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Zimmerman 47, Chisago Lakes 16

In the final game of the regular season, the Zimmerman Thunder built up a 41-0 halftime lead over the Wildcat football team and cruised to a 47-17 win.  The game was played Wednesday, October 15 at Zimmerman High School.

The Thunder piled up 567 yards rushing in the game.  Quarterback Thomas McEachern led the way with 253 yards on 14 carries, an average of 18 yards per carry.  He also scored four touchdowns.  Running back Noah Spence ran for 179 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns.

Owen Morley’s 45-yard filed goal in the third quarter spoiled the Thunder shutout.  Zach Karst scored on a 30-yard run in the fourth quarter, and Cole Stilp later scored on a one-yard run for the final score of the game.  It was Stilp’s first career touchdown.

Chisago Lakes 21, North St. Paul 12

If you weren’t in North St. Paul this past Tuesday evening, you missed the Kellen Meissner show at Polar Field.  The Wildcat quarterback had three runs of 20 yards or more and a touchdown in the first half to lead the Wildcats to a 14-6 lead at halftime over the third-seeded North St. Paul Polars.  In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats led 21-12 with 9:20 remaining when they got the ball at their own 25-yard line.  They proceeded to go on an epic drive that will be talked about for years.  They ran 14 plays and ate up all the remaining 9:20, ending the game with a victory formation and a 21-12 win.  The win sends the Wildcats to a section semifinal matchup against the second-seeded South St. Paul Packers at Ettinger Field in South St. Paul at 2 p.m. this Saturday.  The winner will play in the section championship game on Friday, October 31, against the winner of the game between the top-seeded Hill-Murray Pioneers and the fifth-seeded St. Paul Johnson Governors.

After the Wildcats went three and out on the game’s opening drive, and the Polars took over at their own 47 after a punt.  Facing fourth and 14 from the Wildcat 33, they lined up to go for it.  After a shotgun snap, the quarterback did a pooch kick and the Polars downed the ball at the nine-yard line.  On first down from the 19, Meissner headed up the middle, broke a couple of tackles, and was hauled down after a 20-yard gain.  On first and ten from the North St. Paul 45, Meissner fumbled after faking a handoff to fullback Diesel Lundeen, and the Polars recovered.  Six plays later, the quarterback took the snap at the let hash and rolled right, cruising into the end zone for a touchdown.  The Wildcats stuffed the running back going up the middle on the two-point attempt, and the Polars led 6-0.

The teams exchanged punts, and the Wildcats took over at their own 45.  Meissner called his own number on the first play and ran down the right sideline for 20 yards.  On third and two from the 27 at the right hash, Meissner kept the ball and, with some good blocking, ran diagonally toward the right sideline, getting forced out of bounds at the seven.  On the next play, Messner kept it, ran off tackle to the right, broke a tackle at the four and went into the end zone standing up for a touchdown.  Owen Morley’s extra point was good, and the Wildcats led 7-6.

The Polars opened the next drive with a 20-yard run on first down, but the drive stalled there, and they were forced to punt.  The punter tried to kick it away from returner Carter Anderson, but the result was a punt of only 14 yards, giving the Wildcats great field position at their own 45.  On third and three from the 48, Meissner kept the ball and headed right.  He broke free and ran down the right sideline before being knocked out of bonds at the five, a gain of 43 yards.  On the next play, Meisner handed it off to running back Reese Nasvik, and excellent blocking opened a hole on the right side and Nasvik into the end zone for a touchdown.  After Morley’s extra point, the Wildcats led 14-6 late in the half.  After a few plays, the Polars called time out at the Wildcat 40 with five seconds left in the half.  The quarterback took the shotgun snap but never got off a pass as Jacob Grabow knifed between the left guard and tackle and sacked the quarterback to end the half.

On the opening drive of the second half, North St. Paul faced fourth and six from the Wildcat 14.  The quarterback handed off to a running back.  Defensive lineman Malachi George blew through the line and knocked the ball out of running back’s hands, diving on it at the 21.  On third and five from the Wildcat 41, Meissner ran for 15 yards.  On the eighth play of the drive, the Wildcats faced third and one at the Polar 35.  Zack Karst took a handoff left and broke free.  When he got to the 20, he cut back toward the middle and ran through the rest of the Polar defense for a touchdown.  Morley’s extra point was good, and the Wildcats led 21-6 with three minutes left in the third quarter.

The Polars had two big plays on the ensuing drive.  On third and 22 from their own 20, the quarterback dropped back to pass, scrambled to his right, motioned the running back downfield and threw a perfect ball to the running back at midfield for a first down on the last play of the third quarter.  Two plays later, on second and nine from the Wildcat 49, the quarterback rolled right and hit a wide-open receiver on a slant pattern about 20 yards upfield.  He shook off a Wildcat tackler at the 20 and was knocked out of bounds at the five.  Three plays later, a running back took the ball up the middle.  He looked to be stopped at the one but was hit from behind by an additional Wildcat tackler and shoved over the goal line for a touchdown.   On the two-point attempt, the quarterback lined up under center.  But he dropped the snap, and the Wildcats fell on it.  With 9:20 left in the game., the Wildcats led 21-12, a two-score margin.

Carter Anderson fielded the ensuing kickoff at the ten, ran though the middle, cut right and was off to the races.  He was finally hauled down at the Polar 25.  But a block in the back penalty earlier in the run moved the ball back to the Wildcat 25.  The Wildcats then put on a long drive clinic.  On the 12th play of the drive, the Wildcats faced third and three from the North St. Paul 37 with just over two minutes to go in the game, Nasvik took a handoff up the middle and gained four yards for a first down.  A face-masking penalty added 15 more yards to run, and the Wildcats ended up at the 19.  The Polars could only watch as the Wildcats ran two more plays before ending the game with a victory formation. 

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