Graske’s career day helps Rosemount advance

Rosemount running back Christian Graske had not had a game like Friday night since elementary school. The Irish offense gave the ball to Graske, and then they gave it to him again and again. By the time the game was over, the Irish had a 35-21 victory over White Bear Lake and Graske had five touchdown runs. The game did not start well for the Irish. After forcing a three and out, the Irish were about to get great field position, but a short punt hit a Rosemount player in the leg, and the Bears jumped on the loose ball. "They must have had an eight-minute drive," Rosemount head coach Jeff Erdmann said. "It took a possession away we would have had with the wind." The Irish defense – capped off by linebacker Charlie Barrick's hit on the quarterback that forced an intentional grounding call - made a second stop to keep the Bears off the scoreboard, and then the Irish offense went to work. Combining Graske's runs and a pair of crossing routes to Jake Ratzlaff – the second for a twenty-five-yard gain – set up Graske's first touchdown run. His six-yard run gave the Irish a 6-0 lead. After White Bear answered with a touchdown drive of their own, the Irish offense – specifically the offensive line – went to work. They ran four straight plays behind the right side of the offensive line to pick up two first downs. Faced with a fourth and three at the twenty, quarterback Trevor Armborst threw a perfect strike on a slant to Mason McDonald for five yards and a first down. A few plays later, Graske ran around the right side to score his second touchdown. "They were on guys for the most part," Erdmann said about his offensive line. "We had a couple misses on the backside, but it was nice to be able to run the ball consistently." After the defense forced a three and out, the Irish got a gift from White Bear Lake's special teams. A muffed punt snap gave the Irish the ball at the Bears' ten-yard line. Two plays later, Graske had found pay dirt again, and the Irish had a commanding 20-7 lead. (Graske) "can make people miss," Erdmann said. "We can miss blocks, and he can still make people miss. He is a special back." Right before the half, the Bears went into their bag of tricks to cut into the deficit. A successful hook and ladder resulted in a touchdown, and White Bear Lake went into the half down just six points. The Bears made a stop and were on the move to start the second half, but a fumble stopped the drive. Graske made White Bear pay. The junior running back should have been stopped in the backfield, but he broke a tackle and sprinted down the sidelines for a sixty-yard run. Graske would finish the drive with a one-yard touchdown run and a 28-14 lead. White Bear would not go away. They would score the next touchdown and go into the fourth quarter only down a touchdown. The Bears would get no closer. After a 65-yard punt by Rosemount's Nathan Whiting flipped field position, the Irish defense would make one more play. A fumble recovery would – for the second time in the game – give the Irish the ball in the red zone. Faced with a fourth and goal from the one, Graske powered his way over the goal line for his fifth touchdown run of the game, and the finishing touches on a 35-21 victory. Rosemount will travel to play Eden Prairie next week.