Petersen tops 500 passing yards in big Spartan win

 EXIRA (Oct. 8) -- Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton kept its playoff hopes alive Friday night with a thrilling 50-47 home win over Boyer Valley.
 The Spartans were led by quarterback Trey Petersen’s 509 passing yards, four touchdown passes and three TD runs as the team improved to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in 8-Player, District 10. Boyer Valley dropped to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the district. Exira-EHK can earn a playoff spot Friday (Oct. 15) with a win at Coon Rapids-Bayard and a Bulldog loss to top-ranked CAM.
 The Spartans trailed 34-18 at halftime before outscoring Boyer Valley 32-13 the rest of the way.
 Exira-EHK scored twice in the third quarter on Petersen’s 19-yard TD pass to Tyler Kingery, a two-point shovel pass to Dane Paulsen and a Petersen three-yard run.
 The Bulldogs scored late in the quarter to go up 41-32, but the Spartans answered with three straight touchdowns. Petersen scored on a 16-yard run, threw a 64-yard TD pass to Cash Emgarten and added a seven-yard run to make it 50-41.
 With 3:09 left in the game, Boyer Valley scored on a 36-yard pass completion from Brayden Hast to Trevor Malone, but the extra point was blocked.
 The Bulldogs got the ball back one more time with 1:18 to go, but penalties took them backward and a hail mary pass toward midfield on fourth-and-32 was knocked down to seal the Spartan win.
 Petersen finished his incredible night completing 19-of-28 passes for 509 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted three times, but also carried the ball 19 times for a net of 52 yards and three TDs.
 Kingery hauled in 10 receptions for 266 yards and three touchdowns, including a 64-yarder in the first quarter. Aiden Flathers had five catches for 137 yards, followed by Emgarten (2-72) and Derrek Kommes (2-34).
 Boyer Valley’s Hast threw for 390 yards and six touchdowns while being intercepted twice. Drew Volkmann and Malone combined for 294 receiving yards and all six scores.
 Defensively for Exira-EHK, Easton Nelson and Petersen both recovered fumbles while Kommes and Alex Hansen each picked off an interception. Petersen was the team’s tackle leader with 6.5, including two tackles for loss and one sack. Hansen, Braxton Marxen and Kommes added five tackles each. Marxen had two tackles in the backfield, including one and a half sacks.