Garman runs for 237; Lions down Wahlert, 34-14

MARION -- What are the odds?Linn-Mar scored on three plays of exactly 59 yards.What are the odds?The Lions blocked two punts."I've never seen that before," said Lions Coach Bob Forsyth.Some quirky things happened at Armstrong Field Friday night. But here's one thing that was fairly standard: Jer Garman rushed for 237 yards and three touchdowns as the Class 4A ninth-ranked Lions downed Dubuque Wahlert, 34-14, in a Mississippi Valley Conference football game."We're 3-0, but we have to get a lot better in all phases of the game," Forsyth said. "We were a lot better in the second half, but we've got to do a better job and keep working hard."The Lions sustained only one real drive, but big plays and two big special-teams efforts paved the way to a win that wasn't as easy as the score indicated."At times, we played down to their level," said Josh Montague, who caught a touchdown pass and blocked the Golden Eagles' first punt of the game. "But we're 3-0, and that's all that matters."The second quarter featured five touchdowns (three by Linn-Mar) and 289 yards of total offense. Linn-Mar led, 28-14, at intermission.Linn-Mar scored the game's first two touchdowns, on a 59-yard pass from Mark Atwater to Michael Thul and a 4-yard run by Garman.The second touchdown came on the heels of Montague's block."I came off the ball hard and got past one guy," Montague said. "It was the greatest feeling, feeling the ball hit my arm."Garman added a 59-yard scoring run -- he broke four tackles in the process -- to make it 21-7, then Montague caught a 59-yard TD pass from Atwater to give the Lions a 28-14 advantage with 50 seconds left in the half.Garman's final TD was a 12-yarder with 4:04 left in the third quarter. That was the end of the scoring.An all-stater last year as a junior, Garman has netted 488 yards in three games.Atwater completed 6 of 9 passes for 184 yards. The Lions finished with 411 yards, Wahlert (2-1) had 363.Zachary Brautigam (7-yard run) and Riley McCarron (22-yard run) scored touchdowns for Wahlert. McCarron rushed for 148 yards.Linn-Mar is at Waterloo West next week; Wahlert hosts Cedar Rapids Washington.