A close game at halftime quickly turned into a blowout. East Ridge scored three touchdowns in the first six minutes of the third quarter — Woodbury ran three offensive plays and had two turnovers in that stretch — and the Raptors pulled away to beat their crosstown rival 54-7. Cedric Tomes threw for three touchdowns and ran for another for the Raptors at TCO Stadium. Jacob Merchlewitz added rushing and receiving scores and recovered a fumble. “It’s your rival team. It means everything,” Merchlewitz said. “An amazing feeling,” added Tomes. East Ridge (2-2) scored 27 of its 54 unanswered points in the third quarter. “Everyone is involved, everyone was pitching in and it came together with a big win,” Tomes said. “Offense, defense were doing their jobs and we ended up in great spots.” Coming out of halftime, Tomes was part of four plays that went for double-digit yardage in a seven-play scoring drive, including a 28-yard completion to Merchlewitz as the quarterback was hit by a defender. Three plays later, Tomes threw across his body to Payton Rehfeld for an 11-yard score to make it 17-7. Tomes was 15 of 18 for 200 yards through the air and ran for 50. East Ridge finished with 205 yards passing and 201 rushing. A James Martin interception on Woodbury’s second play put the ball at the Royals’ 3-yard line, from where Merchlewitz barreled in on the ensuing play. He was far from done. Listed as a defensive lineman/linebacker, the senior Merchlewitz recovered a fumble on Woodbury’s next play. Tomes and Kyle Frendt connected from 16 yards out three plays later for a 30-7 lead. Jackson Meyer stuffed a Woodbury runner on fourth down to again set up the Raptors in Royals’ territory. Merchlewitz caught a 9-yard touchdown pass to end the drive and bump the lead to 30. “We got caught in avalanche and we need to learn how to respond,” Woodbury coach Andy Hill said. The Royals had 176 total yards but turned the ball over five times via fumble or interception and three times on downs. A 37-yard touchdown by Frendt early in the fourth quarter put the game into running time. Luke Ryerse made a 32-yard field goal, his second of the game and Vincent Engler returned a fumble nine yards for a late score. East Ridge had been outscored 46-24 in losing its prior two outings. “They didn’t quit on anything, they continued to get better, they met the challenge during the week,” East Ridge coach Dan Fritze said. “These games are decided during the week of practice. That’s what they finally understand. We were much sharper because of that.” Things looked good early for Woodbury (2-2). Dominic Ebensteiner got a step on his defender and an arcing pass from Emmett Snuggerud was perfect for a 42-yard score and a 7-0 lead with 3:04 left in the opening quarter. The Raptors had the ball for 9-plus minutes in the second quarter to earn a 10-7 lead at intermission. A 45-yard Ryerse field goal capped a 12-play drive and Tomes squirmed through a small hole at the line and shed a couple tacklers en route to the 13-yard score in the half’s final minute. That, too, was a 12-play drive. Related Articles High School Sports | High school football: St. Thomas Academy uses all three phases to down Mahtomedi High School Sports | High school football: Robinson’s late touchdown run helps South St. Paul edge North St. Paul High School Sports | High school football: Rosario-Matias dominates as Stillwater beats Mounds View High School Sports | High school football: Eagan denies Lakeville South with late stops High School Sports | High School Football: Week 4 predictions