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Lumberjacks axe Mankato West

By MN Football Hub staff and Star Tribune, 11/18/11, 4:45PM CST

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Hendricks, solid defense lead Bemidji to upset victory over Scarlets


Bemidji's Carey Woods sprinted down the sidelines to the endzone and a touchdown after pulling in a long pass from quarterback Mitchell Hendricks in the Class 4A semifinals Friday, Nov. 18, at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

The big plays that were expected were present. The anticipated offensive show did not disappoint.

Bemidji did indeed live up to its high-octane reputation, upsetting No. 1-ranked Mankato West 45-26.

Bemidji, you say? Wasn’t Mankato West, with big-armed quarterback Philip Nelson and team speed to waste, supposed to be the team of destiny? That was the pregame scuttlebutt, considering that the Scarlets averaged nearly 50 points per game and had not had a game closer than 16 points.

Yet it was Bemidji, making its third trip to the state tournament in a row but its first trip to the Metrodome, that showed the poise of a team destined for big things and the talent to make them happen. The undefeated Lumberjacks spotted Mankato West an early 14-0 lead, then roared back with big play after big play.

“We were the unknown team,” said coach Troy Hendricks. “We wanted to come down here and show what Bemidji football was all about.”

The  Lumberjacks closed the gap to 14-7 on an 11-yard run by Mitch Brown but the big blow came on their next possession. Trailing 17-7, tailback Carey Woods took a pitchout from Mitch Hendricks and raced untouched around left end for a 92-yard touchdown.

“We knew that play would be open for us,” said Woods, who also scored on receptions of 61 yards in the first half and 67 yards in the second half. “But I never expected it to be that open.”

While the Lumberjacks offense was busy picking up yards in large swaths – it finished with 551 total yards and had four touchdowns of more than 60 yards -- the defense started to control the line of scrimmage and make things difficult for Nelson. With his favorite receiver, Hunter Friesen, hampered with a leg injury, Nelson was forced to do more on hios own. He ended up with 183 yards rushing, a large chuck on which came on a 67-yard run in the second half that cut the lead to 31-26. That was as close as Mankato West would get.

Nelson, who will play for Minnesota next year, finished with 307 yards and two touchdowns passing in addition to his rushing yards, giving him 490 yards of total offense in the game.

“Our kids never gave up,” Mankato West coach Mark Esch said. “We never felt like we were out of it. We made some mistakes early, but so did they. You have to give Bemidji credit. They made the big plays.”

-- Jim Paulsen, Star Tribune

End of the Philip Nelson era at Mankato West

As the final seconds ticked off the Metrodome clock, Mankato West senior quarterback and University of Minnesota recruit Philip Nelson -- exhausted and emotional -- dropped to his knees on the Mall of America Field turf.

One-by-one fellow teammates and coaches alike went to console an agonized Nelson as Bemidji celebrated its 45-26 victory over the Scarlets in the background.

After taking several minutes to make his way through the traditional postgame handshake with the victorious Lumberjacks, Nelson walked past the Mankato West sideline toward the stands and into the open arms of his father.

“He told me I gave it my all, he said that he loves me and he's super proud of me,” Nelson said.

Nelson finished the game, the last of his high school career, completing 24 of 42 passing attempts for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson also scored a rushing touchdown while running for 183 yards on 25 carries.

“I thought he was extremely good today, I thought he nailed some stuff and ran well,” Mankato West coach Mark Esch said. “He missed a few passes -- I think people expect him to be perfect, but he's not perfect.”

Although being one of the state’s most highly touted recruit, Nelson showed heavy emotion as he left the field acknowledging fans, coaches and his teammates.

“It's a lot of hard work put in to get here and it breaks all of our hearts to get this far and then not finish the job,” Nelson said. “Every single game I go into I expect to win. I didn't come into this game thinking I was going to lose, that's for sure.”

Also displaying traces of emotion was Esch as he comforted his captain.

“Obviously he was a huge leader, he was a great player for us,” Esch said. “It's tough to lose a kid like that but we knew it was going to happen and that's just the way it is.

“All you can do is play as hard as you possibly can. You don't get second chances and that's what life's all about. You don't always get to pick yourself up and try again. That's what football teaches and that's probably more important than a win or a loss.”

While it will be some time until Nelson is under center again, the future Gopher knows there is more than the final score to take away from his final game.

“Every loss, every game in general is a learning experience,” Nelson said. “You just gotta learn and move on.

“I love my teammates and I'm never going to forget this.”

-- Michael Murakami, MN Football Hub staff

Bemidji takes down Mankato West

Bemidji took over after a sluggish start to defeat Mankato West 45-26 in the Class 4A semifinal.

This matchup started out as many before it had with Scarlets quarterback and Gopher commit Philip Nelson hooking up with his favorite target senior wide receiver Hunter Friesen for a pair of touchdowns to jump out to a 14-0 lead.

It was the wake-up call the Lumberjacks defense sorely needed.

Bemidji proceeded to do what few could throughout the season, contain Nelson and Friesen.

Lumberjack senior defensive back Cody Rutledge made some of the biggest and most timely hits in the ballgame. "We had a great game plan going in, we knew we could beat them," said Rutledge.

Rutledge

He hauled in two interceptions and laid a monster hit on a Scarlets  receiver to keep him in bounds and prevent a field goal before half. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

"We watched a lot of film and the coaches put us in position to make plays," Rutledge said.

Turnovers were the deciding factor in the game. One interception came on an overthrow by Nelson and the other on a ball that hit the receivers hands and ended up with Rutledge. Bemidji committed no turnovers in the contest.

The Lumberjacks offense is led by coach's son Mitchell Hendricks at quarterback and senior wide receiver Carey Woods, who can score from anywhere on the field.

They will play for the Class 4A championship against the winner of the Rocori and Hill-Murray matchup.

-- Eric Thorson, MN Football Hub Staff

Game Recap

1. Mitchell Hendricks, Bemidji
He was by far the less hyped quarterback in this matchup but it was Hendricks who came out looking like gold. Whether it was through the air or on the ground he could do no wrong. He finished with 307 passing yards and 193 yards rushing and lead his team to a victory over the vaunted Mankato West offense.

2. Cody Rutledge, Bemidji
The entire defense could be listed as a star but with two interceptions and a several bone-crushing tackles we give Rutledge the nod. He was all over the field and seemingly involved on every play. Holding Mankato West to only one second half touchdown is no small feat. They were held to less than 30 points in a game only once all season.

3. Hunter Friesen, Mankato West
While Nelson had the entire attention of the Lumberjack defense, Friesen frequently found holes over the middle. His nine receptions for 115 yards led his team while also being on the receiving end of Nelson's only two touchdown passes.

-- Jake Lunemann, MN Football Hub staff

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Playing through the pain

Hunter Friesen made his way through the bowels of the Metrodome Friday on crutches, an ice pack taped to his left leg. The Mankato West receiver was injured early in the Scarlets’ 45-26 loss to Bemidji. He managed to play much of the game but was clearly not at 100 percent.

“I don’t know what happened exactly,” Friesen said. “It didn’t bother me at first, but in the second half I really felt it when I tried to cut and turn.”

Friesen finished with nine receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns, but only caught two passes for 15 yards after halftime.

“Yeah, it’s depressing, but we had a great year,” Friesen said with surprising objectivity, considering the outcome. “We’re still pretty happy.”

-- Jim Paulsen, Star Tribune

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