Before the Sauk Centre football team locked horns with Osakis, senior Eli Fletcher gathered his teammates on the Fargodome turf and delivered a brief statement.
“Start fast and finish strong,” Fletcher said before kickoff of the section championship game against the Silverstreaks.
The words ran prophetic, as Sauk Centre got out to a fast start and closed off Osakis in winning the Section 6AA championship 27-6 Nov. 4 in Fargo, North Dakota.
“Probably more than anything, I’m happy for the kids,” said Charlie Warring, head coach. “The 11 (seniors) have worked hard. I can’t say enough about how they are good leaders, good teammates. It’s been a joy to be around them.”
Sauk Centre scored six plays into the game and then put the game away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns on their way to the Section 6AA crown.
“It was a dogfight,” Coach Warring said. “Across the board, we had to earn every yard we got. We won 27-6, but the kids earned it. They had to work for it. Osakis is a good team. They weren’t 8-1 by accident. They are very wellcoached and they are very disciplined and physical.”
Sauk Centre will play Eden ValleyWatkins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in Monticello in the Class AA quarterfinals of the Minnesota State High School League Football State Tournament.
Osakis finishes their season 8-2.
“When the seconds were ticking off, we were all thinking about being humble and moving on,” Fletcher said. “The job’s not finished, but it was a dream come true to win.”
Sauk Centre improves to 7-3 and outscored their section opponents 64-19 in their two playoff games. The Streeters have won six of their past seven games.
“Our team has been improving every game on both sides of the ball,” Fletcher said. “We had some kids step up and have acquired more depth at key positions. Our defense has been phenomenal and our offense has been hard to stop.”
Both sides of the ball had a quick impact on the game against the Silverstreaks. Osakis had the ball first and went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 37-yard line. The Streeters busted into the backfield and stopped Osakis for no gain.
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ht, ard, We won 27-6, but hey eam. hey re l play a e Tournament. heir onds were nking on,” Fletcher said. shed, was in.” proves on ames. The Streeters r past seven games. as both sides of the “We had nd have h at e game the s line. The Streeters kfield ront think Fletcher shot hed it off,” Coach sted no uarterback Matthew n before Fletcher ran defenderandinto
“The guys up front really made a mess of things, and I think Fletcher shot a gap, and he finished it off,” Coach Warring said.
The offense wasted no time showing their prowess. Quarterback Matthew Warring connected on a 36-yard pass to Hunter Danielson to bring the ball to the 1-yard line before Fletcher ran over a Silverstreak defender and into the end zone. Jay Neubert booted the
races into the endzone for a 57yard touchdown reception during the second quarter of the Streeters 27-6 win over Osakis. Danielson had two catches for 93
Danielson the 57yard reception the quarter Streeters win Danielson catches yards.
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point to give the Streeters a quick 7-0 lead “I feel like the regular season schedule because we some teams,” Coach football. I
extra lead.
we played helped us in a game like this because we play some big teams,” Coach Warring said. “Week-in and week-out, there are no cupcakes. It’s very physical football. I think it paid big dividends for us.”
Both teams had miscues – Osakis a fum-
ble and Sauk Centre an interception – on their next possessions.
The Streeters defense showed their resiliencyontheSilverstreaks’thirdpossessionof
Centre terr ba los That se the of the g Hunte race reception. “I knew we to th Matth said. “I saw st hit him in s Daniels “All that defe to the en rea cel th t
iency on the Silverstreaks’ third possession of the game. On a fourth-and-5 play inside Sauk
Centre territory, junior Landon Wolbeck powered into the Osakis backfield for a 5-yard loss.
That set up perhaps the biggest play of the game. Facing a third-and-26 from their own 43-yard line, Matthew Warring hit wide receiver Hunter Danielson in stride and he raced to the end zone for a 57-yard touchdown
“I knew we needed a big play to keep the drive moving,” Matthew Warring said. “I saw Hunter get a couple steps past the safety, and I knew if I hit him in stride nobody would catch him.”
