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Chisago Lakes 28, St. Paul Como Park 14

With a chance to play in the section finals for the third year in a row, the Chisago Lakes Wildcats football team had to hold off a late surge by the St. Paul Como Park Cougars for a 28-14 win and a date with state powerhouse Mahtomedi.

With senior quarterback Andy Willhite still nursing a badly bruised throwing hand, sophomore Jeff Sargeant used his legs and his arms to carve up the Cougar defense.

On the Wildcats' first drive Sargeant used his legs to churn out yards. Facing a second and 10 in their own territory, the CL offensive line sprung Sargeant for a 42-yard scamper that set up the 'Cats in great field position.

However, after back to back runs by Chad Haider and a third down run by Zach Butcher fell short of the first down marker, Dominic Novak trotted out for a 28-yard field goal attempt.

The junior nailed it and put the Wildcats up 3-0 early.

In response, the Cougars attacked Chisago Lakes through the air. After earning one first down on the ground, CP quarterback Joe Conley hooked up with Terrance Williams for a 23-yard gain to push the ball into Chisago territory. After a run for no gain, Conley connected with Allen Gonser on a 14-yard strike.

With the ball moving effortlessly into their territory, the Wildcats stiffened on defense. After allowing two short runs and an incomplete pass, Conley was sacked on fourth down to turn the ball over on downs and keep the Wildcats' 3-0 lead intact.

The offense made sure Como Park paid for it. Willhite, who could still play tailback, gained nine yards on the first play, and a six-yard Joey Reed run set up a first down for Sargeant and Co. This time, Sargeant kept the ball and sprinted for 25 yards down to the five yard line on first down. On the ensuing play, Sargeant tucked the ball and finished the drive with a five yard touchdown run. Sargeant connected with older brother Eric for a two-point conversion pass and the Wildcats were up 11-0 in the first quarter.

The pressure didn't come off in the second stanza, either. After the Wildcat defense came up with another big fourth down stop, the Chisago Lakes offensive line plowed Cougar defenders out of the way for a long drive predicated on the run. Sargeant opened the drive with a five-yard pass to Bryan Eichten, but then seven straight runs catapulted the Wildcats to the endzone. Butcher picked up a 12-yard run on the drive, as did Haider. Jordan Hickcox had the longest run of the drive, moving the ball 22 yards to the five yard line. From there, Willhite took care of business, punching the ball into the endzone for a 17-0 lead. A successful Novak boot stretched the lead to 18-0.

On the next drive, Brandon Dawson picked a Conley pass to set the Wildcats up in great field position to widen their lead.

On the first place after the pick, Eric Sargeant rushed for 22 yards to move the ball to the 21 yard line. An eight yard reception by Reed and runs by Cory Lushanko and Butcher put the ball at the four yard line.

When everyone -- including Como Park -- thought run on second and goal from the four, Sargeant dropped back to pass and found a wide open Alex Carlson in the endzone for the Wildcats' leading receiver's first touchdown. A converted Novak extra point made the game 25-0 in favor of the home team.

The Wildcats did get the ball back one more time before the half was out, but two big sacks by Como Park left them unable to craft a long drive, and they were forced to punt.

In the third quarter, Como Park made its move on two huge plays.

With the Wildcats taking over deep in their own territory, the Cougars forced a Chisago Lakes' fumble on the 20 yard line.

Como Park's Mike Heesch scooped up the ball and bolted to the endzone for the Cougars' first score of the game. Anthony Flores' extra point put the score at 25-7.

After Chisago Lakes gained nearly 40 on the ground and moved into Como Park territory, their drive stalled and they turned it over on downs.

The Cougars' next big move occurred moments later. After a four yard rush on first down by Williams, he turned on the burners for a 74-yard touchdown run on second down. Another Flores' extra point cut the lead to 11 at 25-14.

Both defenses stiffened up after that. The Wildcats held the Cougars to a punt and two turnover on downs in their next three drives, and the Cougars were able to force two punts and a field goal.

The field goal came on a key Wildcat drive that began early in the fourth quarter. A steady dose of Jeff Sargeant mixed with some Chad Haider, Andy Willhite and Zach Butcher ground down precious time on a 12 play drive that included 10 runs.

Willhite kicked off the drive with a six yard run. Haider followed with a two yard plunge, and Sargeant earned the tough first down with a three yard run. After a one yard gain by Butcher, Sargeant rushed the ball six out of the next seven plays to push the ball down to the nine yard line.

From there, it was a chip shot for Novak and he capped the drive with three points. It stretched the lead to two touchdowns at 28-14.

The CL defense forced the Cougars into turning the ball over on downs and the next drive. The Wildcats milked the clock with six straight runs to put the clock at zero.

On the game, the Sargeant brothers were the leading rushers for Chisago Lakes. Jeff picked up 114 yards on 20 carries, including his five yard touchdown run. He also was three-for-six through the air for 18 yards and a key touchdown to Carlson.

Eric Sargeant had 61 yards on six carries. All together, the Wildcats rushed for 312 yards as a team on 42 carries.

Novak was two-for-two on field goals and two-for-two on extra points.

Steve Wagner, Dawson, Kyle Hagglund and Clay Olson led the defense. Wagner had eight tackles, Dawson had six along with one pick and one pass break up. Hagglund had six tackles, including one for loss, and Olson had five tackles, with two of them for a loss.

The win sets up a rematch of last year's barn burner with Mahtomedi in the section finals. The Zephyrs came out on top of the wild one last year 42-34.

On the year, Mahtomedi has an official record of 4-6. But, because of an ineligible player in five of their first six games, they had to forfeit five wins. On the field of play, Mahtomedi's record is 9-1 with the lone loss coming from big school power Edina.

The game will be played under the lights at the new Chisago Lakes stadium on Halloween night, Friday, Oct. 31.

To combat the Zephyrs, the Wildcats must contain Stephen Johnson, the top running back in the state. On the year, Johnson has rushed for over 1,800 yards and 24 touchdowns.

SCORING SUMMARY

1 2 3 4 F

Chisago Lakes 11 14 0 3 28

Como Park 0 0 14 0 14

First quarter

CL - Novak, FG, 28 yards

CL - Sargeant, J. 5 yd run

(Sargeant, J. to Sargeant, E.)

Second quarter

CL - Willhite, 3 yd run (Novak kick)

CL - Carlson, 5 yd pass from Sargeant, J. (Novak kick)

Third quarter

CP - Heesch, 20 yd fumble return (Flores kick)

CP - Williams, 74 yd run (Flores kick)

Fourth quarter

CL - Novak, FG, 24 yards

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