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St. Croix Lutheran survives physical struggle with PEM

By DAVID LA VAQUE, Star Tribune, 11/12/11, 11:35PM CST

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The Crusaders lived up to their No. 1 ranking, topping Plainview-Elgin-Millville to reach the semifinals.

A bloody gash on running back Wesley Tucker's right wrist showed the physical toll of St. Croix Lutheran's clash with Plainview-Elgin-Millville. His tears represented the emotional investment made in the Crusaders' comeback victory.

St. Croix Lutheran, of West St. Paul, maintained its top ranking in Class 3A by edging No. 2 PEM 30-22 in Saturday's state tournament quarterfinal game played at Lakeville North High School.

The Crusaders (12-0) overcame a 15-14 third-quarter deficit and broke a 22-22 fourth-quarter stalemate with PEM (11-1). Tucker and fellow running back Jackson Goplen made several key plays in the second half despite missing action earlier in the game because of injuries.

Goplen finished with 117 yards rushing and threw a 27-yard halfback pass to give the Crusaders a 22-15 lead. Tucker finished with 109 yards, several coming on tough runs on his team's final scoring drive. He added the final touchdown and two-point conversion.

"He rose to the occasion," Crusaders coach Carl Lemke said of Tucker. "It seemed like he got stronger. That was his best running in the fourth quarter."

Tucker "took a deep breath and thought of everything I did in the season" as the Crusaders started the fourth quarter in a rare tight game. It was something new for both teams, who combined to score more than 1,000 points this season.

"We had to pull it out mentally, physically and emotionally and play all four quarters even though we haven't had to before," Tucker said.

PEM's Garret Wolf started the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown that will go in the books as 99 yards in length. But he caught the ball with a foot in the end zone.

Wolf found the end zone again in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 22. Starting from their 35-yard line, the Crusaders went ahead to stay with a Tucker-led touchdown drive.

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