October 12, 2006 at 8:26 a.m.
Wildcats provide their own fireworks in Columbia Heights
Wildcats provide their own fireworks in Columbia Heights
The play that broke the backs of the Hylanders came late in the second quarter with the Wildcats leading 21-0. After the Wildcat defense forced an incomplete pass on fourth down, the Wildcats took over on their own 3 yard line. Two plays later, the Wildcats faced third-and-five from their 8. The Hylanders took a time out with 1:20 remaining. They wanted to make sure they had the right defense set up to stop the Wildcats and get the ball back in good field position after a punt and still have time left to score.
But the Wildcats spoiled those plans in spectacular fashion. Quarterback Brian Jennissen took the snap and started to the right on an option. He kept the ball himself, ran through a gaping hole on the right side, burst through the Hylander secondary and outran the entire Hylander defense. Taking an escort of blockers with him, he ran 92 yards untouched to give the Wildcats a 28-0 lead at the half.
Heights had made some noise on the game’s opening drive. On third and nine from their own 25, a 30 yard run put them at the Wildcat 45. But after a recovered fumble and tackles for losses by defensive back Eric Reed and lineman LT Wright, they were forced to punt from their own 48.
Rob Wilson’s 16 yard return gave the Wildcats the ball on their own 41. Three nice runs, by halfback Brandon Mueller, fullback Jake Spehar and Jennissen, put the ball on the Hylander 35. Mueller took a handoff from Jennissen, countered left and sped 35 yards into the end zone. After a Christian Swanberg extra point, the Wildcats led 7-0.
Swanberg’s kickoff sailed out of the end zone for a touchback. On first down, the Hylanders had another long run that resulted in great field position, this time a 42-yarder that put them at the Wildcat 38. But the drive stalled, and they were forced to punt.
The Wildcats went on a 13-play, 80-yard drive highlighted by halfback Jon Lien’s 26-yard run and two fourth down conversions and topped off by a trick play. On first down from the Columbia Heights 25, Brandon Mueller took a pitch from Jennissen and ran right. As the Hylander defense surrounded him, Mueller stopped, cocked his arm and threw to a wide open Rob Wilson standing all alone in the end zone. The Wildcats missed the extra point, but still led 13-0 early in the second quarter.
The Wildcats completely fooled the Hylanders on the ensuing kickoff, recovering an onside kick with no Hylander near the ball. But it was all for naught as the Wildcats lost the ball on a fumble on the next play. After a series of stalled drives and punts – two by the Hylanders and one by the Wildcats – the Wildcats took over on the Columbia Heights 20.
They embarked on another 80-yard touchdown drive. On the first play, Mueller took a pitch right, stiff-armed a would-be tackler and ran 42 yards up the right sideline to give the Wildcats a first down at the Hylander 38. On the next play, an option to the left, Jennissen kept the ball and ran all the way to the end zone for his second touchdown of the game. Speed kills -- it marked the third game in a row the Wildcats had three touchdown runs of 30 yards or more. Jon Lien ran in a two-point conversion to put the Wildcats up 21-0.
The Wildcats opened the second half with another 80 yard drive. This drive was highlighted by a Hunter Heggerston 13-yard reception from Jennissen that put the ball at the 3. Two plays later, Lien went over from the one to put the Wildcats up 35-0.
Chisago Lakes had its only short drive of the day set up by Zach Sill’s sack and fumble recovery at the Hylander 33. Facing fourth and 7 from the Hylander 30, Jennissen hit Lien with a swing pass, and Lien busted several tackles for a 19 yard gain to the 11 yard line. Jennissen picked up 10 yards on first down and Lien scored his second touchdown of the game on the next play. The Hylanders added a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, making the final score Chisago Lakes 41, Columbia Heights 7.
The Wildcats rushed for 401 yards on the day. Jennissen led the Wildcats in rushing for the second straight week with 167 yards on four carries. Mueller had 84 yards on just four carries.
In addition to running the ball well, the Wildcats used their passing game effectively. “That’s a phase of the game we have,” said Wildcat head coach Bill Weiss. “The last couple of weeks didn’t lend themselves to passing because of weather conditions. With the success of our running game, good receivers and a good quarterback, the conditions were right to put it in the game plan and use it early.”
The coach continued, “The halfback pass by Brandon Mueller worked because of the defense’s tendency to oversell on the run. The player responsible for Wilson, our wideout, crept in and left him wide open on the play action. Once that worked, it opened up our running game even more. The ability to use the passing game and play action keeps the defense honest.”
Weiss talked about a couple of his players. “Jake Spehar is a big, bruising type of back. When he rumbles for a few yards, it gathers a lot of attention and opens up other things for us. On Brian’s (Jennissen) long run, for example, they closed down on Jake, opening up a big hole for Brian. And Brian certainly put on a display of speed on that play.
“The score reflects some positive things we did. It took us a little while to get into a groove. We had four drives of eighty yards or more. Columbia Heights’ style of play made us go the distance. They had just two turnovers, and only one led to a score. It’s nice to know you can put together long drives on a sustained basis.”
The Wildcats (4-2 overall, 4-1 conference) travel to St. Francis this Friday, October 13 to take on the Fighting Saints (1-5 overall, 0-5 conference) in a North Suburban Conference matchup at 7 p.m. “It’s hard to believe they’re 1-5,” said Weiss. “They look pretty good on film. And they lost to Totino Grace by a score of just 14-7. Their defense looks impressive and offensively they’ll give us a little different look. They use the shotgun spread and do more passing than running, which is different than most teams in our conference. They opened a lot of eyes by playing so well against Totino. They’ve certainly got our attention. We had better come ready to play and be well-prepared, because this one is no gimme.”
Comments:
Commenting has been disabled for this item.