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Twin brothers lead Zimmerman

By MN Football Hub staff, 10/14/11, 10:55AM CDT

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Ethan and Caleb Lunning connected on two scores to beat St. Cloud Cathedral.


Zimmerman senior Caleb Lunning (42) broke away from the St. Cloud Cathedral defense long enough to catch two touchdown passes in the Thunder's 24-14 victory. Photo by Helen Nelson

“Not everyone knows this, but we have twin telepathy.”

Senior wide receiver Caleb Lunning was probably embellishing when speaking about his connection with twin brother and Zimmerman quarterback Ethan Lunning, but from the way Zimmerman's 24-14 triumph over St. Cloud Cathedral went, it was easy to believe it. 

On top of connecting for two long touchdowns, the Lunnings seemingly were in on every tackle on the defensive side. 

“We want to show everyone in the state that Zimmerman is (a team) to reckon with,” Ethan Lunning said.

Zimmerman has had a rough path to this point in its nine-year existence. Having only won only 11 games in the first five years of existence the Thunder was primed for a strong season last year before disaster struck.

In early August before the 2010 season kicked off, senior quarterback Glen “Bubba” Bye was killed in a automobile accident.

“We were poised for a breakout last year. Our guys stuck together and we finished out last year with a lot of pride while honoring Bubba,” coach Tom Kish said.

This season has gone much better for the Thunder. A Week 6 loss to Fergus Falls is the lone blemish on their record. Now, after knocking off previously unbeaten Cathedral, they have already tied their season record for wins with one game remaining in the regular season.

The postgame speech Kish gave to his team, after the presentation of the first ever Granite Ridge Conference Championship plaque, summed up perfectly what this team has been through to get to this point.

“This, is for all the guys that put on that navy blue jersey before you, that never got this is opportunity. This is ours. This is theirs. This is our programs'.”

-- Jake Lunemann, MN Football Hub staff


Senior quarterback Ethan Lunning was a threat running and passing against St. Cloud Cathedral. Photo by Helen Nelson

Statistics, Summary

1. Ethan Lunning, Zimmerman
The senior quarterback made the big plays when the Thunder needed them, completing two long touchdown passes to his twin brother Caleb Lunning. Ethan also was a demon on defense, finishing with a team-best seven tackles.

2. Caleb Lunning, Zimmerman
A dual threat as a wide receiver catching passes and running out of the backfield, the senior twice used a deceptive burst of speed to race past the St. Cloud Cathedral defense on touchdown receptions.

3. Waylon Bemboom, St. Cloud Cathedral
A senior bowling ball of a running back, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Bemboom was effective plowing through the middle of the Zimmerman defense and also was nimble enough to catch several swing passes for big yardage out of the backfield.

-- Loren Nelson, MN Football Hub staff

Game Recap

Senior quarterback Ethan Lunning connected with twin brother Caleb Lunning, a senior wide receiver, for two long touchdown passes as Zimmerman knocked off previously unbeaten St. Cloud Cathedral 24-14 on Friday, Oct. 14, at Zimmerman High School.

The victory gives the Thunder (5-0, 6-1) the inaugural Granite Ridge Conference championship in their ninth year as a varsity program. St. Cloud Cathedral (5-1, 6-1) dropped to second place with one week left in the regular season.

The Lunning-to-Lunning touchdown passes covered 36 and 83 yards. Their first connection came with 8:49 left in the first quarter, and they put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter with an 83-yard hookup with 6:34 remaining.

-- Loren Nelson, MN Football Hub staff

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