DARLINGTON — It was just one of those nights for the Darlington football team.

The No. 10-ranked Redbirds scored six of their nine touchdowns on plays of 30 yards or longer to run away from the Benton-Scales Mound-Shullsburg Knights, 58-6, in a SWAL/Six Rivers Conference crossover game held at Martens Field on Friday, Sept. 17.

On the night Darlington was honoring their 1990 and 1991 state championship teams, the 2021 Redbirds (4-1 overall, 3-0 SWAL) put on a display of power and speed by rolling up nearly 500 yards of offense against the visiting Knights (0-5, 0-3).

Senior Easton Evenstad put the ‘Birds ahead before the offense even took the field by returning a punt 45 yards for a score just minutes into the game.

The Knights answered right back less than a minute later with junior running back Nevada Sandlin breaking loose for a 79-yard touchdown scamper to even the score at 6-6 with 8:44 remaining in the first quarter.

Darlington took control from there scoring 52 unanswered points against the short-handed Knights, who were missing a few key starters heading into Friday’s game. 

A 31-yard TD run by Evenstad with 8:02 to go in the opening quarter put the ‘Birds on top to stay, and then the hosts pasted 18 more points on the scoreboard in the second quarter to build up a 30-6 halftime advantage. Sophomore Breylin Goebel had a 3-yard TD run, while senior quarterback Braden Davis connected on TD passes of 50 and 58 yards with senior Hunter Hardyman and Evenstad, respectively, to put the ‘Birds comfortably in the lead.

Senior Brady Horne had a big third quarter with touchdown runs of 1 and 68 yards to extend the Darlington lead to 44-6. Back-up QB Cadyn Burbach scrambled seven yards for a score with 5:14 remaining in the fourth quarter, and back-up running back Maddox Goebel ripped off a 55-yard TD jaunt with 1:16 to go to cap the scoring at 58-6.

Horne ran 12 times for 151 yards and two scores for the Redbirds, who finished the night with 477 yards of total offense including 361 rushing yards.

Maddox Goebel gained 69 yards on two totes with a TD, while Evenstad tallied 39 rushing yards on three carries and 66 receiving yards on two catches to go along with his 45-yard return to finish with 150 total yards and three scores.

Davis completed 3-of-4 passes for 116 yards with two scores, and he had 40 rushing yards on three carries. Burbach added 31 yards and a TD on three carries.

Defensively for the ‘Birds, Ross Crist led the way with nine tackles. Breylin Goebel chipped in with seven stops, while Roger Volkening III, Carter Murray and Tye Crist had five tackles apiece for the hosts. 

Sandlin finished with 121 yards rushing on 23 carries with a TD for the Knights, who ran for a season-high 136 yards in Friday’s game despite missing their starting quarterback and a starting running back.

Defensively, senior linebacker Ben Werner led the Knights with 17 total tackles, including three tackles for loss. Payton Calvert had eight tackles, while Colin Montayne and Luke Jansen each recorded seven stops.

Darlington will host SWAL rival Fennimore (2-3, 1-2) in their Homecoming Game at Martens Field on Friday, Sept. 24, starting at 7 p.m.

The Knights will travel to Livingston on Friday, Sept. 24, to face the Iowa-Grant Panthers (1-4, 0-3) in Six Rivers Conference action also beginning at 7 p.m.