ELY— Mt. Iron-Buhl played homecoming spoiler this past Friday as they handed the now 3-2 Timberwolves their second-straight loss, 36 – 6. The Wolves, whose vaunted defense hadn’t allowed opponents a single point in their first three games of the season, have now given up 58 points in their last five quarters.

The absence of senior fullback and linebacker Blaise Lah was apparent against the Rangers, and Ely made some lineup changes to adjust. Senior quarterback Carter Gaulke shifted to a runningback slot, giving sophomore QB Bryce Longwell his first start of the season. The Wolves hope to have Lah back in the lineup this week along with senior running back/linebacker Matthew Gerzin.

“We will be back at full strength,” said Ely Head Coach Brian Lamppa. “Everyone will be back to their normal position.”

Ely’s offense, which has struggled at times this season, had another tough outing against the Rangers, as they watched promising drives wither while racking up just 198 yards of total offense. Eli Conaway proved the workhorse, with 77 yards on 25 carries, while Gaulke carried 22 times for 37 yards. Longwell completed three of five pass attempts for 21 yards and scored Ely’s only touchdown on a short run.

Conaway led Ely’s defense as well, with seven tackles, followed by Thomas Montana with six, and Collen Seliskar and Nate Netiffee with four apiece.

The Wolves, now 1-2 in the Big North conference, hope to get everyone back on the field and back on track on Friday. The remainder of the season won’t get any easier for Ely and the remaining schedule will play a big role in determining their playoff seeding.

The Wolves travel to Grand Marais on Friday to face the 4-1 Vikings and will be at Silver Bay on Oct. 13 to take on the 1-4 Mariners. They host 4-1 North Woods in their regular season finale on Wednesday, Oct. 18.