Randolph Cardinals break through with gritty Homecoming win

RANDOLPH — After five frustrating weeks, the Randolph Cardinals finally had a reason to celebrate — and they made it count on homecoming night.

Randolph earned its first victory of the 2025 season Oct. 2, outlasting Lyons-Decatur Northeast 30-22 in a back-and-forth Class D2 matchup that showcased resilience on both sides of the ball. The triumph snapped a season-opening skid and gave the young Cardinals a signature win to build on.

The game swung late in the first half when senior defender Elijah Bermel blasted through the line for a sack and pounced on the loose ball. That momentum shift helped the Cardinals steady themselves after trading early scores with the Cougars.

“We pretty much played mistake free the entire game and his sack and fumble recovery really turned the tide,” coach Mark Lech said. “We got ahead and stayed ahead for the win.”

Quarterback Ryan Engel scored Randolph’s first two touchdowns on short keepers — a 5-yard plunge and a 3-yard run — to offset an explosive 53-yard scamper by LDNE quarterback Brady Hayes. The Cardinals carried a 14-8 lead into halftime.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast (2-4) stormed back in the third quarter behind a 29-yard scoring burst and a 27-yard Hayes-to-Weston Hardeman strike that briefly put the Cougars ahead 22-14. But Randolph answered immediately when junior running back Milo Rayford broke loose for a 35-yard touchdown, then powered in the conversion run to tie it 22-22.

With the game knotted in the fourth, Engel lofted a 13-yard scoring pass to Cole Jensen, and Rayford added the conversion run for the decisive eight-point cushion. Randolph’s defense — led by Bermel’s 11 tackles, Jensen’s 10 and solid work from Tate Brodersen and Owen Junck (eight stops each) — closed the door.

The Cardinals (1-5) piled up 288 rushing yards on 62 carries and finished with 323 total yards. Rayford shouldered the bulk of the load, rumbling for 165 yards on 27 carries with one touchdown. Engel added 41 yards and two scores on the ground and went 3-of-6 passing for 35 yards and the game-winner to Jensen.

“The offensive line played well as we were able to churn out yards on the ground,” Lech said. “Milo Rayford had a big night carrying the ball and shouldered most of the workload. The victory was a whole team effort as the offense and defense both had big plays at critical times.”

The win gives Randolph fresh momentum heading into the final stretch.

The Cardinals host Walthill on Oct. 10 before wrapping up the regular season at Winside Oct. 17.

LDNE (2-4) 8 0 14 0 22 Randolph (1-5) 6 8 8 8 30

Ran

Pass 3-6-35 Rush 62-288 Total 68-323

PASSING

Randolph - Engel, 3-6-35

RUSHING

Randolph - Rayford, 27-165; Engel, 15-41; Bermel, 14-40; Junck, 3-23; Brodersen, 3-19.

RECEIVING

Randolph - Bermel; 2-22; Jensen 1-13.

TACKLES

Randolph — Bermel, 11; Jensen 10; Brodersen, 9; O. Junck, 7; J. Junck, 5; Engel, 5; Harder, 3; Sievers, 3; Bonczynski, 2; Meyer, 1.

First quarter

RAN — Engel 5 run (run failed), 6-0. LDNE — Hayes 53 run (Cooper pass from Hayes), 6-8.

Second quarter

RAN — Engel 3 run (Engel run), 14-8.

Third quarter

LDNE — Kampa 29 run (run failed), 14-14. LDNE — Hardeman 27 pass from Hayes (Hardeman pass from Hayes), 14-22. RAN—Rayford35run(Rayfordrun),22-22.

Fourth quarter

RAN—Jensen13passfromEngel(Rayford run), 30-22.

NSAA Power Points District D2-2

Wynot 5-1 3-0 42.5000 Bancroft-Rosalie 5-1 3-0 41.8333 Winside 4-2 2-1 40.5000 Lyons-Decatur NE 2-4 0-3 36.5000 Randolph 1-5 1-2 35.3333 Walthill 0-6 0-3 32.8333

District D2-3 Howells-Dodge 6-0 3-0 44.8333 Archangels 6-0 3-0 44.0000 Osceola 3-3 2-1 39.5000 Fullerton 4-2 1-2 39.3333 Riverside 1-5 0-3 35.8333 Nebraska Christn 0-6 0-3 33.5000

District D2-4 Lawrence-Nelson 5-1 3-0 43.1667 BDS 5-2 3-1 41.2857 Deshler 5-2 2-2 40.0000 High Plains 3-3 2-1 35.5000 Giltner 1-6 1-3 33.1429 Nebraska Luth 0-7 0-4 32.4286

District D2-5 Elm Creek 4-2 3-0 41.0000 Wilcox-Hildreth 3-3 2-1 37.5000 Franklin 2-4 1-2 37.0000 Blue Hill 2-4 1-2 35.6667 Kenesaw 2-4 2-1 35.1667 Axtell 0-6 0-3 32.0000