NEW GLARUS — The Glarner Knights, a solo football team for the first time in over 40 years, began their 2024 campaign with a convincing 41-22 win over Pecatonica-Argyle in a non-conference game Friday, Aug. 23.

New Glarus enters brand-new territory this season, breaking away from its 40-plus year co-op with Monticello. The team also played its first game on the Bank of New Glarus Field within the Glarner Community Athletic Complex, as the primary school broke ground on the old field after the 2023 season. In less than a year, the community raised over $1 million and constructed an athletic complex across from the high school.

“We were super excited,” New Glarus head coach DJ Schuett said of playing on the field for the first time. “I knew there would be people here for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, but I didn’t know if people would stay around for football. So, to come around the corner and see the stands pretty full, that was exciting.”

That energy carried New Glarus on its first possession, as the Glarner Knights overcame an early penalty to score. On second-and-10, Luke Burton ran for a first down, but a flag on the offense brought the ball back. A screen pass to Andrew Sarbacker set up third-and-4, and four plays later, New Glarus scored on a 3-yard pass from Matt Roth to Burton. Despite the missed PAT, the Glarner Knights took a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

“That was a huge relief. In the past, that’s been our Achilles’ heel — we get the ball inside the 20 and we either snap it over the head or get a penalty and we are looking at second and long,” Schuett said. “To be able to overcome those penalties was super exciting for us.”

To add fuel to the fire, New Glarus came up with a clutch stop on defense. After a 7-yard pass from Martin Anderson to Cohlman Schlimgen that put the Vikings near midfield, Pecatonica-Argyle fumbled the snap, resulting in a 1-yard loss after Martin Anderson scooped up the loose ball. Burton then tackled Linden Ula for a 2-yard loss, setting up fourth-and-4. Martin Anderson’s pass was behind intended receiver Ashton McNett, resulting in a turnover on downs.

It took New Glarus just one play to score, as Roth connected with Sarbacker on a 42-yard touchdown pass. It was the same play that the Glarner Knights ran on their first possession, where the ball slipped through Sarbacker’s hands.

“We practice it every day. It sucked to drop the one before, but I knew I was going to rebound,” Sarbacker said.

After a three-and-out, New Glarus began its third possession with prime field position at the PA 44-yard line. First-down runs by Milo Johnson, Grady Johnson and Ashlin Mihlbauer set NG up at the 10-yard line, where the Glarner Knights went no huddle to catch the Vikings off-guard. But PA kept New Glarus out of the end zone for three plays, thanks to clutch tackles from Levi Krebs. Eventually, the Glarner Knights scored on a 1-yard run to the outside by Burton, making it a 20-0 game just minutes into the second quarter.

“We told them to execute the play as they can and ignore the scoreboard,” Pecatonica-Argyle head coach Mark Stateler, a former NG defensive coordinator, said. “He (Krebs) did. He turned it up. They scored anyway, but I was proud of what they did.”

The Vikings had their greatest scoring opportunity of the first half on their third possession. Ike Waage caught a deep pass from Martin Anderson, broke several tackles and ran down to the New Glarus 25-yard line for a 50-yard gain.

Two incomplete passes and a tackle for loss set up a fourth-and-13, where PA fell short of the first-down marker. But New Glarus bailed PA out with a flag, giving the Vikings a fresh set of downs. PA nearly cashed in, as a tipped pass fell through Waage’s fingers in the end zone.

“Ike is a spectacular receiver and put himself in a situation to go up and get the ball,” Stateler said. “We have two basketball-type receivers (in Waage and Jeremiah Collins), so we can just throw it up. Now it’s just about running our routes and throwing the ball where it needs to be.”

Pinned deep in their own zone with the turnover on downs, the Glarner Knights still managed to score. Sarbacker beat the secondary yet again for his second touchdown of the night — a 50-yard pass from Roth — to make it 26-0 NG.

The first half ended with back-to-back interceptions for the Glarner Knights — one each by Sarbacker and Mihlbauer. New Glarus scored on the first pick, as Burton dragged three tacklers with him to the end zone, and kneeled out the half on the second. The Glarner Knights entered the locker room with a 34-0 lead.

“It was awesome. The team loved it, and it gave us a lot of energy and momentum going into the second half,” Sarbacker said of the back-to-back picks.

The third quarter began with empty possessions for both teams, as PA’s Charles Anderson intercepted a screen pass. The Vikings were forced to punt away, though, after a 5-yard penalty, sack and incomplete pass.

But New Glarus forced a running clock with its sixth score, as Quinn Marty threw on the run to Sarbacker, who scored on a 54-yard gain. Mihlbauer’s extra point put the Glarner Knights ahead 41-0.

With NG’s junior varsity players in for the final quarter, Pecatonica-Argyle gained some momentum. Martin Anderson connected with Ashton McNett for a 3-yard TD pass and completed the 2-point conversion to get on the board.

After back-to-back tackles for losses, PA got excellent field position, as Charles Anderson blocked the punt. Starting at the New Glarus 22-yard line, the Vikings took just two plays to score on a 2-yard run by Mason McNett.

With the clock winding down to the end of the contest, PA scored one last time, as Waage got beyond the secondary to catch a 69-yard pass from Martin Anderson. The successful 2-point run by Mason McNett resulted in a 41-22 final.

“Tip our hats to New Glarus, they were getting their reps in for the younger guys. We don’t have the same numbers that they do, so we were not able to rotate like that,” Stateler said. “Like I told them at halftime, when you get hit in the mouth what are you going to do; how are you going to react. I thought they reacted well.”