Danielson added, “All that was going through my head was to not drop the ball and outrun the defender. After I got to the end zone, my first reaction was to celebrate with the team and then move
rito ack ss. et u gam th w W er ed d t ne he d hew w H tep d I strid h h son w he ba nd nd acti leb he the
on and shut them down on defense.”
Sauk Centre led 14-0 at halftime.
The Silverstreaks brought fans to their feet when they scored midway through the third quarter. Osakis quarterback Kyle Mages broke a couple tackles on a 20-yard run that set up a 1-yard touchdown. Their extra point hit the upright.
But like they have done all year, the Streeters responded, this time with their best drive of the game, covering 80 yards with a good mixture offensively. Fletcher had several nice gains and Matthew Warring hooked up with Neubert for two passes that moved the ball deep into Silverstreaks territory. On a third-and-3 play from the 9-yard line, Warring got outstanding blocking up front and ran into the end zone.
“We ran an option play and they collapsed on Fletcher, so Matt turned it up and walked into the end zone,” Coach Warring said. “With the way the line blocked, it was wonderful. They have good athletes and their quarterback is a good athlete. He’s tough to tackle and he can run and throw, but they don’t love to do it (throw). It was good to make them play a little bit of catch up.”
An Osakis fumble on a punt return set up the final Streeters score. Warring connected with Neubert from 12 yards out. Neubert booted the extra point to round out the scoring. Senior Reese Blondin intercepted an Osakis pass to end the Silverstreaks’ hopes.
“He jumped a kid,” Coach Warring said. “A lot of receivers are taller than him, but he went up and he pulled it away. It was just a fun game, and obviously fun because we won. Our kids were making plays.”
Coach Warring said little things went Sauk Centre’s way in the championship game.
“But part of that’s preparation, part of it is effort and part of it is attitude,” he said. “It’s so many kids doing so many things and working together. Our defense was swarming and physical. It was, again, really good.”
Both teams’ ground games were limited. Sauk Centre carried 33 times for 97 yards and Osakis had 30 carries for 94 yards.
“In a game like this, people see the final score and think, ‘That must not have been too bad,’ but it was a tough game,” Coach Warring said. “Osakis was physical, and it was still 14-6 going into the fourth quarter. Anything can happen.”
Sauk Centre had an advantage in the passing game. Warring threw for 151 yards and two scores. Osakis finished with 110 yards passing. The Streeters committed three turnovers in the game; Osakis had four.
“Defense, we definitely controlled them,” Coach Warring said. “When we were on offense, they posed a challenge. We had to try to do some different things. Their defense was slanting their line a lot of times to where (Nathan) Lahr was going, which made us have to change things up to how we used him.”
The win was especially gratifying for the Warrings, both coach and quarterback.
“I think we’ve done a really good job of separating,” Coach Warring said. “When we’re at football, it’s coach and player. There’s no special treatment. When we leave football, then we’re back to family. It’s neat because it’s my son, but my son is in a group of kids I’ve known since they were in seventh grade, and they’ve been building toward doing well in a lot of activities, not just football, and that’s pretty cool.”
Up next for the Streeters is a rematch with the 10-0 Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles, who took it to the Streeters 42-13 in the second game of the season.
“We went down to Eden Valley, and they got us good,” Coach Warring said. “They exposed a lot of weaknesses, so we had to correct those.
The second quarter of the Eden Valley game is the only time this year where we spent time pouting and feeling sorry for ourselves instead of playing. Once we got over that, the rest of the year, win or lose, they have competed. They’ve competed their tails off.”
Coach Warring said today’s Streeters team is different than the one that faced the Eagles in September.
“We have a little more identity, and run some things differently,” he said. “They’re good, but when you get to the final eight, everyone is good.”
Three teams from the Mid State District’s Subdivision 2 – Sauk Centre, Eden ValleyWatkins and 9-2 Howard Lake-Waverly Winsted – are playing in the state tournament. O 0 0 6 0-6 SC 7 7 0 13-27
(SC) Fletcher1-yard touchdown run (Neubert extra-point)
(SC) Danielson 57-yard touchdown pass from Warring (Neubert extra-point)
(O) 1-yard touchdown pass (extra-point failed)
(SC) Warring 8-yard touchdown run (2 pt. conversion failed)
(SC) Neubert 12-yard touchdown pass from Warring (Neubert extra-point)
Individual stats : Passing, Warring 10-14-151 (2 TD, 3 Int.); rushing, Fletcher 20-60, Warring 12-35, Austin Helgeson 1-2; Receiving, Neubert 7-49, Danielson 2-93, Fletcher 2-9; Fumble recovery, Blondin, Corey McCoy; Int. Blondin and Owen Christians.
