skip navigation

Coaches Corner 2014: Week 8

By Coach Lombardi, 10/17/14, 3:30PM CDT

Share

John Wooden brilliantly said, “adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it”.  On Wednesday night, we ventured on the road against a very good Spring Lake Park team that took Totino-Grace to overtime and beat a 6-2 Centennial team by over 20 points.  Following a loss, many wondered how we would come out on this night and I could not have been prouder of their effort and result.  Through a methodical, well-paced game, we were able to win 40-0 and finish a great regular season with a 7-1 record and a first seed as we he head into the playoffs in our section.

Offensively, we had the challenge of facing a defensive front that was well-coached, well-schooled and made it tough to run inside all night.  Due to those challenges, we did a great job staying balanced.  Brad Davison did a nice job running the offense and connecting on play-action opportunities.   He went 8-13 for 146 yards and a touchdown, connecting on an 11 yard scoring strike to Eddie Lee who scored his first varsity touchdown.   Isaac Collins had another strong games rushing 16 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and Clark WIeneke added 76 yards on his 14 carries and a score.   Also,  Shaun Harrell had another great run in the fourth quarter as he finished with 80 yards on only 4 carries and a long touchdown.   Adam Brant had another strong game with 71 yards receiving on 4 receptions and Clark added 49 yards on his two catches and we set a great tone scoring on our first three drives of the game.

Defensively, we had a huge challenge facing a unique offense on a very short week, so the learning was urgent from day one.   We did a great job clicking off our responsibilities and neutralizing an offense that has been very successful throughout the year.   Adam Brant and Christian Ujhelyi both were all over the field with 14 total tackles each and Grant Hemze added 10.  Our defensive line consisting of Kraig Urquhart, Jack Dahl-Maglone, Kyle Anderson, Ben Shoults, and Michael Rengel did a great job combining for 25 tackles total at that spot.   Isaac Collins had another strong effort from the safety spot with 8 total tackles and a huge forced fumble at the end of the half that led to a late score.  All in all, it was a great game, and I was happy they were able to achieve their third shutout of the season and the fourth game where an offense did not score against them.

As we close the chapter that is the regular season, we head into what is the most exciting time of the year.    Watching this group of young men spend countless hours together building what is their football family has been unbelievably rewarding, and they are ready to head into this stretch that hopefully will bring excitement to many.   Step one on our journey happen Friday, October 24th at 7 PM at ‘the Grove’ against Coon Rapids, and it’s a great opportunity for everyone involved to band together for a common cause that are the playoffs.   Many people will look at brackets, match-ups, and future possibilities, but it’s truly about representing who we are every second we are practicing, preparing and playing for the following stretch.  This is the time we play at our level and we prepare in a fashion that makes us proud each step of the way no matter who the opponent.   I look forward to what these next weeks will bring.  It will involve a ton heart, dedication, belief, and fun from everyone involved and it will hopefully provide moments that will last a lifetime! 

GO CRIMSON!  Let’s get after it! Step one is on the way!... Lombo