FOOTBALL

What started as a laugher got a little too close for the comfort of the Caledonia football team last Friday.

The Warriors, 2-0, won their home opener 27-20 over St. Charles. But a 27-0 halftime lead was hardly safe against the Fighting Saints, who shut down the Warriors in the second half while scoring three touchdowns.

It looked like a run-away at first to the fans that filled the north bleachers on a warm summer evening. Justin Conway scored on a three yard run, and Matt Frank caught a seven yard pass from Cory Messner to give Caledonia a 14-0 first quarter lead, with Phil Guillien kicking both extra points. St. Charles could barely hang onto the ball, let alone score touchdowns.

More carnage followed, with an identical score from Conway, and a 13-yard stampede by Kevin Klug. Halftime score, 27-0, with Guillien missing the last kick. Caledonia moved the ball well, with a strong push from the line and Travis Steele using his speed for nice gains.

But the Fighting Saints scored just minutes into the third quarter when Chad Persons caught a 25 yard pass from Sam Pederson. They hooked up for another 22-yard score in the fourth quarter following a one yard touchdown run by Matt Kohn. The two point conversion at the end made the score 27-20.

St. Charles could have won it at the end, but cornerback Matt Frank batted down a fourth down pass on the Caledonia five yard line to end the game. The defense was helped at the end by a switch to a ìman under cover two deepî defense. This meant that the safeties played over the top, and the St. Charles receivers were covered at the line. ìIt just seemed to work at the end,î Caledonia Coach Carl Fruechte said.

St. Chuck ended up with 306 passing yards, compared to just 33 on the ground.

Two successful on-side kicks helped the Fighting Saints control the ball in the second half. ìIt felt like we didnít have the ball at all in the second halfî Fruechte said.

Fruechte gave credit to St. Charles for the comeback, and he acknowledged some defensive lapses that allowed several long third and fourth down conversions.

But the coach stressed another point: ìOn the plus side, we did win the game. That is our goal. We knew St. Charles was going to be tough. I think it was a good learning experience for our kids. In this conference you can never apologize for winning. Itís just too tough a conference.î

He added: ìPeople have got to remember these are high school kids.î

ï Statistics: Steele gained 86 yards on nine rushes. Conway rushed for 38 yards in 15 carries. Messner was 4 of 7 in passing for 27 yards. Klug had 19 yards on seven carries, a 25 yard kickoff return, three sacks, and an interception. Jacob Hoscheit, Gerardy, Ross Meyer, and Nathan Becker also had QB sacks. Hoscheit had an interception, and Matt Frank had four unassisted tackles. Sam Gerardy punted four times for 126 yards. Total offense for Caledonia was 199 yards, with 27 passing and 172 rushing.

Caledoniaís next game is at Plainview, a team which Fruechte called one of the top two teams in Minnesota.

BOYS SOCCER

A late goal by Caledonia gave the Warriors a 1-1 tie with La Crescent in a tense home boys soccer game on September 9.

Caledonia (3-0-1) scored with just 2:26 left in regulation, deflating what looked like a Lancer victory.

ìFor us to come back in two minutes and take that win away from that, we felt pretty good about that,î Caledonia coach Tom Krinke said.

The dramatic finish came when Craig Halverson got outside and got a good shot on La Crescent goalie Eriah Hayes.

Hayes blocked the ball, but Alex Guillien moved up from his defensive position and kicked in the rebound past the diving goalie.

The Lancers took the lead both on the scoreboard and seemingly on the confidence front when Chris Purdue scored unassisted on a deflection in the box at 56:00.

That sent La Crescent players into an early celebration and a defensive mode that stymied Caledonia for the next 20 minutes.

Then came the flurry in front of the western goal, almost faster than the roaring crowd ñ and the Lancer defense ñ could take in. It left Hayes with his arms raised in frustration, and fullback Alex Einerwold kneeling on the grass, head in hands.

Players for the two teams sparred several times, with bruising kicks and pushes that drew penalties and scoldings from the referee and linesmen and some choice words on the sidelines. It was obvious there was a healthy respect if not something more between the two evenly-matched teams.

Caledonia goalie Lucas Nelson had eight saves. Hayes just had three saves, which testified to La Crescentís ability to jam up Caledonia for most of the night.