(Above) Matthew Warring, Luke Fiedler, Ethan Riley and Corey McCoy wait at the line of scrimmage for the Osakis off during their game Nov. 4. The Sauk Centre defense held Osakis to under 100 yards rushing.
r, y line or the Osakis offense The der nior Landon estles
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Nov. 4 at the n Fargo, N.D. d
ackle for loss on n play
(Right) Junior Landon Wolbeck wrestles down a Osakis ball carrier during their game Nov. 4 at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. Wolbeck had several big tackles for the Streeters including a tackle for loss on a fourth down play.
Position: quarterback, defensive end # 22
Parents: Charlie and Kari Warring
What does it mean to you to be the first football team since 1983 to make the state tournament? It is a great feeling. We have all been putting in the work to get here, so it is nice to know it paid off.
Position: wide receiver, cornerback # 13
Parents: Lisa Parteka, Darren Danielson
What are some of your team’s rituals? We usually start out by listening to music in the locker room. Once it’s closer to game time, we huddle up and pray as a team.
Position: wide receiver, cornerback # 11
Parents: Pat Blondin, Holly and Sean Fogarty
What is the music of choice in the locker room after a win? Our music of choice is “Pocketful of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield.
Position: running back, linebacker
Parents: Hesston and Angie Christians
What are the players’ favorite and least favorite drills at practice? Why? The favorite drills are tackle circuits. The least favorite is conditioning while just running because we condition while doing our plays and doing them fast with little break.
Position: offensive guard, defensive end
Parents: Chris and Janet Kerfeld
What makes this team so special? I believe it’s our unending drive that makes this team so special. We are not the most physically big team out there, and we know that. But, our team has a unique state of mind that we never give up. When you get 11 guys on the field whose only goal is to smash some heads and win, it doesn’t matter how big the other team is. This is what makes our team special. It’s 100% all the time until the clock hits 00:00.
Position: offense/defensive tackle
Parents: Jeff and Kim Schuster
What is special about the sport of football? Football is an amazing sport. It’s given me a lot of memories and opportunities. It has taught me a lot and brought me closer to my friends and school. If you are ever on the edge about wanting to play, I would say take the chance. You will not regret it. I would not give up my memories or experiences with the team for anything.
Position: offensive guard, defensive end
Parents: Matt and Crystal McCoy
Who or what gets this team fired up and ready to play the game? What do they do? I’d have to say Coach Krump gets the team fired up, always coming to practice super energetic and having the best quotes.
on making it to State!
Position: running back, middle linebacker
Parents: Shawn and Stacie Fletcher
How long have you been dreaming about playing in the state tournament? Ever since eighth grade, the seniors have known that if we put in the work, we could make it to state. All of us knew we had the group to do it.
Position: wide receiver, safety
What is it like to be going through this experience with your good friends? It’s a dream come true. I can’t say that I’m surprised because the team has talked about doing this for years. We’ve all put in a lot of work, and we knew what we were capable of, but it feels amazing to see all our work paying off.
At what point during the season did you realize this team could do something special? I’ve always known that this team could do something great, but our win against Royalton showed us how much potential we really have.
What are some things you try to do to help the team even though you are injured? I try to always bring tons of positive energy during practice and games, and I try my hardest to take dubs on the coin toss and always have fun with the gang.
With just over a minute left in their shredding of Wadena-Deer Creek in the Section 6AA semifinals, Sauk Centre head coach Charlie Warring inserted his 10 seniors in uniform to go on the field together one more time. After calling a timeout, they were joined by fellow senior Carter Ziemer, who has been injured all season.
