Posted: 10/30/07
Warriors blast their way into 1AA finals with two big wins
 Caledonia quarterback Kody Moore had a good week, passing for four TDs and 287 yards in the Warriors' two lop-sided wins. Photo by Reed Welch. |
By Charlie Warner
Argus Editor
The Caledonia Warrior football team came into the Section 1AA play-offs as the number one seed. And it appears rightfully so, as they out-scored their opponents 84-0 in their first two play-off games. Caledonia blanked winless Kingsland 35-0 on Oct. 23 and then crushed number four seed St. Charles 49-0 in the semi-final game at Caledonia Saturday night.
The two wins propelled the Warriors into the Section 1AA championship game, which will be played this Friday night at 7 p.m. in Caledonia.
CHS 35 KHS 0
The Warriors ran into a fired up Kingsland team last Tuesday, Oct. 23 in the Section 1AA quarterfinals. Although the Knights of Kingsland came into the game sporting an 0-8 record, they kept things close in the first half, trailing just 9-0. But the CHS offense came to life in the third period, scoring 26 unanswered points, to take a 35-0 lead into the final verse. Coach Carl Fruechte cleared the bench in the fourth quarter and the reserves did a good job of securing the shutout.
Senior tailback Zach Gran had a big night, scoring all five Warrior TDs, four on the ground and one through the air.
The Warriors got on the scoreboard in the first period when quarterback Kody Moore found Gran open for a 63-yard pass play. The extra point kick was no good and the Warriors had a 6-0 lead.
CHS padded their lead by three points in the second period, when Ryan Goetzinger nailed a 40-yard field goal.
The third quarter was all Warrior offense, as CHS scored 26 straight points for four TD runs by Gran. Gran scored on an 11-yard run, a 16-yard run, a 28-yard run, and the final rushing TD from 23 yards out. Two of the extra point kicks were no good, but the final two attempts by Troy Frank, were good for the 35-point total.
The Warriors completely dominated the game, as they amassed 297 yards of offense (175 rushing and 122 passing), while holding the Knights to just 74 total yards.
Gran led the CHS offense with 95 yards and four TDs on 11 carries, and 82 yards and a fifth TD on three receptions. Cody Petersen had 69 yards on 21 carries, Moore had 10 yards on five carries and Pat Bolduan had one carry for three yards.
Moore completed seven of 15 passing attempts for 122 yards and one TD. He was intercepted once. Andy Bauer had two catches for 28 yards, Lee Burg had one catch for seven yards, and Dustin King had one catch for five yards.
Dan Muenkel, Goetzinger, and Joey Macejik each had a quarterback sack and Bauer had an interception.
CHS 49 SCHS 0
The Warriors didnít waste any time in the semi-final game with St. Charles last Saturday night, as they scored 28 points in the opening period for a 28-0 lead and never looked back.
The Warriors mounted a long drive that was highlighted by a seven-yard TD run by Cody Petersen. The Goetzinger kick was good and the home-standing Warriors had a 7-0 lead.
Several minutes later, Petersen scored his second of three TDs on the night, when he broke free and romped 40 yards to make it 13-0. Goetzinger, who was a perfect seven for seven kicking extra points on the night, made it 14-0.
A Moore to Bolduan pass play from seven yards out gave the Warriors a 20-0 lead. The Goetzinger extra point increased the lead to 2-0.
Moore had three TD passes on the night. The second was to Bauer on a 37-yard hook-up. The extra point was good to finish off the first quarter scoring barrage at 28-0.
Gran made it 34-0 in the second period when he scored from 10 yards out. Goetzingerís kick was good and it was 35-0 midway through the second period.
Moore completed his third TD pass of the night on a seven-yard scoring strike to Kevin Voight. The kick was good and the Warriors took a 42-0 lead into the halftime intermission.
Petersen scored his third TD on a 48-yard run. The Goetzinger kick was good and the Warrior lead swelled to 49-0, still in the third period.
The Warrior reserves played the remainder of the game, and once again preserved the shutout.
The Warrior offense moved the ball up and down the field with ease, racking up nearly 400 yards of offense, with 225 yards on the ground and 165 through the air. The CHS defense held the Saints to 103 yards rushing and 111 yards passing. St. Charles coughed the ball up seven times, including five interceptions and two fumbles.
Petersen had a big night carrying the ball. The senior running back had 143 yards and three TDs on 11 carries, including break-away runs of 40 and 48 yards. Gran had 62 yards and one TD on nine carries, Alex Schleich had 12 yards on six carries, and Lonnie Hudson had 10 yards on three carries.
Moore had a big night throwing the ball. He completed 10 of 11 passing attempts for three touchdowns and 165 yards.
Bauer had three catches for one TD and 100 yards. Burg had one catch for 34 yards, and Bolduan and Voight each had one TD catch.
Goetzinger had a busy night kicking the ball. Besides going seven for seven on extra points, he also had four punts for 145 yards.
Gran had two punt returns for 55 yards, while Bauer had one for 21 yards.
Eddie Hodges had two quarterback sacks, Goetzinger had two interceptions, and Tyler Stemper, Gran, and Justin Hesse each had one interception. Cullen Becker and Lee Burg had fumble recoveries.
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