---

Zimmerman 28, Chisago Lakes 7

The Zimmerman Thunder took a 21-0 halftime lead and went on to beat the Wildcat football team 28-7 last Friday, October 23 at Chisago Lakes High School. The game was the final game of the regular season. Despite the loss, the Wildcats (3-5) ended up with the fourth seed and a home game in the Section 3AAAA playoffs against fifth-seeded St. Paul Johnson (4-4).

Fisher Jorgensen rushed the ball 11 times for 109 yards for the Wildcats, while the rest of the team turned 33 carries into just 125 yards. Quarterback Kaiden Melquist was four for 12 for 30 yards and one interception.

The teams exchanged punts on their first possessions of the game. Starting at midfield on their second possession, the Thunder needed just four plays to score. A 39-yard run by wide receiver Rian Schmidt moved the ball to the one, and Joseph Larson plowed up the middle on the next play for a touchdown. After the extra point, Zimmerman led 7-0. On the ensuing drive, a 20-yard run by Mack Karpenko and a 16-yard pass from Kaiden Melquist to Bennett Senske moved the ball into Thunder territory. On third and six from the 41, the game’s key play took place. Melquist took the snap and pitched it to the right to Dyson Griffin. Griffin bobbled and dropped the pitch. Jameson Smuda scooped it up and a cadre of blockers escorted him 59 yards to the end zone for a touchdown, doubling the Thunder lead to 14-0.

The Wildcats followed up with a grinding 11-play drive. On fourth and one from the Thunder 15, Karpenko took the ball up the middle for what looked like an easy first down conversion. But Smuda came from right end and grabbed Karpenko from behind by the jersey at the line of scrimmage. Other Zimmerman players finished off the tackle, stopping Karpenko short and turning the ball over on downs. The teams exchanged three-and-outs, and the Thunder took over on their own 11. On the first two plays of the drive, a 36-yard run by Lucas Lindgren and a 34-yard run by quarterback Dylan Doherty moved the ball all the way to the Wildcat 19. Two plays later, Doherty ran it in from the 15, and Zimmerman led 21-0.

After a scoreless third quarter, Lindgren scored for the Thunder on a 14-yard run in the fourth quarter.  Carter Anderson scored from the Thunder six-yard line late in the fourth quarter to break up the shutout and make the final score Zimmerman 28, Chisago Lakes 7.

Chisago Lakes 34, St. Paul Johnson 14

After falling behind 14-3 early in the second quarter, the Wildcat football team came roaring back with 31 unanswered points to beat the St. Paul Johnson Governors 34-14 in the quarterfinals of the Section 3AAAA playoffs this past Tuesday, October 27 at Chisago Lakes High School. The win sends the Wildcats to a semifinal matchup against the top-seeded Hill Murray Pioneers this Saturday at 11 a.m. at Hill Murray High School.

Carter Anderson, Gus Strub and Blake Trups led the way on offense for the Wildcats. Anderson rushed the ball six times for 147 yards and had four returns of various types of kicks – kickoffs, punts, and field goals – for 93 yards. He had one touchdown and also had an interception. Strub had seven carries for 93 yards and three touchdowns. Kicker Trupe took care of the rest of the scoring, kicking two field goals and four extra points. The Wildcats piled up nearly 400 yards of total offense, with all but 20 yards coming on the ground. For the Governors, Melly Brown had 16 carries for 123 yards, but the rest of the offense combined to just 99 yards, mostly passing.

Anderson fielded the game opening kickoff at the Wildcat 20-yard line. He was hit at the Wildcat 40, spun around, and picked up another 17 yards before being tackled at the Johnson 43. The Wildcats picked up one first down using the legs of Mack Karpenko, but the drive stalled when Fisher Jorgensen was stuffed at the 23-yard line and the Governors took over on downs. The Wildcat defense forced Johnson into a three and out, and the punt rolled dead at the Wildcat 43. On second and eight from the 45, Gus Strub took a handoff to the right, broke free down the right sideline and was hauled down at the five-yard line after a gain of 50 yards. But the drive stalled, and on fourth and goal from the nine, Trupe nailed a 26-yard field goal that would have been good from 50 yards, and the Wildcats led 3-0 with 3:55 left in the first quarter.

After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Governors started at their own 20. On second and six, the speedy Melly Brown broke through the line and ran down the right sideline until he was pushed out of bounds at the Wildcat 25. Five plays later, the Governor decided to go for it on fourth and goal from the two on the first play of the second quarter. The quarterback fired a quick pass to the left into the end zone. Dyson Griffin was all over the receiver, but the pass was perfect and the receiver hung onto it as Griffin hauled him to the ground. A bad snap on the extra point screwed up the timing, and the kick hit a wall of Wildcats. Johnson led 6-3. Another great return by Anderson gave the Wildcats excellent field position at the Johnson 45. On fourth and three from the 38, the snap hit Melquist in the hands and popped up in the air. Melquist couldn’t find the ball. It hit the ground and bounced. Johnson’s KaVon Fand scooped it up at the 42 in stride and was off to the races. With an escort of Governors, he ran 58 yards for a touchdown. Brown went around right end for the two pointer, and the Governors led 14-3 with 9:20 left in the first half.