After a brief moment near midfield, they all walked off the field together. For Warring, it was a moment for fans, parents and coaches to recognize one more time how special this group of 11 are.
This is a group that did it the right way. They are a troop of winners.
by Mark Klaphake
Carter Schuster, Nate Schirmers, Nathan Lahr, Matthew Warring, Eli Fletcher, Aaron Kerfeld, Reece Blondin, Corey McCoy, Carter Ziemer, Hunter Danielson and Owen Christians all played significant roles on the team and should be applauded for helping lay the groundwork on what happens when you work hard, play together as a team and don’t care about the accolades.
Consider this: the last time the Sauk Centre football team was marching into the section finals was 2011 and the last time they reached state was 1983. This talent-laden bunch started a long time ago when they suited up for Coach Tom Oberg on the seventh-grade squad. They had success on the field. Winning was customary, and hard work and camaraderie was the norm.
As the boys got older, many teammates opted out of football for other interests. This group didn’t. They stayed with it and believed in doing something special before they finished up at Sauk Centre High School.
They knew they could win and understood the roadmap to doing so; lifting weights, doing many off-season workouts together and bonding off and on the field.
Last year was a huge swing year for the Sauk Centre football team. After a couple years where victories were hard to come by they celebrated a 5-5 year. The 2022 group knew a .500 season was good, but greater things could happen if they continued to be dedicated to the sport they loved.
They had loftier goals; advance even further than last year’s team that was ousted in the section semifinals.
BY EVAN MICHEALSON | STAFF WRITER
SAUK CENTRE- Every Sunday, the coaching staff for the Sauk Centre football team gets together to review film and formulate an early plan for the following week’s opponent. While there is a standard coaching hierarchy in place, the attitude within the Streeters locker room is much different; every coach has an important voice and role within the system.
“Everything we do, we do as a staff,” said Charlie Warring, head coach. “It’s all based on our input; everyone has some input.”
It is through this unselfish manner of execution that allows Sauk Centre football to thrive, and the team’s coaches will get another chance to play its weekly chess match against Eden ValleyWatkins at the Class AA Minnesota State High School League Football Tournament Nov. 10.
“All year, and the staff has told the kids this from day one, we’re going to continue coaching and teaching until the last second of our last
- Charlie Warringgame,” Warring said. “There’s always things you can get better at, and these guys believe that.”
Regardless of whether Sauk Centre won or lost the previous game, the coaching staff – head coach Warring, offensive coordinator Rick Meyer, defensive coordinator Curtis Krump and assistant coaches Spencer Carpenter, Trent Johnson, Brandon VonWahlde, Jerry Sobieck and Austin Kowski – maintain an adaptative approach, trying to spot out ways the opposition continues to modify their offense and defense.
“You can guess what they’re going to run
defensively, but you still have to make adjustments,” Warring said. “As a defensive coach, you can look and say, ‘Well, I know they’re going to run this and I know they’re going to run that.’ That’s great, but you don’t know when they’re going to run it, so you have to look at tendencies.”
Examining these tendencies give the Streeters an early leg up in preparation and allows the team to practice against potential looks.
When practices for the week kickstart on Monday, Sauk Centre football holds a walkthrough and begins implementing offensive and defensive plays. With a scout team, the players can get a glimpse of the style of play an opponent will bring into game.
“All teams probably have five or six different formations they run,” Warring said. “You can see if they have a common tendency, but you also look at, ‘OK, they like to do this, but what can they do? They like to run a certain way, but can they run a reverse off of that? It’s like a chess match, going back
and forth.”
In this metaphorical chess game, Sauk Centre’s opening move comes right after the previous game. The majority of the coaching staff immediately dives into film, and Coach Warring studies play after play and notes his observations in a trusty yellow notepad.
From Monday’s introduction and onward, the Streeter ramp up practices as far as analyzing concepts and on-the-field application, finally concluding with the team donning helmets and shoulder pads on Thursdays. After all, studying tendencies and playbooks will only get you so far; it is up to the players to execute.
“You’re not going to see everything; you still have to trust yourself to what you see and react,” Warring said. “You never know every play they’re going to run or every formation they’re going to run.”
