MARATHON- Amherst (3-0) took on their third ranked opponent in a row when the Falcons, ranked third in Division 5, traveled to play their Central Wisconsin Conference rival, the Marathon Red Raiders (3-0), who are ranked ninth in Division 6. Both teams entered the Sept. 11 matchup looking to stay undefeated and improve to 2-0 in conference play.
Amherst gained control immediately on the opening kickoff as the Falcons forced a Red Raiders kick returner to fumble on his own 21-yard line, and set Amherst up with a short field.
Running back Ayden Nerdahl made the Red Raiders pay as he punched in a touchdown from the one-yard line for the Falcons to gain a 7-0 advantage.
Amherst got the ball after shutting down Marathon and seemed to be stopped, but a fake punt helped the Falcons convert a fourth down and keep the drive alive.
The Falcons took the ball down to the Marathon three-yard line on their next series, and Amherst scored to make it 13-0 with a rushing touchdown by Nerdahl.
Electing to go for a two-point conversion, a high throw by Amherst quarterback Tyler Loken was caught with one hand by wide receiver Antonio Vaquera as his highlight catch resulted in two points as the Falcons took a 15-0 lead.
Vaquera once again got into the end zone on a 14-yard touchdown reception from Loken, making it a 22-0 game.
The Falcons went up 29-0 as Nerdahl took a handoff and would lay waste to Marathon’s defense, breaking through several tackles on his way to a 23-yard touchdown run to cap off a dominant first quarter.
Marathon scored their first touchdown in the second quarter with an end-around reverse to cut into Amherst’s lead, but they were unsuccessful with a two-point conversion to make it 29-6.
Nerdahl struck again on Amherst’s ensuing drive as he took a carry 41 yards up the right sideline for his fourth touchdown of the first half and gave his team a 36-6 lead.
The Falcons offense and Nerdahl were not done as he scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the first half with a 42-yard romp to the end zone that gave Amherst a 43-6 first-half lead.
Nerdahl finished the game with 228 yards to go along with his five touchdowns on 17 carries.
In the third quarter, with every one of Marathon’s defenders keying on the run, Loken found open wide receiver Cal Lusic for a pitch-and-catch on a fourth-and-two play that resulted in a touchdown to put Amherst up 50-6.
Marathon scored two late touchdowns, but Amherst had already secured the win. The Falcons defeated their third straight top-ten opponent and improved to 4-0 on the season.
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