The Alden-Conger football team has been known to get off to slow starts, but Friday night against Westbrook-Walnut Grove was another story as the Knights fell behind 33-8 at halftime before falling 41-32 at home.

The Chargers (1-1, 1-1) ran the ball up and down the field to start the game and scored in the first quarter on a two-yard run by Mason Comnick to take an early 7-0 lead.

“Westbrook’s a good team, we knew they were going to be one our toughest games of the year,” Alden-Conger quarterback Lucas Kleinschrodt said. “We just didn’t start out fast. We let them get a bunch of rushing yards and we couldn’t figure out the run game.”

Westbrook-Walnut Grove exploded in the second quarter, scoring four touchdowns in the frame, three of which came from Josh Merrick on the ground.

“We didn’t look good at all,” Knights head coach Chad Mattson said. “We didn’t have our assignments down and we were missing tackles. It just wasn’t a solid defensive effort.”

After crushing Madelia 46-6 last week Mattson was worried about how his team would react if it did not score first in the game.

The Knights (1-1, 1-1) struggled on defense to maintain their composure during the first half.

“Once we got down a couple of scores we just started losing control on defense,” wide receiver Brad Ferree said.

Alden-Conger did get on the board when David Troska returned a punt 76 yards for his second return touchdown of the year. Troska scored on a 76-yard kick return last week. The touchdown made the game 15-7 in favor of the Chargers.

Then Merrick delivered a deflating 64-yard touchdown run and one series later a 3-yard run with 28 seconds left in the half to put Westbrook-Walnut Grove up 33-8 at half.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in, but obviously we were hoping things would go a little better for us,” Mattson said.

Friday marked the first game where Mattson solely employed the spread offense. Against Madelia The Knights ran the ball for nearly the entirety of the game, but Kleinschrodt threw the ball 42 times Friday night, completing 15 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns.

Brandon McTague was the recipient of two of those passes in the fourth quarter. The burly tight end hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter on a pass into the flats. Then after Kleinschrodt recoverd the onside kick, he and McTague hooked up again, this time from 31 yards out with 28 seconds left in the game.

“I just have to give them credit for sticking it out and making it halfway respectable,” Mattson said. “Our routes were open if we had the time.”

Mattson said the most important thing was the lack of teamwork in the first half.

“The teamwork wasn’t there,” Mattson said. “We didn’t help ourselves at all.”

E.J. Knight led the defense with 22 tackles on the night and Kleinschrodt added 19 and a fumble recovery.

Westbrook-Walnut Grove 41, Alden-Conger 32

W-WG – 7 26 8 0 – 41

A-C – 0 8 8 16 – 32

First Quarter

W-WG – Mason Comnick 1 run (Steven Pfarr kick)

Second Quarter

W-WG – Michael Jarmer 18 pass from Michael Eischner (pass failed)

A-C – David Troska 76 punt return (Wach pass from Lucas Kleinschrodt)

W-WG – Josh Merrick 2 run (Jace Jarmer pass from Derek Eichner), 3:54

W-WG – Merrick 64 run (pass failed), 3:17

W-WG – Merrick 3 run (run failed), :28

Third Quarter

W-WG – Justin Knakmuhs 1 run (Theo Johnson pass from Eichner), 6:51

A-C – Ferree 22 pass from Kleinschrodt (McTague pass from Kleinschrodt)

Fourth Quarter

A-C – McTague 25 pass from Kleinschrodt (Kleinschrodt run), 2:31

A-C – McTague 31 pass from Kleinschrodt (Kleinschrodt run), :28