Under a blazing September sun that forced a 30-minute kickoff delay, the St. Clair/Loyola (SCL) Spartans opened their 2026 campaign on Friday, September 4. Facing off against the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (NRHEG) Panthers, SCL showcased flashes of brilliance on offense and defensive grit, but special teams miscues and a heavy doses of NRHEG running back Sean Lassahn ultimately handed the Spartans a 28-14 defeat.
Coming off an encouraging preseason scrimmage, Head Coach Stephen Willaert knew the road trip to New Richland would test his squad’s mettle early. “NRHEG is always a tough opponent, and they are coming off a big win against Sleepy Eye United,” Willaert noted prior to kickoff. “We want to attack on offense and clean things up defensively to leverage our strengths.”
Hot Start: Spartans Strike First
SCL set the tone immediately on the game’s opening possession. Senior quarterback Sam Freitag took control as the offense’s general, driving the Spartans downfield behind pre-snap motion and balanced play-calling.
Faced with a 3rd-and-long early in the drive, Freitag delivered a strike to receiver Ashton Wilmes for a massive conversion. Following strong interior runs from Blake McClinton and another third-down keeper by Freitag, the Spartans found themselves in a trench war at the Panther goal line. After three straight goal-line stops by the NRHEG defense, Freitag pushed through on a fourth-down sneak to put SCL on the board. A successful two-point conversion gave the Spartans an early 8-0 advantage.
NRHEG answered late in the first quarter. Benefiting from strong kickoff field position, the Panthers sustained a heavy run drive, eventually capitalizing on 4th-and-inches with a sweep into the end zone. The failed two-point attempt left SCL holding an 8-6 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
Turning Tide: Special Teams and Turnover Troubles
The second quarter proved to be a turning point, as momentum began shifting toward the home sideline. After SCL’s defense stood tall with a fourth-down stop led by a Wilmes blitz, the offense stalled.
SCL defensive lineman Christian Barker gave the team a lift by disrupting passes at the line, and the Spartans recovered a critical NRHEG strip-fumble inside Panther territory. However, SCL was unable to capitalize on the turnover. On the resulting fourth down, a botched punt snap sailed through the end zone for a safety, tying the game 8-8 and handing the ball right back to NRHEG.
Within seconds of returning to the field, the Panther offense pounced on opportunity as power back Sean Lassahn broke free for a 51- yard touchdown run to give NRHEG a 14-8 lead. Freitag attempted to rally the Spartans before halftime, moving the chains on a 4th-and-4 scramble, but an interception with under 30 seconds remaining sent SCL to the locker room trailing by six.
Third Quarter Grind & Fourth Quarter Fight
NRHEG extended their advantage coming out of halftime. On 3rd-and-long, Lassahn found open turf once again, outrunning the SCL secondary for his second 50+ yard score to stretch the lead to 22-8. He ran for 240 of the Panther’s 268 total rushing yards.
Despite compounding special teams issues—including a second botched punt snap—and missed tackling, the Spartan defense refused to break entirely. Barker notched his second batted pass of the evening on a crucial 3rd-and-long, forcing a turnover on downs at the end of the third period.
SCL showed plenty of fight in the fourth quarter, orchestrating a high-flying highlight drive. Freitag pitched to Wilmes on an option trick play, who then launched a pass downfield to a wide-open Brock Prange for a massive gain deep into NRHEG territory. Following a pass interference call in the end zone, Freitag capped off the drive with a gutsy fourth-down goal-line lunge for his second touchdown of the night, cutting the deficit to 22-14 with 6:30 remaining.
Game-Sealer
The Spartan defense dialed up pressure on the next series, as Barker blew up an interior run play for a five-yard loss to force a Panther punt. Taking possession with 3:24 on the clock and a chance to tie, SCL leaned on Freitag’s arm and legs to move into Panther territory. However, a fourth-down throw to Prange fell short of the line to gain, turning the ball over on downs with under two minutes left.
Two plays later, Lassahn delivered the dagger, breaking through the line for his third touchdown run of the night to seal the 28-14 victory for NRHEG.
Looking Ahead
While SCL struggled with blocking breakdowns and special teams errors—including two safety/field position-costing snaps and an out-of-bounds kickoff—the Spartans displayed resilience, red-zone toughness, and big-play potential.
With an 0-1 start to the campaign, SCL now turns its attention to week two and a highly anticipated rivalry clash. The Spartans will travel to Janesville on Friday, September 11, to take on the JWP Bulldogs, who also seek their first victory of the 2026 season.
