COLUMBUS — For a few brief moments things were looking up for the winless Columbus Cardinals.

They had taken a 7-0 lead over Watertown Luther Prep thanks to a 53-yard halfback option pass from Graham Fagerburg to Dan Hayes. Then, the Phoenix laid a world of hurt on the Cardinals — literally and figuratively.

In a span of less than a minute late in the first quarter, the Phoenix scored two touchdowns and sent starting Columbus quarterback Bryant Baker and leading receiver Dan Hayes to the bench with injuries on their way to a 42-7 Northern Capitol romp over the Cardinals (0-8, 0-4 North).

"We had them where we wanted them and then Bryant, our best playmaker, goes down and that set the tone for the rest of the game," Columbus coach Jason Brunell said. "That's been the story of our season, though."

Mark Waldschmidt of the Phoenix evened things at 7-7 with a 54-yard run at the 3:25 mark of the first quarter. Peter Schlicht put the Phoenix (4-4, 2-2) up for good with a 76-yard interception return for a touchdown at 2:37.

Jake Hahn made it 21-7 with a 1-yard run midway through the second quarter and then junior quarterback Jon Schroeder made his presence felt, figuring in Luther Prep's final three scores.

He found Scott Henrich all alone in the end zone for a 20-yard scoring pass and a 28-7 advantage with 3:17 left in the first half.

He put the game out of reach with two third quarter scores, the first on an 11-yard run to cap the opening drive and the second on a 7-yard scamper with 3:13 left that gave the Phoenix a 42-7 lead and a running clock.

Fagerburg, who replaced Baker at quarterback, finished the night with 50 yards rushing for Columbus and 152 yards through the air.

Columbus closes out its season Thursday when it travels to Poynette.

LUTHER PREP 42, COLUMBUS 7

Luther Prep  14  14  14  0  -  42

Columbus       7    0   0   0  -  7

C- Hayes 53  pass Fagerburg (Baker kick) 1st 10:54

WLP - Waldschmidt 54 run (Chartrand kick) 1st 3:25

WLP - Schlicht 74 interception return (Chartrand kick) 1st 2:37

WLP - Hahn 1  run (Chartrand kick) 2nd 7:26

WLP - Henrich 20  pass Schroeder (Chartrand kick) 2nd 3:17

WLP - Schroeder 11  run (Chartrand kick) 3rd 9:25

WLP - Schroeder 7 run (Chartrand kick) 3rd 3:33    

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs - W 14, C 13 . Rushing (Att.-Yds.) - W  30-244, C 31-103. Passing yards - W 93, C  152. Passes (Comp.-Att.Int.) - W 5-6-1, C 10-25-3. Penalties-yards - W 6-42, C 9-53. Fumbles-lost - W  3-1, C 1-0.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: W - Waldschmidt 7-99, C - Fagerburg 12-50. Passing: W - Schroeder 5-6-93-1-1, C - Fagerburg 10-25-152-1-3. Receiving: W -  Henrich 3-76-1, C - Hayes 1-53-1, Schmidt 3-45.