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The Wildcats used a punishing rushing attack to beat the seventh-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret’s Red Knights 35-21 Friday, September 9 at Moody Field at Chisago Lakes High School. John Lien and Brandon Mueller rushed for over 100 yards each and four different players scored touchdowns for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats moved the ball well on the opening drive, but were forced to punt after being stopped at the Benilde 41. After the defense forced Benilde into a three-and-out, the Wildcats got the ball at midfield and started to move the ball again. They were stopped on fourth-and-six at the Red Knight 29. But the defense again forced a three-and- out, and the Wildcats returned the Benilde punt to their own 37 yard line. A face mask penalty on the tackle moved the ball to the Red Knight 48. On the first play from scrimmage, Mueller took a pitch from quarterback Brian Jennissen, got around the end and sprinted down the sideline. A Benilde defender just got a piece of Mueller’s jersey and pulled him down after a gain of 35 yards. Lien gained seven yards on first down. On second and three from the six, Jennissen called his own number, racing around the right end and into the end zone for a touchdown. Christian Swanberg added the extra point to put the Wildcats up 7-0.

The Wildcats stopped Benilde again on its next possession early in the second quarter. Benilde’s punt rolled dead at the Wildcat 11 yard line, but another personal foul on the Red Knights gave the Wildcat the ball at their own 26. On first down, Jennissen fired long over the middle in the direction of receiver Rob Wilson. Wilson and a Red Knight defensive back both leaped for the ball. They went crashing to the ground and Wilson ended up with it, giving the Wildcats a 34 yard gain and a first down at the Benilde 39. “That was an incredible play by Wilson,” said Wildcat head coach Bill Weiss. “He jumped up and literally ripped the ball out of the other player’s hands. That was a huge early turning point for us. Not only did we avoid the turnover, but we gained a lot of yardage on the play.” The Wildcats then used Lien and fullback Luke Spehar to move the ball. On the eighth play of the drive, third and five from the eight, Lien took the ball on a counter play and ran eight yards around the left end to give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead.

The Wildcats once again took over on their 31 after an 11 yard return by David Willhite. On the first play, Mueller burst up the middle for 14 yards. A fumble on a pitch moved the ball back to the Wildcat 35, and an incomplete pass made it second and 20. The Wildcats ran the counter play to Lien again. He ran left, got to the sideline and outraced the entire Benilde defense, going 65 yards for another Wildcat touchdown. Benilde got on board before halftime, scoring on a 36 yard passing play with just over a minute to play in the half.

Benilde took the opening kickoff of the second half and moved the ball into Wildcat territory. The teams traded fumbles two plays apart, and the Red Knights continued to move the ball. They scored after what was essentially one drive that ate up over seven minutes of the third quarter to pull within seven points. The Wildcats answered with a long drive of their own, going 71 yards in 13 plays. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Mueller went six yards to score on a pitch from Jennissen, and the Wildcats were once again up by 14.

Benilde fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Wildcats recovered at the Red Knight 33. But they couldn’t move the ball, and were forced to punt from the Benilde 35. Benilde started first and 10 after a touchback. They struck pay dirt on the first play on 30 yard pass that the receiver caught in stride beyond the Wildcat defensive backs. He ran another 50 yards to the end zone to complete an 80 yard scoring play and once again making it a seven point game with just over nine minutes to play.

But the Wildcats answered after a touchback and marched 80 yards. On fourth down from the Red Knight 2, Spehar took a handoff and burst up the middle to give the Wildcats a 35-21 lead with 4:37 left in the game. Benilde was able to get one more first down, but the Wildcats stopped them in the next series, took over on downs and ran out the last two minutes with the final score Chisago Lakes 35, Benilde 21.

“We seemed to click at the times we needed to,” said Weiss. “As a unit, our offensive line did a nice job. They’re starting to gel.

“Benilde’s a good team, so even when we had a 21-point lead in the first half, I knew they would do something. They got within seven points twice, but each time we answered to widen the gap to 14. That was huge for us – we kept them at arms’ length.

“Lien played an impressive game. He’s very fast and smart. He has a knack for finding the right seam and hitting it at full speed. Brandon Mueller also did some excellent running for us, and our two fullbacks, Rosenthal and Spehar, provided a nice 1-2 punch for us. And Jennissen was poised throughout the game. Even when they started to come after him a little, he continued to lead the team in the right direction. Everything seemed to click. We were able to find that rhythm this week.”

The Class 4A Wildcats (1-1 overall, 1-0 conference) climb out of the frying pan and into the fire as they host third-ranked Totino Grace this Friday, September 15 at 7 p.m. Moody Field. “Our schedule certainly looks front end loaded,” said Weiss. We go from a top-ten Class 5A team, Farmington, to number seven Benilde, to number three Totino Grace. We’ve just got to gear up for this one. Our team is feeling good. We’ve got a good atmosphere at home and a pretty excited student section. And it’s nice that we play two of these three tough games at home.”

In conjunction with the game against Totino Grace, the Gridiron Club is hosting a Brat Feed from 5-8 p.m. at Moody Field this Friday. They invite you to come on out, enjoy some dinner and help support the Wildcat football program before you sit down and enjoy the game.

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