Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Just one win shy of the dome



A lot of “If onlys . . . ” probably filtered
through the thoughts of Bulldog fans Friday night, but the outcome was still
the same ­ Adrian 20, Lester Prairie 14.

“I know it was a tough pill to swallow, but I make
no excuses,” said Lester Prairie Head Coach Joe Scoblic. “You’ve
got to make the plays to win.”

It was an Adrian goal-line wall which halted a possible
Bulldog touchdown on fourth-and-one with three minutes left in regulation
play that extended Adrian’s lifeline. With the score tied at 14 all, the
game was forced into overtime.

Earlier in the week Southwestern Minnesota dealt with blizzard
conditions leaving Adrian to dig out from under. A soggy field and a cold
wind, though, didn’t affect game play.

Lester Prairie won the stats game with 259 total offensive
yards to Adrian’s 203. However, overall team play was evenly matched.

First quarter play saw plenty of hard hitting on the part
of both defenses. Adrian’s defense held halfback Paul Fenske to 38 yards
rushing on 18 carries.

“Fenske is a 1000-yard rusher and they keyed on him.
That’s what good teams do,” said Scoblic.

Regardless, Adrian couldn’t prevent Fenske from scoring
early in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs began their goal-line drive late in the first
quarter. In position to score at the start of the second, Fenske ran in
from three yards out putting the Bulldogs on the board first. The two-point
conversion play failed but Bulldog fans were happy with the 6-0 lead.

Not much time passed when Lester Prairie knocked on Adrian’s
door again. Like they had done so many times throughout the season, quarterback
Danny LaMott’s on-the-money pass found the nimble hands of Rob Neumann.
Neumann scored on the 58-yard reception.

Fenske rushed in for the two-point play and Lester Prairie
was looking at a 14-0 lead. No lead, though, would be too comfortable in
Adrian.

Shortly before the half ended, Adrian struck on a three-yard
rush and a two-point conversion. At halftime, it was Lester Prairie 14,
Adrian 8.

Third quarter play presented Adrian with a pretty good
wind at their backs. Using it to their advantage, they paraded down field
tying the game on a five-yard pass. The conversion play was unsuccessful
and the teams were deadlocked at 14.

The fourth quarter put the wind at the Bulldogs’ back and
Lester Prairie took back the controls. Adrian fans could only watch the
clock tick away as Lester Prairie put together a 17-yard drive.

Hearts momentarily stopped on the Lester Prairie sidelines
when from fourth-and-one, a yard away from scoring and less then three minutes
left to play, the Bulldog drive stalled.

Adrian couldn’t put much together offensively on their
next possession. But before the gun sounded, LaMott took a hard blow. Insisting
he could still play, a dazed LaMott was forced to leave the game via a stretcher.

Sophomore Cory Quast was at the helm as the game went into
overtime. Maybe jitters or not accustomed to taking the snap, he fumbled
on the first three downs.

“He was playing under a very big shadow,” said
Scoblic. “Next year when he takes the snap every time, he can call
the team his own.”

In overtime, the ball was placed on the 10-yard line and
each team was given a set of downs to go the 90 yards.

No team scored in the first, making a second overtime necessary.

Adrian was within striking distance when Lester Prairie
was called for a late hit on third-and-five. The penalty put the ball on
the Lester Prairie three and gave Adrian four more tries. Matt Konz crossed
the Bulldog goal for the winning and final score of 20-14.

“I’m so proud of these guys. They were totally spent
at game’s end,” said Scoblic. “What more could a coach ask for.”

But, he wasn’t going to make any excuses for the loss.

“There wasn’t a play that Adrian ran that we didn’t
know,” he said. “We just can’t let them come back from 14 points
down.”

Though the road to the dome fell short, the Bulldogs finished
with a 11-2 record, co-champions of the Tri-Valley Conference and Section
4-A champions.

“They have nothing to hang their heads about. I know
I always say this, but some teams never get to state play,” said Scoblic.
“They’ve won the section three times. That’s practically unparalleled.”

The team meets today to vote on player awards.

Game stats

Team rushing: 101 yards

Rushing: Fenske 18-38, 1 TD, 1 PAT; Josh Eckstein 11-69

Team passing: 158 yards

Passing: LaMott 6-14-158, 1 TD, 1 Int.

Receiving: Neumann 2 – 115 yards, 1 TD; Rob Parpart 2-23,
Ben Shimanski 1-13, Mike Dietel 1-7.

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