Season On The Sidelines (Part 2)

This story will cover Weeks 4-6 which was probably our toughest stretch of the schedule. A Section Rivalry game, which was also Homecoming, a rivalry in the making, and a longtime traveling trophy rivalry game. Each one of these games built up more tension based on Section seeding as well as QRF coming into play. Check out the key players from each team! Week Four: Redwood Valley Cardinals (7-3) For years this team was always the team that made the Section Championship, so we knew this would be a tough game. They always have tons of weapons with lots of team speed and just the will to win. They are always a well coached team on both sides of the ball, and always have a few tricks up their sleeves. Cardinals Highlighted: ’22 ATH- Drew Lundeen is listed as an athlete here because he literally played every position (WR, RB, LB, DB, and threw some passes) for the Cardinals, and played them well. He’s the kid you could scheme for all week and he’d still find a way to make big plays for his team. He has a lot of speed, agility and packs a good punch, but above all, his football IQ has got to be extremely high. He played at LB depth, but could go in pass coverage or fill hard on run support, he can run with anyone and make a tackle with a good hit. He’s the kid to slow down if you want to win the game. ’22 OL/DL/RB- Maverick Goblirsch was another kid who was moved around to make plays. He started at Center, gave a good initial push off the snap. Played NT and really disrupted the run game up the middle, was in the backfield often. They would put him in the backfield at RB and they would give him runs on the perimeter, or put him in the slot and give him jet sweeps. He has speed and power, very tough to tackle one-on-one. Defensively, he stayed disciplined on the line and scraped down the line well to make plays around the Line of Scrimmage. ’22 WR/DB- Carter Peterson was the reliable target for them when they needed first down, ran good routes and sat in open space. He gave the QB a good target and always secured the catch and would fight for extra yardage after each catch. Defensively he had good pass drops and covered the deep routes to a T. He did a great job ready the QB and putting himself in position to make a play. He was also a pretty sure handed tackler in the last line of defense. ’23 RB/DB- Evan Cooper had a good game running the ball. In a RPO dominant offense, he did a great job busting off good chunks of yardage each time he was given the ball. He kept his pad level low and really drove through tacklers, always falling forward, and protected the ball. He could also split out wide and be a good target out there as well with a good set of hands. He was also pretty agile and could rip off a big gain with his speed when he got into space. Defensively, he was kind of a Nickel back that could slide up and play end as well. He did a great job containing on the perimeter and breaking down to make tackles as well, flowing to the ball on each play. ’22 QB- Alex Lang was a good offensive field general, the right guy to have running this type of offense. He was very patient, letting his receivers run their routes and then throwing them open. He made very good decisions in the game, not forcing passes very often, but also knowing when to give the ball, or pull and throw it, also knowing when to throw it away and not giving anyone a chance to catch it. Week Five: Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Knights (2-7) Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial is becoming a rivalry in the making, this being our fourth ever meeting with the team. After two close games with them last season, we knew they would come out swinging against us this year. They have a roster full of good athletes that could hurt you in different ways, they do simple things very well to put together a good scheme each week. Knights Highlighted: ’23 QB/DB- Mike Matteson stepped into a big role this year as the teams QB. He emerged this season as a dual-threat QB, showing he can make big plays with his legs. He has a lot of speed once he breaks the pocket and takes off on the run, he does a good job keeping his eyes downfield however and will make a good throw on the run if he can find a guy. He makes good decisions when it comes to throwing the ball, or pulling it down and running for it. He can really zip a ball into a tight window. Defensively, he seemed to be the corner they wanted to man up receivers. He could run with just about anyone and he had a height advantage on a lot of kids. He also could go up and make a play on the ball, while also coming up and filling on run support on the perimeter. ’22 RB/LB- [player_tooltip player_id="116269" first="Camden" last="Ludeman"] has proven to be a workhorse for the Knights over the past two seasons. He has some sneaky speed, being able to get to the perimeter on those outside runs in a hurry. He can also run through a lot of players, lowering his pads and making more than one guy bring him down on many plays, he also did well in pass protection as well. He is another back that can be split out wide and be a good target on passing downs. Defensively, he was a good middle backer, bringing a lot of pressure on blitzes, and filling hard