Posted: 11/27/07
Warriors are Class AA State Champions
 Warrior defenders Casey Bauer (4) and Eddie Hodges (48) closed in on the Luverne quarterback during the State Class AA Championship game won by Caledonia 14-7. (photo by Reed Welch) |
By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
It may have taken 31 years to repeat, but the Caledonia Warriors are once again state football champs. The 2007 edition topped a large and very physical Luverne team 14-7 Friday evening at the HHH Metrodome to claim the Class AA State Championship.
The outcome of the nail-biting contest was in doubt until senior tailback Zach Gran squeezed through a hole in the Cardinal defense on a fourth and one situation on the 31 yard line. The chain crew was called out, and with 2:10 left in the game, and the Warriors leading 14-7, the refereeís spot gave Caledonia a first down by an inch. The CHS offense was able to run the clock out, since the Cardinals had used up their time-outs, and the celebration was on.
The large contingency of Warrior fans nearly blew the roof off the Dome, as they celebrated the state championship win.
Warriors scored first
Caledonia opened the scoring with an eight-play, 67-yard drive that was set up when Tyler Stemper forced a Cardinal fumble and Dustin King recovered the ball on the CHS 33. The Warrior scoring drive was culminated with a five-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Kody Moore to junior wideout Andy Bauer. The Ryan Goetzinger kick was good and with 1:50 remaining in the opening period, the Warriors had a 7-0 lead.
Cardinals answer
Luverne answered with 6:59 remaining in the second quarter on a two-yard run by senior running back Mitch Bauman to cap a 16-play, 80-yard drive. There were three lost fumbles in the first half to stymie drives for both teams. Luverne fumbled twice, with Casey Bauer picking up the second Cardinal miscue on the CHS 30-yardline at the 3:38 mark. That fumble was created by a nasty hit by sophomore Isaac Fruechte.
Missed field goal
It appeared as if the Warriors were going to be heading for the halftime intermission trailing the Cards. Taking the ball over at their own 20 yard line with 1:50 left in the first half, Luverne engineered a nine-play drive down to the CHS 18 yard line. With four seconds left, Luverne went for a field goal. Caledonia had two timeouts left, and coach Carl Fruechte utilized both of them.
"We had two timeouts left, and I figured, we might as well use them," the coach said following the game.
The CHS defense gave a big push, with Casey Bauer flying in from the side. The Warrior pressure, and the additional two minutes for the Luverne kicker to think about the field goal attempt sent the kick wide right and the Caledonia gridders into the locker room with a 7-7 score.
The winning TD
Following two possessions and two punts by both teams, the Warriors took the ball over at midfield at the 4:03 mark of the third period. Following a roughing the passer call, Pat Bolduan picked up a first down for CHS to the Cardinal 15. Gran rushed four yards on an off-tackle run and then caught a swing pass from Moore on the 10. A kick-out block by Lee Burg sprung Gran free for the go-ahead score. Goetzingerís kick was once again good, and with 2:15 left in the third period, the Warriors had the 14-7 lead.
Warrior ëDí takes over
Caledoniaís defense stymied the Luverne offense in the second half, forcing four punts and not allowing the Cardinals any deep penetration in Warrior territory. Once Caledonia took the lead, Luverne never got the ball past their own 45 yard-line.
The Warriors salted the game away in the fourth quarter with a 15-play, 48-yard drive that consumed the final 7:12 on the game clock.
The stats
Gran lead the offensive attack, grinding out 151 yards on 30 carries. Cody Petersen had 34 yards on six carries and Bolduan had one carry for 13 yards.
Luverne took the touted Warrior passing game away from Caledonia, as they double-teamed Andy Bauer most of the night. Moore, who passed for 231 yards and two TDs in the semi-final game against Hawley, completed just two passes for 16 yards, but both passes were for touchdowns.
Gran and Andy Bauer each had a TD catch.
Goetzinger played a major role with his kicking abilities. He was two for two in extra point kicks, but more importantly, had six punts for 243 yards, including a booming 53-yarder. He finished with a 40.5-yard per punt average. And the junior kicker also had three kick-offs for 178 yards for a 59.3-yard per kick average and two touchbacks.
Eddie Hodges and Mitch Meiners led the defensive charge with six tackles each. Hodges also had a QB sack. Casey Bauer had five tackles and a fumble recovery, King had four tackles and a fumble recovery, Goetzinger had four tackles and a sack, Stemper had four tackles and forced a fumble, Fruechte had three tackles and forced a fumble, Dan Muenkel, Troy Frank, Gran, and Kevin Voight each had three tackles, Andy Bauer had two, and Burg and Alex Lorentzen each had one tackle.
Caledonia takes home the schoolís second state football championship (1976) in finishing the season 13-1.
Welcome home celebration
The state champs had a police escort Friday night from the I-90/Highway 76 exit all the way to Caledonia. Sunday afternoon, the team, coaches, and staff were honored with an event at the high school, attended by a capacity crowd.
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