It's on to state for Warriors

First round is here Friday
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Itís state football tournament time right here in Caledonia.

The CHS football team made sure of that in dramatic fashion when they beat Winona Cotter 26-13 on November 5 to win the Section 1AA title.

The Warriors (11-0) will now host Minnesota Valley Lutheran (9-2) in the first round of the state tournament this Friday at 7 p.m. on The Warriorsí home field.

Caledonia coach Carl Fruechte had predicted a lot of big plays in the game last Friday afternoon at Maxwell Field, and he was right.

Agonizing turnovers, big stops, aggravating penalties, interceptions and kickoff returns for touchdowns. You name it, it was all packed into one 48-minute game.

It was also the toughest test for Caledonia this year. The win turned out to be a solid one, but Caledonia trailed at halftime 5-0, and had managed only 55 yards of offense up to that point.

Cotter got the first two points of that lead when Caledonia receiver Brandon Skifton was tackled in the end zone for a safety on a play called a ìjailbreak screen.î Caledonia coach Carl Fruechte took the blame for calling that play. ìIt was my fault,î he said.

It came right after the Warriors had stopped Winona about a foot from the end zone on fourth and one. That stop was the first of two key fourth down stands by Caledonia.

The Warriors looked ready to take the lead after that. They got the ball at midfield on a Cotter punt, and moved to first-and-goal quickly on a pass and a run. But Travis Steele lost his grip on the ball on the five yard line, and Cotter recovered in the end zone for a touchback.

Cotterís David Leaf banked a field goal in from 32 yards to end the scoring as time expired in the first half. It was set up by another Warrior fumble on the Cotter five yard line. Cotter appeared to score a touchdown on a pass after that, but it was called back by a holding penalty.

Gran sparks comeback

The direction of the game started to change in an 11 second span that started the third quarter. Zach Gran fielded the Cotter kick-off on the 23 and pinballed down the left sideline for a touchdown, a spectacular run that brought the Warrior fans roaring to their feet. The two point conversion failed, making it 6-5 Caledonia.

The lead was short-lived, thanks to a 65 yard touchdown run by Jake Wanek just 25 seconds later. Cotter made the two-point conversion for a 13-6 lead.

Then it was time for yet another big play. Cotter had the ball, thanks to a Caledonia fumble, when Cotter receiver Sam Blank caught a pass in the flat. Blank, who also plays QB, then cocked his arm to throw another pass. He tipped his hand and his eyes toward Steele. The senior racehorse intercepted the ball, then put on some moves that belonged on the 110-high hurdles and not a football field. Twice he leaped over piles of players as he weaved down the left sideline and into the end zone. Luke Nelsonís kick tied the game at 6:08 of the third quarter, and you could feel the momentum shift. The vocal Warrior fans that spilled out of the bleachers drowned out their Winona counterparts and made a big difference in the game, Fruechte said.

Caledoniaís defense then made its second big fourth down stop. Cotter had the ball on the Caledonia 47 facing a fourth and 1 late in the third quarter. Caledonia stopped the run and took over on downs.

ìWe felt that we knew where they were going with the ball,î Fruechte said of the big stops. ìOur kids got off the ball pretty well, stayed low, and didnít get pushed back. Thatís half the battle right there.î

Three minutes and eight plays later, Andrell Hudson ran for a 14 yard touchdown and a 20-13 lead. Steele sealed the win with a 15-yard run with 9:03 left. Nelsonís kick was blocked.

Caledoniaís defense looked like its old solid self by that point. It stopped both runs and an increasing number of desperation passes. Cotter QB Chris Wolfe was just 6 for 26 in passing for 46 yards. He was sacked five times, four by future University of Iowa player Karl Klug. Wolfe faced a lot of pressure from the front line of Karl Klug, Josh Wynn, Andrell Hudson, and Simon Augedahl.

Caledonia offensive and defensive end Sam Gerardy was on the sidelines with a broken foot. Karl Klug, normally a running back, played his position on offense for the first half. Jason Corcoran played there the second half, with Klug going back into the backfield.

That change helped get the offense back on track, Coach Fruechte said. ìThat kind of changed everything,î he said. ìNow youíre running not only behind Kevin [Klug] but Karl.î

Team didnít panic

Fruechte was proud of his players for not panicking at the half after being down. It was the first time they had been shut out for a half, and the first time they trailed at intermission. ìI think the kids were more upset with themselves,î Fruechte said. ìWe knew that we could play better.î

The offensive line came out with a better attitude in the second half too, Fruechte said. The line is Chris Summers at center, Brent Knutson and Wyatt Hammell at guard, Paul Bulman and Josh Wynn at tackle, and Corcoran at tight end.

Playing without Sam Gerardy hurt the team, Fruechte said. ìSamís a big part of what weíve been doing.î

Fruechte said he was excited for his hard-working team. ìItís nice to finally break through. Weíve had a lot of great teams. Iím really proud of all of them.î

One big difference in the game from previous Warrior victories was in turnovers. Caledonia tries and usually succeeds to be at least plus-three in that department, but against Cotter they had three take-aways and four give-aways for a minus one. Fruechte was not happy with that statistic. ìWeíve got to clean up the center-quarterback snaps,î he said. ìWe just canít have them.î

He added that the special teamsí play was solid, and that Simon Augedahl did a good job punting for Gerardy. ìWeíve just got to speed it up a little bit,î he said. That goes for the field goal team too, Fruechte added. Augedahl punted five times for 159 yards.

One other factor helped Caledonia, Fruechte said: the fans. ìI think they were outstanding and I definitely think they had a role in why we won that game,î he said.

The players commented on that too, Fruechte added. ìI think it really affected Winona Cotter and I know it helped our kids.î

Fruechte said he is is proud of the fans, and said his team will need them again this Friday. Thatís one thing that the coach does not have to worry about. A state tournament home game Friday night under the lights ñ it doesnít get much more exciting than that in Caledonia.

ï Statistics: Karl Klug caught two passes for 42 yards. Skifton had two catches for 5 yards. Steele was the leading rusher for Caledonia with 66 yards on 11 carries. Hudson had 59 yards on 14 carries, many of them late in the game as the Warriors burned time off the clock and kept the ball out of Cotterís hands. Kevin Klug had four carries for 42 yards. Gran had two punt returns for 40 yards. The offense rushed for 158 yard and passed for 47 for a 205 yard total. They gave up 152 rushing yards and 46 passing for a 198 total.

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