Springfield College’s Brayden Sturm, 17, celebrates after making a contested catch during the Section 3A title game against Murray County Central on Friday at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. exclaimed.
SPRINGFIELD — Three consecutive state tournament trips is not something every football program can claim to have achieved.
But for the Springfield Tigers, the focus remains the same as the rest of the season: the games ahead.
“Honestly, there’s not a lot of talk that this game will be much different than the games we’ve played this season.” Springfield head coach Adam Meyer said. “We understand the process it takes to get ready and that we need to play really well to keep moving forward. They do a great job of tackling it and the excitement builds throughout the week.”
Meyer doesn’t think familiarity with the state tournament gives them an advantage over other teams, aside from perhaps being more prepared for the differences before the game.
“Once the game starts, all that’s left is soccer, and I don’t feel like there’s much of an advantage or disadvantage in being there before the game.” Meyer said. “We feel like we have a pretty set schedule for how we want to behave before the game. State tournament games will be run a little differently within the time allowed on the field, including pregame lining and announcements. It’s good that the players don’t have to panic at that moment.”
Springfield is scheduled to face Goodhue on Thursday in the opening game of this year’s Class A football state tournament, with the game scheduled for 7 p.m. at Rochester Mayo High School Goodhue, like Springfield, is undefeated. Heading into the game, both teams have an 11-0 record against each other. Goodhue advanced to state with a 52-7 victory over Fillmore Central, which Springfield played in last year’s state tournament. Goodhue will be in this year’s opener as Springfield defeated Fillmore Central 22-12 in last year’s matchup, reflecting the Wildcats’ No. 2 seed and Springfield’s No. 3 seed in the South bracket. It looks like he will be a formidable opponent.
“They have been very successful on the football field this season.” Meyer said. “They have two running backs who are very efficient and talented runners. Their quarterback is also a two-way player and can run the ball as well. They are very efficient on both sides of the ball. have a strong front line, leaning on the line to open up play on both sides of the ball. A team with so much depth up front that Goodhue has to rotate his big body in and out on both sides of the ball. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them. They’ve been great in turnover margin this year as well, giving away the ball less than five times all season and turning opponents over 25 times.”
Turnovers are always an important factor in winning football games, but this is especially true for a unit with a +20 turnover differential on the season.
Goodhue’s backfield is led by Nathan Beck, who ran 117 times for 1,073 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. Joining him will be Jack Carlson, who has 106 carries for 778 yards and 18 touchdowns. Luke Roschen will be throwing for the Wildcats and has 12 passing touchdowns on the year, with his favorite targets being Sean Mathies (21 catches, 278 yards, 3 TDs) and Henry Caswell ( (16 catches, 206 yards, 3 TDs). .
“Their running backs on offense are strong players for them on both sides of the ball.” Meyer said. “It’s going to be very important for us to slow down their running game and force them into passing situations. Their quarterback also plays free safety and is a key player on both sides of the ball. He They’re doing a really great job of extending their play offensively, making a lot of plays outside of the pocket. They’re strong up front on both sides, though I wouldn’t say there’s any one player that really stands out. They all play well and have size.”
Gaining an advantage against its strong defensive line will be key for Springfield, as it relies on quarterback Parker Kuhn to stay upright and run the offense. This will allow Springfield’s talented receivers to take advantage of the man-to-man scheme Goodhue runs if they have time to open up.
“I think if we can protect our quarterback, we’ll have some opportunities to make some explosive plays in the passing game.” Meyer said. “They’re a man-to-man team most of the time, so their completion percentage is limited, but it also gives them an opportunity to make some big plays.”
The trenches are especially important for Springfield in this game. If the Tigers want to slow down the backfield trio of Beck, Karlsson and Roshen, defenders like Aiden Moriarty and Gavin Vanderwerf will have to try to find ways to break blocks and stop the run game. Dew.
“In my opinion, the line of scrimmage is going to be the No. 1 element in this game.” Meyer said. “It’s going to be important to slow down their running game and establish our own ground game. Explosive plays will also be something to watch. This year, they’ve made big plays on the ground and in the passing game. We’ve made some decisions, and so have we, so it’s going to be important where we take advantage.Finally, special teams is very important at this time of year to limit big returns and give us field position. It will be important to keep it.”
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