Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

One night does not a season make, but it can certainly serve as a sneak preview for the feature presentation. And if Friday night is any indication, the Forest Lake football team will be a tough group for their opponents to handle.

Head coach Matt Cleary felt this Ranger squad would be stronger, faster and quicker than last yearís team, and that point was proven again and again and again during Forest Lakeís 28-12 victory over Park (Cottage Grove).

The Rangers opening drive was a perfect display of what a solid ground game can achieve. It kept the Park defense on the field and established a physical tone.

ìI think that weíre in shape,î Cleary said after congratulating his team on the win. ìThese guys could go play another quarter, and we pride ourselves on that.î

Besides a crucial third down completion to senior Sasina Sikahema, the methodical march to the end zone came courtesy of handoffs and quarterback keepers. With nine minutes left in the first quarter, senior Trip Schultz churned up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown run.

It looked relatively easy, so now it was a matter of the Forest Lake defense stopping Park.

The Wolfpack basically Xeroxed the Rangers drive and scored on a 9-yard run by R.C. Kilgore with 4:18 remaining in the first quarter.

The only portion that Park failed to copy was the extra point. They missed their attempt, but in a recurring theme that would become fairly prominent later in the evening, Forest Lake committed a penalty.

Park then tried a 2-point conversion, but that idea was dismissed by a group of Ranger tacklers, led by senior Collin Peterson. Forest Lake was up 7-6 and their instantly hot offense was ready for more.

This time it was a critical fourth down play that kept the chains moving as Schultz broke free for a 31-yard gain. A slight variation from Drive One was turned in by senior quarterback Matt Hansmann, who ran wide ó a long ways from any Wolfpack defender ó for a 5-yard touchdown run of his own.

ìI think we complement each other really well,î Schultz said of he and Hansmann. ìObviously, if they start keying inside he pulls it out in the option and runs outside. If they start keying on him outside theyíve got to leave the inside open. So itís pretty tough to stop both; hopefully we can keep doing that.î

The wonderful start to the 2006 season was quickly forgotten in the second quarter as Forest Lake racked up more penalties than the old Philadelphia Flyers.

Just as the defense looked like it had stopped any hint of momentum for Park, a yellow flag would appear on the turf, which allowed the visitors to run another play.

ìWe need to be better coaches, howís that?î Cleary said about the penalties. ìIt was a lot of mental (mistakes). They were not focused in the second quarter. We need to work in practice to make sure that doesnít happen.î

As the half ran down, the Wolfpack was able to mix in some big plays with some big penalties and sat at the Ranger 4-yard line with less than five seconds to play.

A deep drop by the ìotherî Park quarterback, Jake Lindstrom, set up a simple pass to Matt Bezdicek in the middle of the end zone to make the score 14-12 at the end of the half.

THE SECOND HALF

Both teams sputtered on offense to start the third quarter. Forest Lake continued to work the ground game, while Park was throwing more into the night sky.

Their aerial efforts resulted in Hansmannís second interception of the young season (he plays free safety when the Rangers are on defense), and he had a huge return to get the ball inside the Park 10-yard line.

Well, not so fast.

Yet another penaltyó Forest Lake had nine total ó brought the ball all the way back to the 36-yard line where the offense wasnít able to take advantage of the turnover.

Once again, the Forest Lake defense would hold, and the difference in conditioning was becoming fairly evident.

By this point, the Rangers looked fresh and Park looked tired, which helped the Forest Lake offense do just enough to remain on the field and keep the clock ticking in their favor. Facing a fourth and four from the 20-yard line, Hansmann peeled around the corner and launched himself into the end zone to give him two touchdowns to match his two interceptions. After Schultz kicked his third PAT of the game it was 21-12 for the Rangers.

The fourth quarter zipped along for Forest Lake because now it was Park that was racking up the penalties, and the Rangers just needed time to expire.

Then again, another touchdown wouldnít hurt, either.

On what seemed like a harmless third and two, Schultz burst through the middle and sailed 46-yards for his second touchdown.

He would finish the night with 145 yards on 20 carries, while Hansmann collected 75 yards on just 8 attempts. Thatís a solid one-two combination to run behind a crew that seemed to get stronger as the game wore on.

ìWeíve got a heckuva offensive line,î Hansmann said. ìTheyíre so big and work so hard.î

As the clock ran out, the student section rushed onto the field, and the new season was off and running.

ìObviously, 1-0 is nice,î Cleary said. ìItís a good way to start.î

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Forest Lake Times
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Forest Lake, MN 55025
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