The Annandale Cardinal football team came from behind to defeat the Delano Tigers 20-19 Friday, Sept. 7, in their home opener. It was also parents night.
Behind 19-14 at halftime, the Cardinals halted the Tigers’s scoring in the second half. Andy Russek had the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.
"Andy Russek showed everyone what we see in practice everyday," said head coach Matt Walter. "He is not very big (5-7, 135 pounds), but he is a tough, explosive runner. Both his touchdown runs were awesome. He broke several tackles and can really cut in the hole to make the defenders miss."
The Cardinals are now 2-0 in Wright County Conference play, defeating the Waconia Wildcats in the first game of the season Aug. 31.
First half
Delano started things off, scoring the first touchdown early in the game.
"I thought we started the game a little timid. We just were not being aggressive," Walter said. "We were not taking on blockers, we were trying to run around people and it left holes in our defense."
The Cardinals responded by stepping up their game.
"I thought it was important that we answered Delano’s score by the end of the first quarter," Walter said. "They pounded us early on and we couldn’t let the game get away from us."
John Kalthoff hit Matt Miller for a 27-yard gain on a third down to keep the play alive.
"John made a great call, calling the play on the line of scrimmage, and threw a perfect pass to Miller," Walter said.
Russek went on to score on a 17-yard run to even the score in the first quarter. The Cardinals also racked up several penalties on offense in the first half – something Walter would like to minimize in the future.
"We are getting too many big plays called back. We need to do a better job of moving our feet and getting into better position so we don’t grab," Walter said. "We have some inexperienced players and they need to settle down a little. We can’t be shooting ourselves in the foot and expect to be successful."
Forced to run the ball
The Tigers forced the Cardinals to run the ball in this game.
"We knew we were going to have to run the football," Walter said. "They were not going to let our passing game beat them. They sat in a deep shell to take away the passing game and forcing us to run into their massive defensive line.
Co-captain Brett Fobbe said, "We didn’t have as great of success in the passing game as we have in the past. Delano prepared for our passing game, which was one of the reasons our running game did as good as it did."
Fobbe added that the Cardinals’ running backs "really stepped up" on offense.
"Nick (Anderson) had a good game as always and consistently got the rough yards up the middle play after play," Fobbe said. "Andy (Russek) also had a big game. He scored the first two touchdowns of his career and (both) were great runs."
Walter said he was proud of the team’s play overall.
"Late in the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter, our offensive line and backs took it to them," Walter said. "Our line of Dwight Moe, LeRoy Roller, Cruz Johnson, Tom Condon, and Patrick Splinter wore the Tigers down and our backfield trio of Russek, Anderson and Ahsenmacher were able to take advantage of large holes."
Tale of two halves
The Cardinals’ defense had trouble stopping the Tigers running game in the first half, particularly the run-off tackle.
"They were very big and we just kept getting washed down by their tight ends," said Defensive Coach Mark Kovall.
Pass coverage was also a problem for the Cardinals in the first half.
"When we did get them into a third and long situation, we were not very effective in our pass coverage," Kovall said. "All in all it led to 19 points given up by us in the first half which is not acceptable."
One defensive bright point in the first half was a fumble recovery that led to a touchdown. Thirty seconds into the second quarter Brady Kalla stripped the Tiger ball carrier of the ball and Fobbe scooped it up and ran 52 yards for the score.
"We spent the entire practice last Monday working on fundamentals – blocking, tackling, and stripping the ball," Walter said. "Our defense is based on causing turnovers, (so) Kalla’s and Fobbe’s play was big. It let Delano know that we were here to stay."
The last six minutes of the first half, the Cardinal defense had already begun to stop Zach Checkal and the Tiger offense.
"Even though we were trailing by five (19-14) at halftime, we felt pretty good about the game," Walter said.
According to Kovall, the Cardinals decided to change fronts in the second half and adjust the scheme to stop the off-tackle runs.
"I thought our kids did a spectacular job with everything in the second half, which led to a shut-out in the second half," Kovall said. "It also helped that the Cardinal offense was staying on the field a little longer. I think being fresher really helped us."
The players felt good about the second half as well.
"It may have been the best half our defense has played in my whole career," Fobbe said.
Stepping up
According to Walter, players need to step up and make plays in big games and that is exactly what two Cardinals did.
"Senior Alec Fournier was awesome," Walter said. "His two interceptions in the fourth quarter were show stopping."
With Teddy Erickson out for a few weeks with a stress fracture in his foot, the Cardinals needed a defensive lineman to take his place. Dillon Norgren stepped up and had a fantastic night with seven tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.
"It was the first start of his career but Dillon showed no signs of inexperience, making play after play," Fobbe said. "He isn’t a big guy but was an animal, making his way through Delano’s big offensive line."
Walter said he was happy for Norgren and was very proud of him.
"Dillon works so hard at practice and is always ready to play," Walter said. "If we are going to be successful, seniors have to step up and make plays. Dillon did that Friday night."
■ The Cardinals face another WCC conference opponent this Friday, Sept 14, when they travel to Glencoe-Silver Lake for a 7 p.m. game. The Panthers are always a tough team. According to Max-Preps, Glencoe-Silver Lake is ranked No. 5 five in the state among 4A schools. The Cardinals, a smaller school, is ranked No. 2 in 3A.
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