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MANCELONA - It's probably safe to say at this point that the Mancelona Ironmen have fully recovered from their season-opening loss to Elk Rapids.

And that continues to be bad news for the rest of the Ski Valley Conference.

The Ironmen won their fourth straight game last Friday night, dispatching Pellston with consumate ease, 51-13. Mancelona improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

But, while they remain alone in first place, the Ironmen need to keep winning or risk permitting the once-beaten conference teams like Forest Area sneak into a share of the lead.

Senior running back Adam Duerksen continued his one-man assault on the league defenses with another superlative performance that further enhances his chances of being named All-State.

Duerksen hasn't rushed for under 100 yards this season, and if he continues at this pace, he should reach or surpass 1,000 before it's over ... and the Ironmen are eyeing a playoff berth.

Duerksen did a number on Pellston, plowing through the holes opened by the offensive line for 153 yards on only nine carries for a whopping 17-yards per carry average.

Regardless of any media attention he gets, Duerksen is obviously the target for every defense Mancelona faces.

The Ironmen know that opposing teams' scouts are in the stands for all of their games, and their report indicates who is their best back. They don't need to read a newspaper to figure that out.

But avoiding the blocks provided by the Mancelona offensive line is another matter.

So far, no team has been able to do it effectively.

Duerksen scored three touchdowns for the Ironmen, while Kody Balhorn added 106 yards rushing on eight attempts and scored a touchdown. Mike Herczak rounded out the Mancelona rushing for the day with 62 yards.

A trio of defenders shouldered most of the work for Mancelona, as Dayrn Hoogerhyde, Trenton Sweet and Sean Traylor led the team in tackles.

Cody Sehl and Justin Antaya each sacked the Pellston quarterback once.

Mancelona is at home Friday night for a league game against Central Lake. The Trojans are 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the conference, just one game behind the Ironmen.