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The first time the Chisago Lakes Wildcats played the Fridley Tigers this season, they committed no turnovers en route to a stirring victory over the 5th-ranked team in the state. But, in their section playoff game at Fridley last Tuesday, October 25, the Wildcats committed five turnovers and lost to the Tigers 34-13.

The defenses dominated in the first quarter as neither team could get on the scoreboard. Fridley broke the game open in the second quarter, as two Wildcat turnovers led directly to Tiger scores.

Tiger quarterback Blake Cook raced 80 yards for a touchdown to make the game 7-0. The Wildcats fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Tigers scored six plays later. Cook went in from five yards out to make it 14-0. On the Wildcats’ next possession, Fridley’s Bobby Cook picked off a Wildcat pass and ran it back 35 yards for a touchdown to make the score 21-0 at the half.

It looked like the Wildcats had a chance to get back in the game as Fridley returned the favor and fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half. The Wildcats moved the ball, but turned it over on downs. Fridley scored on a 72-yard run by Blake Cook to make the score 27-0. Later in the quarter, Cook hit wide receiver Tom Whalen with a touchdown pass to build the Tiger lead to 34-0.

The Wildcats finally got on the board late in the third quarter, as C.J. Hoffman scored from 17 yards out to make it 34-7 after the Christian Swanberg extra point. Wildcat senior running back Tom McCullough provided the only scoring of the fourth quarter, going in from one yard out for his first varsity touchdown. The extra point was blocked, making the final score Fridley 34, Chisago Lakes 13.

“We turned the ball over five times,” Wildcat head coach Bill Weiss said. “And you can’t expect to be successful if you turn the ball over that many times. The first time we played Fridley, we didn’t turn the ball over at all. They turned it over twice and we won the game. This time, our turnovers really cost us.

“I was glad Tom McCullough got a chance to score. He didn’t get too many opportunities, but we were able to get him some playing time late in the game and he responded with a touchdown.

“As I look back on the season, I think we had a special senior class. You need a big senior class for depth, and we didn’t have that this year. But, while they may have been small in numbers, they were big on setting an example for the underclassmen of how to do things and they laid a good foundation for the future of Wildcat football. The kids poured everything they had into this season. They made no excuses; pursued every challenge and set a good tone for the rest of the team. The underclassmen responded well and that will benefit us for future seasons. Additionally, both our sophomore and freshman teams had very good seasons. I’m pretty optimistic – if we continue to grow and mature like we did this year, we’ll be in a good position for a while to come,” coach Weiss concluded.

Scoring Summary

School Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final

Chisago Lakes

0 0 7 6 13

Fridley 0 21 13 0 34

First Quarter:

No scoring.

Second Quarter:

F: Bl. Cook 80 run (Chan kick)

F: Bl. Cook 5 run (Chan kick)

F: Bo. Cook 35 interception return (Chan kick)

Third Quarter:

F: Bl. Cook 72 run (kick blocked)

F: Whalen 24 pass from Bl. Cook (Chan kick)

C: Hoffman 17 run (Swanberg kick)

Fourth Quarter:

C: McCulloch 1 run (kick blocked)

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