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3A: St. Croix Lutheran piles up big lead, hangs on to defeat Pierz 35-28

By JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune, 11/19/16, 7:45PM CST

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The Crusaders amassed more than 500 yards of offense but saw a four-TD lead in the third quarter nearly vanish.


St. Croix Lutheran quarterback Isaac Tietz (13) sealed the game's outcome in the Crusaders' favor with a first down run in the final minute of the fourth quarter, stopping a furious Pierz comeback. Photo: AARON LAVINSKY * aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com

On the third play from scrimmage, Pierz discovered what makes St. Croix Lutheran special.

Crusaders’ running back Mike Stern exploded towards the line, took a handoff from quarterback Isaac Tietz and burst through a crease created by a well-executed block, finally stopping 88 yards later in the Pierz end zone.

The St. Croix Lutheran veer offense doesn’t wow anyone until it’s seen in person. After the Crusaders held off Pierz 35-28 in the Class 3A semifinals, consider the Pioneers sufficiently wowed.

“I think, when people see the size of our linemen, they might underestimate us a little,” St. Croix Lutheran coach Carl Lemke said. “But we don’t need to blow anyone off the ball. We just need to get into them and our backs do the rest.”

The No. 1-ranked Crusaders rolled to a 35-7 lead, then held off a late Pierz rally to reach the Prep Bowl for the third time in the last six years.

Stern rushed for 257 yards on 23 carries and scored two more touchdowns, on runs of 15 and two yards. His backfield mate Daniel Rust added 118 yards. Overall, St. Croix Lutheran finished with 509 total yards.

“They didn’t have the size that Greenway [Pierz quarterfinals foe] had, but they were a lot quicker and they executed better,” Pierz running back/linebacker Lane Girtz said.

St. Croix Lutheran built its big lead by scoring on four consecutive possessions spanning the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter. The Crusaders scored on drives of 82, 72, 83 and 74 yards to build what appeared to be a comfortable lead.

Pierz, which averaged fewer than 10 pass attempt per game, fought its way back through the air. The Pioneers passed for 94 yards and scored three consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the outcome in doubt.

“There’s no quit in Pierz,” coach Leo Pohlkamp said.

Said Lemke, regretfully, “All week, we de-emphasized the pass. That’s what happens when you don’t prepare for something.”

St. Croix Lutheran sealed the victory in the game’s final minute when Tietz turned a third-and-1 from midfield into a 42-yard run. The Crusaders could breathe again.

“In the huddle, I told them ‘The only way we’re going to lose this game is with [a loss of] focus,” Tietz said. “You can be the most talented person out there and if you don’t have focus, you’re not going to prosper in the sport. We told each other take care of business, because this was a business trip.”

First report

It was on the third play from scrimmage that Pierz discovered what makes St. Croix Lutheran special.

Running back Mike Stern exploded toward the line, took a handoff from quarterback Isaac Tietz and burst through a crease created by a well-executed trap block. Stern’s jaunt ended 88 yards later in the Pierz end zone.

The St. Croix Lutheran veer offense doesn’t wow anyone until it’s seen in person. After the Crusaders defeated Pierz 35-28 in the Class 3A semifinals, consider the Pioneers sufficiently wowed.

The No. 1-ranked Crusaders rolled out to a 35-7 lead, then held off a late Pierz rally to advance to the Prep Bowl for the third time in the last six years.

Stern rushed for 257 yards on 23 carries and scored two more touchdowns, on runs of 15 and two yards. His backfield mate Daniel Rust added 118 yards. Overall, St. Croix Lutheran finished with 509 total yards.

Pierz, which averaged fewer than 10 pass attempt per game, fought its way back on the arm of quarterback Preston Rocheleau. The junior completed nine of 16 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a scoring pass on a trick play as the Pioneers put the outcome in doubt with a 21-point fourth quarter onslaught.

St. Croix Lutheran took a 35-7 lead by scoring on four consecutive possessions spanning the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter. The Crusaders scored on drives of 82, 72, 83 and 74 yards to build what appeared to be a comfortable lead that became less so in the game’s final minutes.

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