WESTBROOK, Minnesota (STPNS) --     WWG —  It took the Chargers a full quarter to get their offense rolling, but once they got it going they never looked back.

    In the first quarter the Charger defense stymied the Mustangs  on their first drive forcing a punt. Taking over on their own 38, the Chargers moved the ball down the field into Mustang territory. A Charger fumble at the Mustang’s 14 was recovered by the Mustangs. Then the Charger defense forced the Mustangs to punt after holding them deep in their own territory. After a shanked punt by the Stangs the Chargers were unable to score after starting at the Mustang 25 and turned the ball  over on downs. After taking the ball over at their own 20, the Mustangs marched down the field but fumbled at the 22 of the Chargers with Andy Merrick covering the fumble.



    The Chargers quickly moved the ball to midfield as the quarter came to a close. The Chargers opened the second quarter with a 7 yard gain by Jake Comnick. Then Dana Madson broke free on a 35 yard dash scoring for the Chargers first touchdown. John Elzenga threw a strike to Nick Lehnhoff for the two point conversion putting  the Chargers up 8-0 with 11:47 to play in the half.

    The Charger defense stopped the Mustangs cold when defensive end Shane Buchman picked off a Mustang pass at the Mustang’s 40 and returned it to the Mustang’s 20. Two plays later after a 15 yard penalty pushed the Chargers back to the 20, Jake Comnick dashed into the end zone with 8:06 to play. Elzenga and Lehnhoff again connected for the  two point conversion putting the Chargers up 16-0.

    After a short kickoff  the Charger defense arose to the occasion and forced the Mustangs to punt.

    After an 8 yard return by Andy Merrick the Chargers quickly moved inside Mustang territory. On the next play coach Carter Ross pulled a gadget play out of his bag, completely catching the Mustangs off guard. Elzenga pitched the ball to Comnick who threw a pass to tight end Aaron Hass who scored easily on the play. The two point conversion pass failed but the Chargers boosted their score to 22-0. The Chargers took that score into the half  time break.

    Merrick started the Chargers off in the second half with a nice 20 yard kickoff return. Madson and Comnick teamed up to get the Chargers inside Mustang ground. Then Elzenga hooked up with Lehnhoff for  a big gainer down to the Mustang’s 7 yard line. On the next play Comnick crashed into the end zone  for his second TD of the night. The two point run attempt failed but the Chargers upped the score to 28-0.

    On the next Mustang possession, the Chargers — after picking up a timely sack, forced another Mustang punt.

    On the next series it looked as though the Chargers would have to punt, but punter Jake Comnick pulled the ball down and picked up the first down to keep the drive alive. After the Chargers were flagged for holding Elzenga found Lehnhoff on a 20 yard ariel setting up a 5 yard touchdown run by Comnick with 3:31 left in the period. The  two point conversion failed, but the Chargers upped their lead to 34 zip.

    Early in the fourth quarter Andy Merrick capped the scoring for the Chargers with a 72 yard run down the side line to score. The two point attempt failed but the Chargers upped their lead to 40-0. Later in the quarter the Mustangs posted their only score of the night with Mustang quarterback Josh Johanson scoring on a 3 yard keeper. The Mustangs also converted for two points, making the final score 40-8.

    Passing the Chargers -  Elzenga was 5 of 9 good for 63 yards and 2 extra points; Rushing Comnick piled up a season high of 182 yards on 19 attempts and 3 TD’s; Madson had 11 totes for 108 yards and a TD; Merrick had 3 carries for 81 yards and a TD.

    Receiving - Lehnhoff had 5 catches for 63 yards; Hass had one catch for 36 yards and a TD.

    Kickoff returns - Merrick had 1 for 20 yards; Tyson Berg had 1 for 12 yards.

    Punt returns - Merrick had 1 for 20 yards; Comnick had 1 for 22 yards.

    Defense - Madson had 12 tackles and 1 fumble recovery; Levi Bunting had 11 tackles and 1 sack; Derick Ourada had 9 tackles and a sack; Merrick had 6 tackles and a fumble recovery; Matt Otto had 6 tackles; Comnick had 5 tackles; Tyler Schoborg and Logan Weis each had 3 tackles; Shane Buchman had 1 interception.

    The Chargers will travel to Cleveland for their next game.