As a result of this dedicated and detailed preparation period, the Streeters’ coaches are firing on all cylinders come gameday. Warring, Meyer, Carpenter and Kowski often talk during games to adjust as the game progresses, Krump hones in on his defensive scheme and Johnson and Sobieck are the eyes in the sky, viewing the game unfold from the press box. It was actually Johnson who caught a key coverage detail against Osakis in the Section 6AA championship Nov. 4, leading to a long Hunter Danielson touchdown.
“It’s everybody working together, is really what it comes down to,” Warring said. “Ultimately, someone has to make a decision, but it’s a group effort, a team effort.”
The season started with a resounding win over Montevideo. But then came back-to-back losses to Eden Valley-Watkins and Paynesville. The team was staring at a losing record, something they weren’t proud of or accustomed to.
After being 1-2, were they destined for another .500 season or worse, or were they going to play with confidence knowing they are a special group and a good football team?
So, like they have done many times throughout their football careers, they worked harder and stuck together.
It worked; the team reeled off four victories in their last five regular season games, defeating Royalton, Holdingford, Melrose and Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta and their lone loss was a nail-biting two-point loss to Howard Lake-Waverly Winsted.
Their regular season tally was a 5-3 record, good enough to get the squad a second seed in the Section 6AA playoffs.
Up next was a 6-2 Wadena-Deer Creek team that was hoping to show off their high-level passing attack against Sauk Centre. The Streeters scored touchdowns on their first four possessions and held the Wolverine offense in check, winning by five touchdowns, 47-13.
The next step was the section finals against Osakis. If they win, they head to the Class AA Minnesota State High School League Football Tournament.
They did just that, jumping to a 14-0 halftime lead and going on to win 27-6 over a talented Osakis squad to advance to state.
For Sauk Centre fans that haven’t seen this group suit up, these 11 seniors will be playing lead roles on Thursday, Nov. 10 against Eden Valley-Watkins at the Monticello High School.
If you are new to the team and don’t know where to find the guys, here is a quick breakdown.
Schuster and McCoy are starters on both the offensive and defensive line and have proven even though they may be undersized for the position their toughness and grit more than make up for it.
Schirmers, Blondin and Danielson play in the secondary on a defense has made it tough for their opponent’s passing attack. Offensively they have great hands and are equally efficient as wide receivers.
Ziemer would have been a starter but he is still recovering from a knee injury. But if you want a kid to make an impact from the sidelines Ziemer is the guy. He keeps his teammates loose with a great positive vibe.
Fletcher, Christians and Lahr probably form one of the best linebacking crews the maroon and white have suited up in a long time. They are smart, athletic and love to hit. On offense Fletcher is a freight train coming at defenders; the pile always moves forward with Eli. Lahr plays tight end and is mostly relegated to lead blocking but also has become a nice target for receptions.
Kerfeld is on the special teams and comes downfield like a renegade looking to smack respective ball carriers. He also gets minutes as a backup on both the offensive and defensive line and came in for much of the second half against Osakis and held his own.
Then there is Warring. He is a stud at defensive end with quickness, toughness and range from side-toside. His ferocity almost makes it hard to believe he is a quarterback but that’s where he is offensively. He throws a nice ball and is a threat to run which has made the Streeters tough to defend.
Hopefully this group’s story continues for a couple more chapters.
Whenever it does end, this group should know how tremendous they are, and the memories they have provided for their faithful fans.
“
“It’s everybody working together, is really what it comes down to. Ultimately, someone has to make a decision, but it’s a group effort, a team effort.” – Charlie Warring
His role changed, Ziemer now focuses on helping with the younger defensive players while serving as an emotional sparkplug from the sidelines to a group he calls his “best bud dies.” When there is a big play, he is the first to greet his teammates with a chest bump. When things do not go right, he is there to provide words of encouragement “ I’ve embraced my role in being at practice, having fun with it and trying to help be a leader,” Ziemer said. “You can’t change what hapdil
pened, so it was my role to be there for the guys.”
