35 with 1:34 left.
That enabled Stanton to run out the clock and moments later, the Vikings were hoisting the championship trophy.
Hicks is 210-141-1 in his career, all at Stanton. He’s in the coaches hall of fame for basketball as well as football.
Palmquist also threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to McArdle, who made a leaping grab and tumbled into the end zone, and scored on runs of 2 and 9 yards. He finished 11 of 23 for 201 yards and no interceptions, his two TD passes giving him 38 for the season.
McArdle wound up with six catches for 125 yards, while Whigham carried 22 times for 92 yards.
Armstrong-Ringsted took its last lead when Brett Tigges got behind the defense, broke two tackles after catching Ridge Christiansen’s pass and high-stepped into the end zone to complete a 28-yard play that made it 24-20 with 3:06 left in the third quarter.
Stanton answered with the go-ahead score five plays later.
Christiansen also threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Tonderum on the game’s fifth play and finished 6-for-10 for 153 yards. Mostly, though, he simply took the snap in shotgun formation and ran the ball, carrying 22 times for 74 yards and a touchdown.