LINDSAY — Goodbye monkey.

Lindsay welcomed Muenster to town Friday and sent the proverbial monkey on the back packing as the Knights took the Kraut Bowl with a 14-3 non-district win over the rival Hornets at Henry B. Schroeder Stadium.

“It’s a matter of pride for these kids,” said first-year Lindsay coach Charles Boles. “It’s a matter of pride for both teams. It was important for our seniors to be able to pull together and get a win against a great, great football team.”

Muenster beat Lindsay four times in the last two years coming into the game, including twice in the postseason.

Lindsay (3-1) used a mixture of big plays and a strong defense to down Muenster for the first time since 2009 when the Knights defeated the Hornets at home 21-14.

Both of the Knights’ touchdowns came on long runs from speedy running backs Blake Walker and Hud Harrison as the two combined for a total of 158 yards rushing – Walker with 95 on 18 carries and Harrison with 63 on 11 carries.

The Knights piled up 178 yards on the ground as a team.

After the two teams traded punts for the first quarter, Lindsay finally broke loose for its first score. Walker broke a bevy of tackles on a run up the middle before finally diving into the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown with 8:59 left in the half.

“(Blake) is a pretty handy running back,” Boles said. “I’m glad he’s on our team.”

The Lindsay defense suffocated the Muenster (2-2) offense throughout the night. The Hornets were able to convert 12 first downs as they moved the ball well at times but ultimately couldn’t find pay dirt.

Lindsay limited Muenster to just 127 yards of total offense – 66 passing and 61 rushing. The Hornets also committed six penalties, four of which from false starts.

“We didn’t deserve to win from an offensive stand point,” Muenster coach Brady Carney said.  “Too many penalties and too many dropped footballs. We didn’t execute up front either. If you play like that, you don’t deserve to win.”

Quarterback Mason Binder led Muenster with 43 yards rushing on 14 carries. The Hornet signal caller connected on 6 of 24 passes for 66 yards and an interception to Lindsay’s Austin Bird on a desperation heave late in the game.

“We didn’t have a lot going on up front so we had to go to the air more,” Carney said.

Harrison added Lindsay’s second touchdown on a 41-yard jaunt up the middle. Harrison out ran Muenster defensive back Colton Lang to the left pylon.

The Lindsay defense made a couple of defensive stops near the goal line that ultimately may have saved the game for the Knights.

The Knights forced a turnover on downs late in the first half when Cody Thurman rushed a pass from Binder, forcing an incompletion on fourth down.

The Lindsay defense would strike again in the fourth quarter as the Knights held out on their own 11-yard line as the Hornets had three straight runs stuffed for no gain.

The Hornets would have to settle for a 22-yard field goal from Hunter Klement.

Both Neely Rose and Dylan Hughes had sacks in the game – Hughes also forced a fumble that went the Knights’ way.

“Coach (Greg) Lane did a phenomenal job and the kids enjoyed the game plan,” Boles said. “(The kids) executed the game plan perfectly. We played very physical, too. I was very glad to see that.”

Lindsay quarterback John Haverkamp was perfect on the night going 4-for-4 passing for 42 yards. Bird was the leading receiver with four catches for 33 yards.

Lindsay and Muenster honored former Hornet football player Clayton Fangman before the game and at halftime. Fangman died in an ATV accident over the summer.

“I thought that was very special,” Boles said.

With his first Kraut Bowl win under his belt, Boles said he was happy to be a part of the long tradition of the game.

“It was a great crowd and a great atmosphere,” he said. “I thought kids on both teams played with great sportsmanship and great enthusiasm. That’s what this game is really all about.”

Muenster 0 0 0 3 – 3

Lindsay 0 7 7 0 – 14

Scoring

Second quarter

LHS – Blake Walker 20 run (John Haverkamp kick), 8:59

Third quarter

LHS – Hud Harrison 41 run (Haverkamp kick), 8:22

Fourth quarter

MHS – Hunter Klement 22 field goal, 8:30

Rushing 29-61 42-178

C-A-I 6-24-1 4-5-0

Passing Yards 66 42

Total Yards 127 220

Punt-Avg. 4-29.5 5-32

Fum-L 1-1 1-1

Rushing – Muenster, Mason Binder 14-43; Trevor Hess 9-17; Steven Flusche 3-1; Clint Sidwell 3-0. Lindsay, Blake Walker 18-95; Hud Harrison 11-63; Trevor DeBord 6-29; Caleb Anderle 1-0; John Haverkamp 5-(minus-9).

Passing – Muenster, Mason Binder 6-24-1-66. Lindsay, John Haverkamp 4-4-0-42; Hud Harrison 0-1-0-0.

Receiving – Muenster, Clint Sidwell 3-39; Trevor Hess 2-16; Austin Hennigan 1-11. Lindsay, Caleb Anderle 3-33; 1-9.