Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

The large thud that was heard in Forest Lake on Friday night was the collective hearts of Ranger fans dropping to the ground, as White Bear Lake’s football team scored its third touchdown in a 10-minute stretch, in what would become a 21-14 White Bear victory.

This was Forest Lake’s Homecoming game, and one the team looked ready to win after going up 14-0 in the first half. The Rangers haven’t beaten the Bears since the previous millennium, but after Forest Lake controlled both lines of scrimmage in the opening 24 minutes, that streak appeared to be a thing of the past.

In the first quarter, Ranger quarterback Mike Schultz continued to channel former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Couch, as he piled up carries and yards on his way to a 15-yard touchdown run on Forest Lake’s second possession.

In similar fashion to the Rangers’ wins over Hastings and Woodbury, the offensive line made room for Schultz and running back Dillon Grant, and did it so quickly that White Bear Lake’s defense appeared to be off-balance and stunned.

When Forest Lake took possession in the second quarter, they rolled down the field and sat on the Bears’ 13-yard line after nice runs by both Schultz and Grant.

On first down, Schultz ran wide and into the end zone for the 14-0 advantage.

But by judging what White Bear did in the third quarter, the game’s key moment probably occurred in the locker room.

At the start of the second half, the Bears had first-and 10 from their own 34-yard line, and lickety split, just like that, White Bear running back Mike Anderson had them on the Rangers’ 11-yard line. One play later his run made it 14-7.

“They came out, they made some adjustments and we were too late to catch up and we were swimming from then on,” Forest Lake head coach Matt Cleary said.

“They started running outside veer against us (White Bear began reading a different Ranger defender), and like I said, after two plays we figured it out,” a frustrated Cleary continued.

But like he said, his players were “swimming,” which apparently means they were moving slowly and unable to tackle Polo after calling out Marco.

“And then they made some adjustments on defense that for some reason through us for a loop,” Cleary stated.

Cleary noted how the Bears were moving defenders around during Schultz’s cadence in an attempt to throw off Forest Lake’s timing, and it worked remarkably well.

“It shouldn’t have, but it did,” Cleary admitted.

Instead of watching the Rangers’ offense sprint down the sidelines like the first half, on a handful of second-half plays, Forest Lake seemed to be operating with two different snap counts and a few different formations.

Just four minutes into the half, Anderson would score again for White Bear and tie the game at 14-14.

Another Ranger offensive series was full of confusion, and then not only did the Bears get the ball back, but Forest Lake captain Luke Daninger joined fellow captain Troy Garvey on the sideline with an injury.

On a first-and-goal from the two-yard line, White Bear quarterback Nate Parenteau scored with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter, and somehow, that would be the ballgame.

“One bad quarter,” Cleary said. “We got outplayed, out-coached, I mean, that was unbelievable.”

Cleary was at a loss as to how White Bear Lake’s adjustments made such an impact on the final outcome, but after the fans filed out of the stadium and his players trudged off to the locker room, he had ideas on how this defeat could help his group in the near future.

“We’re a good team; White Bear’s a good team. I mean, we have to learn to win these kinds of games. We have to learn that when you’re up 14-0 that a team’s going to go into half and make adjustments.

“We will use this as a learning opportunity in order to prepare for the playoffs.”

STATISTICS

Rushing - Schultz 20-110-2, Corrow 11-48, Grant 8-38, Blaser 7-26, Koenig 4- -6

Receiving - Plain 2-36

Passing - Schultz 2-10-36-0-2

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