New Ulm’s Eagles were set to face one of their rivals, the Jordan Hubmen, in a frigid home game on October 14. The weather was cold, rainy, and windy with gusts up to 25 miles per hour.

“It’s going to be a tough battle, both teams have to deal with the conditions, but the team that wants it more will come on top,” said coach Hunter Rodriguez.

New Ulm had lost to the Hubmen 48-7 the previous year, so many players and coaches went into this game with a chip on their shoulders.

The theme of this game was defense. New Ulm got off to a slow start, giving up a big touchdown to Jordan’s junior runningback Mason Adamek on their first drive. However, this wasn’t a recurring theme in this game as New Ulm’s defense stepped up big in the second half, shutting out the Hubmen and allowing the Eagle’s offense, led by head coach Derek Lieser, to take the game away from Jordan.

The Eagles, similar to Jordan, were looking to establish a dominant run game. Sophomore Spencer Drill said, “It’s really important that we can run the ball this week because of the bad conditions that could limit our passing game.”

The Eagles proved effective running the ball with two total touchdowns from Seniors Ayden Jensen and James Osborne. Despite it being a run-heavy game, New Ulm was able to pass the ball effectively with big plays to Senior tight end Colton Benson and Sophmore receiver Zach Hubbard that were able to lift New Ulm in a win over Jordan for the first time in over two decades.

This matchup was a huge prove-it-game for New Ulm and the result shows that their football program is finally starting to turn a corner for the better after years of mediocre seasons. The Eagles have won five games for the first time in decades and are looking to keep making history and finish the season strong. They play in Marshall for their final regular season game and are looking ahead to playoffs. New Ulm hasn’t won a playoff game in a long time and is hopeful they can get one this season.