The enjoyment of still being part of the team hit a pinnacle – thus far – as second-seeded Sauk Centre defeated Osakis 27-6, earning the school’s third trip to the state tournament and first since 1983. Ziemer said he knew this team had the potential to rally for big things after a rel-
atively-slow start. “We just started having fun playing football.,” Ziemer said. “We’re winning games, trusting the coaches and doing our jobs. It was awesome at
the Fargodome after the game. It was such a good environment in the locker room. Everyone was so happy. To get to the state tournament is so awesome.”
Junior
SAUK CENTRE- When the 2022 Sauk Centre Streeters football team sent shockwaves across central Minnesota with a Section 6AA championship win over Osakis Nov. 4, it was an accomplishment not seen by the program in nearly four decades.
While several well-regarded teams have represented Sauk Centre at a high level over the last 40 years, it should be only appropriate that the Streeters trek to state with Rick Meyer as offensive coordinator. After all, it was Meyer who eluded defenders time and time again as a star running back to help Sauk Centre clinch its previous state appearance in 1983.
“The biggest thing is, being involved in it for so many years, you want them to have success like in the past,” Meyer said.
As a program, the Streeters football team has carved out an identity through embracing underdog status. Like this year’s team, who knocked off the No. 1 seed for its sixth win in seven games after a 1-2 start, the 1983 Sauk Centre football team struggled out of the gate, dropping its season opener to Monticello 19-6. Head coach Gary Graham, in his first season as varsity head coach, did not panic.
“We felt good that we competed well against Monticello, even though they were a much bigger team,” said Rick Jennissen, quarterback of the 1983 Streeters team. “Gary Graham said, ‘We can do this. Keep your heads up.’ I think getting that loss out of the way was actually good for us.”
With an understanding of where it needed to improve, the 1983 Streeters went to work unleashing physicality on the opposition. Sauk Centre ran a triple-option offense predicated on running the ball, led by Meyer, who eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground to lead the West Central Conference in rushing. A big propellant for this rushing success was the team’s grit; despite none of its linemen weighing more than 180 pounds, Coach Graham and the Streeters grinded out yards for long scoring drives.
“I remember him (Coach Graham) telling us in practice, ‘I expect you guys to get 3 yards a pop,’” said Jim Klaphake, lineman for the 1983 Streeters team. “We didn’t hardly ever pass. It was 3 yards and a cloud of dust.”
Matching this daunting, mistake-free offense was a ferocious defense comprised of strong
athletes, from a defensive line that included Sauk Centre Athletics Hall of Famer Mark Schwegman, Erik Bjelland, Bryon Friedrichs, Keith Rachey and Chris Miller to a secondary consisting of Jennissen, Meyer, John Odegard and Bill Brown.
“You wouldn’t just tackle a player, you would hit them,” Jennissen said. “You had that philosophy that you really gave it your all when you played defense.”
Even with this formula for success, the Streeters needed to climb an enormous hill to make the state tournament. Back then, to qualify for a state play-in game, teams needed to win their respective conference. Sauk Centre, who lost a single conference matchup and narrowly missed out on this opportunity in 1982, went undefeated in West Central Conference competition.
“The team before us and the players before us found success, and we found a way to carry it on,” Meyer said. “It was one of those deals where they did well and we were attuned to do well.”
Sauk Centre, winners of eight games in a row, still had one final obstacle to push through: a battle with the Watertown-Mayer Royals, winners of the Wright County Conference. The Streeters hosted the big-time showdown and did not disappoint the home crowd, knocking off the undefeated Royals 23-12.
“When you can play your best when it means the most, what more do you want?” Klaphake said. “That’s what you want with your team, that’s what you want as a coach, that’s what you want as a player. We played our best when it mattered most, and we were fortunate enough to get that game.”
Unfortunately, the Streeters lost in the Class A quarterfinals to area rival Albany by a score of 15-13, ending a historic season. It was a tough blow to a team led by a gigantic, influential senior class, but it did not wipe away the incredible memories the squad made on the football field.
“Teamwork makes the dream work,” Jennissen said. “We set a goal to win the conference and we did that. We were hoping to get to the Dome, but we felt we did really well and had one bad break. It was a lot of fun.”