Krinke was not happy with that fact, but he said his defense played well, especially after Allen Bauer left with an ankle injury. Ryan Cody filled in well for him, Krinke said.

Krinke named Guillien the Star of the Game. ìHe played defense and took on most of their attack. To move up like that at the end was really exceptional.î

The coach felt that La Crescent outplayed Caledonia for most of the game, then added, ìWeíll settle it out the next time we play them.î

Caledonia 3, Aquinas 1

Adam Zard had two goals to lead the Warriors to their third straight win on September 7 in Caledonia. His first score came at 27 minutes after Craig Halverson passed him the ball. Zard scored again at 39:00 unassisted.

Zard drew a penalty kick when he was pulled down in the box. Nick Rollins took the kick and made it, the second time he has done that this year.

Rollins, a senior, was an offensive player in the past, but made the decision to play defense this year. Krinke said that was ìadmirable.î

Krinke gave Zard the Star of the Game award. Nelson had five saves for the Warriors.

It was an excellent effort for Caledonia, Krinke said. ìWe controlled the game from start to finish. We held the ball, we out-shot them. We just wore them out.î

This week, the boys have three road games, at Plainview on Monday, at West Salem on September 16, and at an Aquinas tournament on Saturday.

GIRLS SOCCER

The CHS girls soccer team left La Crescent last Thursday night with a 2-2 tie in overtime

ìThe La Crescent game should have been ours from the start,î said coach Sue Link. Only two referees officiated at the game instead of the three that are present at most contests. That leads to missed calls as well as questionable calls because the officials have too much ground to cover.

The first goal of the game was scored by eighth grader Mary Ellen Schiltz at 30:00 in the first half. La Crescent scored on a penalty kick in the second period and the game ended 1 all.

Rachel Ellenz scored a goal for Caledonia in the second period of overtime, which was answered 1 minute, 30 seconds later with a La Crescent goal.

Link said that the girls made the mistake of switching to a defensive mode after the goal and retreated, allowing the Lancers into the goal area and giving them a chance to shoot.

Link said she also thinks a Caledonia goal at the end of the game should have counted, but didnít.

ìIt was a game of disappointments,î said Link.

On the positive side, La Crescent provided good competition because its players are quick to the ball and exhibit good foot work.

ìIt was good for us to play themî she said.

Caledonia didnít play at full intensity the entire game, which the coach plans to remedy with increased running and sprinting in practice. She noted also that the defense started sluggish but improved as the game went on.

Sophomore Ellen Klug did an excellent job at goalie and had 11 saves. Lynn Bauer hustled and moved the ball up the field, and Leah Bartelson and Emily Welscher. Brianna Polus had spurts of intensity, and the coach said she would like to see that intensity throughout the whole game.

Rachel Ellenz came through for the team as did Katie Schutz, said Coach Link.

The team has a lot of young players with potential who just need to get to the next level, said Link.

Girls beat Cotter 5-0

The Warriors had little trouble against Winona Cotter, winning 5-0 on September 7. Caledonia scored four of its goals in the first half.

ìEveryone was able to play,î said Coach Link. ìWe passed well and worked on takeovers. We usually depend on speed.î Link said that the game was also a good opportunity for the girls to work on shooting.

Scoring for Caledonia were Clare Goetzinger, Brianna Polus (2), Sara Kasten, and Katie Schutz. Rachel Ellenz had three assists.

Ellen Klug was goalkeeper.

Girls win Loyola Tourney

A deep bench and lots of teamwork helped the Caledonia girls claim the championship of the Loyola Tournament Saturday in Mankato.

It was an extremely warm day, and Coach Link subbed frequently to keep the girls fresh.

In the first game, the girls shut out Mankato East 7-0. Brianna Polus scored first at 5:00 on a free kick, and made the second goal after dribbling around the goalie. Rachel Ellenz contributed two more goals to give the team a 4-0 lead at the half. After a collision with the goalie, Polus sat out most of the reset of the game with a bruised shin.

In the second half, Sarah Colleran dribbled around a defender for a goal. Theresa Ellenz made the next goal with an assist from Colleran. Sara Kasten made the final goal. Danielle Frank played goalie in the second half of the game.

ìWe were able to see players step into their game wit confidence,î said Coach Link. Brooke Christian, Mary Ellen Schiltz, Theresa Ellenz, Clare Goetzinger, Kendra Rohrer and Anna Wittry all saw playing time.