on run support. He was a sure-handed tackler, wrapped up well and finished the tackle. ’22 OL/DL- [player_tooltip player_id="112106" first="Gage" last="McManemy"] was their horse to run behind. He had the frame to show that he could be big in the line on both sides of the ball. He had a quick first step firing off the ball and making good down blocks to wash down the LB’s and D-linemen. He stayed low on pulls and really punished the defenders coming up field. He has good feet to get him in good position to both pass and run block. Defensively, he used the same attributes to make life difficult for the opposing offense. If the O-Line didn’t finish their block, he made the ballcarrier pay for it with a big hit as they came to his gap. ’23 TE/LB- Drew Dahl was the most targeted among the receiving corps. He had a good frame and hands to make him a good target. He ran good routes and was able to find space to sit in when he got open. He could also make a good gain after securing a catch. Defensively, he did a good job setting the edge and turning everything inside of him. He also could put a little extra pressure on the QB on passing downs. ’23 LB/OL- Jacob Tesch shined more on defense from what I watched. He was the blitzer that went on almost every play. He would take off on the snap and just go find the football after reading his keys. He was a great tackler, taking the best angles to the ball carrier and really laying a shoulder to him every play he made. He barreled through most blocks when they engaged each other and kept going to find the ball. Week Six: Luverne Cardinals (4-6) Battle Axe week, one of the toughest games and teams we’d play all season. Throw records, rankings and stats out the window in this game because none of that matters once the ball is kicked off. The Cardinals are one of the most traditional play style teams in the state, nothing too fancy, just straight ahead, smash-mouth football, and they always do it well. That was the reason this game stayed close, they were physical and disciplined all game. Cardinals Highlighted: ’22 RB/LB- Ashton Sandbulte was their workhorse on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he got the bulk of the carries and was pounding his way down the field all game, he also had a great deal of break away speed once he broke into open field. He did not dance at all, got exactly where he needed to go and got there in a hurry. Defensively, he roamed from LB to DE spots. He did an excellent job getting reads and getting to wherever he needed to go. He filled hard on run support, and put a lot of pressure on the QB in pass plays. He flowed to the ball really well, usually around it as the play ended. ’22 DL/TE- [player_tooltip player_id="120952" first="Nathaniel" last="Cole-Kraty"] played well on defense. His quick first step off the ball, combined with his power and speed got him in the backfield constantly, usually bringing the blocker with him. He really like to hit kids, loved bringing a shot to any kid with the ball, or getting in his way. He put on pressure on the QB nearly every down, making the ball having to come out quickly. Offensively, he was a good edge blocker, he really gave them the edge on the perimeter. His quick feet gave him the best position to hook defenders and let his ball carrier to the outside. ’22 LB/OL- Connor Overgaard wreaked havoc on the defensive side. He seemed to always be around the ball when the play was over. He had lots of speed to fly all around the field and had great instincts to find the football. He was able to evade blocks and get in the backfield and stop the ballcarrier for little-to-no-gain. A very sure-handed tackler, nobody escaped his tackles when he would wrap them up. Offensively, he played physical enough to stalemate his defender every time, or even drive him off the ball. His technique was stellar, from footwork to hand placement, a technical player. He did a great job opening lanes for his backs, especially getting the initial push on the short yardage situations. ’22 DT/OL- Jamie McCarthy was another run stuffing tackle, drove the Center back every play off the snap, and was good at picking the ball carrier when he got in the backfield far enough. Made time short for the QB as well, flushing him or making the ball get out quick. Another good tackler that was hard to get away from. Offensively, helped lead the way for the RB, using his good attributes to beat defenders back off the ball. Kept good position to be a good blocker in both pass and the run game. ’24 TE/LB- [player_tooltip player_id="105413" first="Conner" last="Connell"] had good size, speed and strength to make him a good TE adding his hands into the equation as well. He was also a good run blocker with his quick first step and initial push off the snap really helped the run game surge ahead. When they passed, he ran good routes to get himself open, and was really reliable when catching the ball, if he could get up to speed, it was going to be a footrace. He could also go up and high point the ball well too. Defensively, he played another Nickel type LB, covering the slots, but stepping in on run support too. He also flowed really well and found the ball quick, another good tackler, sticking his shoulder pad in a lot of his tackles.