By Jeff Meder

Journal Sports Writer

SLEEPY EYE – Adrian-Ellsworth’s quarterback Aiden Tweet was responsible for six touchdowns to help the Dragons fly past Sleepy Eye United 41-22 on Wednesday in a Southwest District football game at Sleepy Eye High School.

Tweet ran for five touchdowns and a 2-point conversion and threw for another touchdown. He scored 18 of 22 points for the Dragons in the first half alone.

“He’s a great player for them. We didn’t come to play tonight. We didn’t play with heart and passion,” United head coach Brent Kucera said. He added that United didn’t seem ready to play, and the team needed to rebound in the next game.

Jacob Fulmer had 96 yards on five carries for SEU, while Gavin Fischer had 70 yards and seven carries. On defense, Tucker Haala had 10 tackles, while Nick Tauer had seven tackles.

Adrian struck first with 5:10 left in the first quarter on 1-yard keeper. Cheick Zeba kicked for the extra point and Adrian led 7-0.

The Dragons used a solid ground game which United could not contain. Tweet scored on a 5-yard run at the 10:16 mark of the second quarter. Zeba’s kick made it 14-0.

Gavin Fischer answered for United when he turned a broken play into a 57-yard touchdown run with 9:18 left in the quarter. Carson Uecker passed the ball to Cody Schultz for the 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 14-8.

Tweet answered for Adrian with 5:46 left in the half as he ran 21-yards for a touchdown. He took the ball and he scored the extra 2 points on when he ran to the right of the United defensive line to made it 22-8 Adrian at halftime.

In the third quarter, SEU’s opening drive stalled out as they punted the ball to Adrian. The Dragons put together a 12-play drive which began at its own 38-yard line. At 4:54 in the third quarter, Tweet ran 9-yards for a touchdown, then handed the ball off to Kyler Kunkel who tried to run for the 2-point conversion. The United defense stopped it and Adrian led 28-8.

Later in the same quarter, Adrian blocked a punt by Sleepy Eye and was able to take possession at the 50-yard line. The drive continued into the fourth quarter as Tweet cut back across the field and he scored on a 7-yard run. Zeba kicked for the extra point and Adrian led 35-8.

Sleepy Eye took the ensuing kickoff, but it was unable to sustain a drive and it had to punt to Adrian, which got the ball at its own 48-yard line when United kicked the ball out of bounds. On the eighth play of the drive, Tweet passed the ball to Charger Erlandson, who took the ball 25 yards to the end zone with 5:10 left in the contest. Zeba’s kick was no good and Adrian led 41-8.

SEU took the following kickoff and on the third play from scrimmage, Landry Folkens pitched the ball to Jacob Fulmer, who raced 70 yards for a touchdown with 4:18 remaining. Folkens tried to pass for the 2-point conversion, but it was unsuccessful.

As the game was winding down, the Dragons fumbled on a punt return and United recovered the ball. The Dragons were penalized twice, once for a personal foul and the other was for pass interference.

United capitalized on those miscues when Gavin Suess scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 15.3 seconds left. Fulmer ran the ball in for the 2-point conversion.

United ended its regular season with a 5-3 record. It will now await a to-be-determined opponent in the first round of the playoffs.