ìThankfully we could go to the bench because it was so warm,î said Link. ìIt was the first year on varsity for some of the players and we were trying out different positions.î

The girls won their second game against Mankato Loyola 1-0.

ìWe really played well as a team,î said Link. ìWe really kept the ball on our side of the field. It was a stellar performance. We had to pass and rely on one another. The defense did a great job, as did the mid-field.î

The low score was a surprise considering that Caledonia took 38 shots.

ìWe need to get some steam on the ball,î said Link.

Brianna Polus scored the only goal of the game, shooting low into the left corner.

ìI want everyone to shoot but to do it with authority,î said the coach.

She singled out Kendra Rohrer as a player who was aggressive and quick to the ball. Mariah Conway did an excellent job at stopper, said Link.

On Saturday, Caledonia hosts the Caledonia Invitational. Visiting teams are La Crescent, Kasson and Mankato Loyola.

VOLLEYBALL

This past week was a volleyball seminar for the Caledonia volleyball team. Although their conference matches didnít go their way, the extensive talent the Warriors possess was honed just that much sharper for the experience.

Aquinas Tournament

Caledonia finished the day 3-3 at the Aquinas tournament on Saturday, September 4. ìOnalaska Luther gave us a nice match right off the bat,î said coach Scott Koepke. ìWe played some excellent defense and pulled out game three, 13-25, 25-19, 16-14.î The Warriors lost to Holmen in three and then beat La Crosse Central in two and lost to Assumption in two.

ìMosinee was the top team at the tournament and we played some excellent VB against them,î said Koepke. ìAfter splitting the first two games they nudged us 15-11 in the third. They had two excellent outside hitters who were extremely tough.

ìI thought the girls played very hard defensively but just came up a little short. We finished up by beating Prairie Du Chien 2-0.î

Caledonia vs. Elgin Millville

Highly rated Elgin-Millville handed Caledonia itís first conference loss for the season on Tuesday, September 7. Scores were 18-25, 6-15 and 18-25.

ìElgin has two middle hitters that can really bring the heat. You have to tip your hat to them. They really bring it,î said Koepke. ìOur girls played very hard during this match and had some very nice digs. ìWe played some excellent VB in games one and three but just couldn't get over the hump,î he said. ìWe gained a lot of knowledge about things we have to work on to improve. If we can take that from this match that can be a positive for us.î Elgin-Millville and Chatfield are now the heavy favorites to win the conference. Coach Koepke said that E-M just beat Wabasha 3-0 and is going to be hard to stop.

Statistics

Vanessa Augedahl had 4 blocks, 5 digs and 3 kills; Heather Ideker had 5 digs, 12 set assists, and 1 ace; Angie Ideker had 3 digs, 4 kills and 4 aces; Karly Misch had 3 digs, 1 set assist, 1 kill and 1 ace; Alecia Fruechte had 3 digs and 2 kills; Ashley King had 1 block, 1 dig, and 2 kills; Maggie McCarthy had 1 kill and Kelsey Renk had 1 dig.

Caledonia vs. Lewiston

It was a tough, tough match of four games against Lewiston on Thursday, September 9 with Caledonia losing 3-1. Scores were 24-26, 25-27, 25-21, and 14-25.

ìOnce again our girls played very hard in this match,î said Koepke. ìThis work ethic is becoming a theme for us this year. The match didn't go our way. Having leads of 24-20 in both the first two games is tough, but we have to learn from that so we can be ready when that opportunity comes again.î

Lewiston had one outside hitter that had a great match and they served very well. ìThey deserve a lot of credit,î said Koepke, ìthey played well.î

Statistics

Heather Ideker had 1 block, 4 digs, 19 set assists and 3 kills; Angie Ideker 2 blocks, 5 digs, 11 kills and 6 aces; Ashley King 4 digs, 7 kills and 2 aces; Vanessa Augedahl 2 blocks, 4 digs, 6 kills and 1 ace; Alecia Fruechte 3 digs and 6 kills, Karly Misch 4 digs, 3 kills and 1 ace; Kelsey Renk 2 digs and 1 ace.

Upcoming Schedule

The Warriors will travel to Plainview tomorrow, September 16 and will participate in the Waukon tournament Saturday, September 18. they will host Goodhue on Tuesday, September 21.