Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

Friday night was a cold one for the Ranger football team. And not just because of the October-like temperatures. Forest Lake received a frosty reception from their hosts at White Bear Lake, and the entire team seemed a bit numb in the early stages. By the time head coach Matt Clearyís squad looked like they might warm up, the Bears replied with another chilly reminder that they are a team with history, confidence and talent.

ìWeíre not a mentally tough team right now,î Cleary said after the 28-0 loss. ìThatís the difference between a winning program and a losing program.î

Cleary was uncertain about how his team would respond to Fridayís challenge, but by the fourth play of the game he had his unfortunate answer. On a first and 10 from the Forest Lake 37-yard line, White Bear Lake gave the ball to their explosive senior running back, Darius Green, who zipped around the outside and didnít stop until he scored a touchdown. The game was less than three minutes old and the score was already 7-0.

ìThey came out tough,î senior captain Matt Schwartz said. ìThey hit us on the chin and we couldnít really recover.î

If that start wasnít bleak enough, Forest Lake trotted out on offense and proceeded to fumble the ball, which gave it right back to the Bears near midfield.

Faced with a third down and three yards to go, White Bear (2-0) sent Green up the middle, where after a measure, he picked up a new set of downs. This allowed them to get to the 7-yard line, and quarterback Derek Quast ran it in to give the Bears a 14-0 lead.

ìI told them all week that we need to be ready for the onslaught, and thatís what you saw,î Cleary said.

When junior Dalton Keep made a nice return for the Rangers on the ensuing kick-off, last weekís batch of penalties looked like they had hitched a ride on the bus with the team. The call eliminated good field position, and after Forest Lake bowed out on offense, White Bear got the ball on the Ranger 39-yard line.

Once the second quarter started, the Ranger defense began to gel, and they held the Bears to a 26-yard field goal; making it 17-0 with a lot of time still left to play.

Following the lead of their defensive counterparts, the offense was now livelier, as well. But the consistently inconsistent performance was really starting to take shape.

On second and 10 from their own 28-yard line, Forest Lake quarterback Matt Hansmann broke a long run to the White Bear 31-yard line. On the very next play, though, Hansmann threw an interception, and the promising feel of momentum was whisked away in the brisk wind.

The next time the Ranger offense had possession, they didnít have it for long. On a third and three, Hansmann galloped for another big gain, but the following series would end when he couldnít handle the snap and White Bear recovered the loose ball.

THE SECOND HALF

The third quarter was more of the same for both teams, just less of it.

Forest Lake (1-1) got a solid return on the kick-off, but a penalty yanked them back closer to their goal line. On a third down and five, the offense was stood up by the Bears, and it was awfully quiet on the Ranger sideline. With nothing to lose, Cleary went for it on fourth and short, but Trip Schultz was stopped, and White Bear took over on the Forest Lake 29-yard line.

With little room to give, the Ranger defense got a huge boost when Schwartz sacked Quast, and White Bear eventually settled for a 31-yard field goal to make it 20-0.

Penalties and more missed opportunities kept the Ranger offense from moving passed the 30-yard line, and after a short punt that was nearly blocked, the Bears offense had a very short distance to get into scoring position.

Just as Forest Lake looked like they might stump White Bear at the 22-yard line, Green busted one up the middle on a third and eight, shrugged off a few tacklers, and put the game way out of reach at 28-0.

ìGreen is a powerful running back,î Quast said. ìStrongest kid on the team. Strongest and the fastest.î

In the fourth quarter, Forest Lake would threaten to score, but on a fourth and 15 from the White Bear 19-yard line, Hansmannís pass to Sasina Sikahema would come up a yard short.

With a final score of 28-0, White Bear has outscored the Rangers 110-0 during their last three meetings.

ìWeíll come back next week and take on Mounds View,î Schwartz said.

He and his teammates better be ready before then. When Cleary was asked if there were any positive aspects to pull from this game his answer was short. And appropriately cool.

ìNope,î he said. ìThe positives are that weíll be able to coach them a lot this week.î

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