After a 30-yard return by Griffin, the Wildcats started the next drive on their own 40. On first down, Anderson took a pitch left and sped down the left side line. He hit some traffic at the 15 and was hauled out of bounds at the five. On the next play, Melquist pitched to the right to Strub, and he ran through a huge hole into the end zone for a touchdown. After the extra point, the Wildcats trailed 14-10. After a three and out by Johnson, Anderson returned a short punt 15 yards to the Governors’ 45-yard line.  Melquist connected with Anderson for 16 yards. On third and eight from the 27, Strub took a misdirection handoff to the right, hit the hole ann used his speed and some nice moves to get to the end zone for his second touchdown of the game, and the Wildcats led 17-14 with 4:20 left in the first half. Johnson started the next drive from their own 29. On fourth and six from the 41, with 42 seconds left in the half, the Governors completed a six-yard pass for a fresh set of downs. After another first down and a holding penalty, the drive stalled at the 29. With one second left in the half, Johnson trotted out their kicker. The line drive kick only travelled about 20 yards in the air. It bounced into the end zone, and Anderson returned it from one yard deep out to the 30 to end the half.

After another touchback, the Governors started the opening drive of the second half from their own 20. A pass play got them out to their own 42, but the drive stalled there and, after a pooch kick, the Wildcats started from their own 22. On second and 14 from the 18, Anderson took a pitch left and ran down the left sideline until he was knocked out of bounds at the 50. After an incomplete pass, Anderson took another pitch down the left sideline. This time, no one was going to catch him, and he sped across the goal line for a touchdown, expanding the Wildcat lead to 24-14 with 9:20 left in the third quarter. After another three and out by Johnson, and a short punt, the Wildcats took over at the Johnson 47. They moved the ball deep into Johnson territory. But on first and 10 from the 21, Melquist fumbled the snap and the Governors’ Jordan Thomas pounced on it at the 26. On second and ten, the quarterback threw his longest pass of the day. Anderson outleaped the Johnson receiver the Wildcat 42 and came down with the ball, and the Wildcat offense was back in business. The seven-play drive was highlighted by a 36-yard run by Melquist. On second and goal from the four, Strub took it into the end one for his third touchdown of the day and the Wildcats led 31-14 with 11:07 left in the game. The Governors picked up one first down on their next drive after yet another touchback. Brown took the handoff and picked up eight yards before he was hit hard by a host of Wildcats and fumbled. The Wildcats pounced on it at the 38. The Wildcats moved the ball using the legs of Fisher Jorgenson, but the drive stalled out at the 11. Trupe boomed a 30-yard field goal high through the uprights, and the Wildcats led 34-14 with 4:33 left in the game. The teams each had a couple of possessions as they ran out the clock, and the Wildcats were on their way to the semifinals.

The Wildcat did not seem rattled when they fell behind 14-3 in the first half. Wildcat head coach Ryan Anderson said “We talk about resiliency. Good things and bad things happen, but whatever happens we gotta flush it and move on, because the next play is the one that matters. These guys have been doing a really good job of that of late. Being able to kick field goals and get points is a big deal, and that’s where special teams really can shine. Ultimately, field position was in our favor tonight. A lot of that was the offense moving the ball, the defense stopping them and the special teams swinging the field when we needed them to. Carter Anderson had a heck of a game offensively, defensively and on special teams. He’s a guy that doesn’t come off the field very much. And it wasn’t necessarily in the game plan for Gus Strub to score three touchdowns, but he was very opportunistic when his name got called.”

Carter Anderson said “It was fun, it was so much fun. I think the drive from the team came because we had two guys sick and we really wanted to get them another game. It was a really great team effort. We just wanted to get that first drive going. We got that field goal and came out on defense really strong. We stayed level throughout the game, and that is just what we needed.” Gus Strub said “I have not scored three touchdowns in a game before, and it was fun. I just saw openings and went for them. I guess my coaches taught me those moves. And I am looking forward to Saturday’s game.”

Football Notes

The Wildcats (4-5) lost to Hill Murray (7-1), this Saturday’s opponent, 49-0 in the season opener. Head coach Ryan Andeson said “We get our second chance at Hill Murray on Saturday. We are much improved from week one. They’ve got a little more to worry about. They had better not take us too lightly, because we will be ready for them.”

---