Card to Watch - Week 6 Preview

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By Charlie Sorrells

Web Prep Writer

BELLE PLAINE – Fairmont mentor Mat Mahoney and Belle Plaine head coach Dave Frisell find their respective football teams in both a sectional and district quagmire heading into Friday night’s 7 PM kickoff in Belle Plaine during Week 6.

Mahoney’s Cardinals have climbed into the No. 4 spot in the nine-team Southeast Red District standings with a 3-2 mark on the heels of back-to-back wins, while Frisell’s Tigers have remained one spot behind Fairmont in the league with a 2-2 record against district foes by coming off a split decision during Weeks 4 and 5.

From a playoff perspective, Belle Plaine and Fairmont – both 3-2 overall – have flipped the script in the Section 3AAA standings, with the Tigers clinging to the No. 4 rung on the postseason ladder with a 47.9 QRF rating and the Cardinals hovering at No. 5 at 46.2.

Waseca (4-1) currently holds the top spot in the sectional standings despite losing a 14-12 decision to No. 2-rated Tri-City United (4-1) last Friday night, while undefeated Luverne (5-0) is nestled in the No. 3 position with a QRF of 48.3 – only four-tenths ahead of Belle Plaine.

So, what do all of the above numbers translate into for the Cardinals’ sectional clash against the Tigers on Friday night?

“We realistically control our own destiny for the postseason, so it’s nice not to have to depend on any other teams having to beat one of our sectional rivals coming down the stretch,” said Mat Mahoney, whose lineup plays host to TCU on Wednesday, Oct. 14, before clashing with St. Peter on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Thomas Mahoney Field in Fairmont to cap the regular season. “It’s simple – if we win our final three games, we should earn the right to host a first-round playoff game.”

Mahoney, however, knows the upcoming three-game regular-season stretch run will not be an easy task and is taking the proverbial “one game at a time” approach.

“We (coaching staff) know Belle Plaine’s quarterback (Reed Creighton) is being recruited by South Dakota State and North Dakota State, so obviously he’s very good,” Mat Mahoney said in reference to the Tigers’ 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior signal-caller. “He can fling the football, he’s accurate with his passes and knows where to throw it coverage-wise.

“When a play breaks down for them, he can get out of trouble and that’s the sign of a really good quarterback.”

Creighton has completed 82 of 127 passes for a staggering 1,254 yards and 14 TDs this fall, with 5-8, 155-pound senior split end Caden Koepp and 6-4, 205-pound junior split end Landon Wadsley being two of his favorite targets downfield. Koepp enters Week 6 with a team-leading 28 catches for 541 yards and six scores, while Wadsley has pocketed 21 passes for 294 yards and three TDs.

“Koepp’s a playmaker who’s explosive, has good hands and can run after the catch,” said Mahoney. “In reality, there’s not a bad receiver in the bunch when you also look at Evan Cahalan and Caleb Smith in the mix.

“Belle Plaine’s offense will give us a challenge by trying to spread us out with three- to five-receiver sets. If you only focus on stopping the receivers, Creighton and their running back (Boden Siegle) can hurt you by running underneath, so our defense will have to be prepared.”

Fairmont’s defense – topped by linebacker Caiden Utesch and nickelback Owen Terfehr with 33 and 32 tackles, respectively – has allowed only 12.8 points per outing and given up just 200 passing yards. While Creighton and the Tigers will likely prove the best air attack that the Cardinals have faced to this juncture, the good news for Mahoney’s defensive alignment were the return of Terfehr – after missing one game to injury – and middle linebacker Aaron Becker last Friday night. The 6-3, 220-pound Becker made his presence known against Albert Lea by jarring the football loose to lead to Reed Johnson’s fumble recovery en route to finishing with seven tackles.

Offensively, Keyon Schutz generated a career-best 140-yard rushing performance to more than double his seasonal output in pacing the Cardinals’ 284-yard outing against Albert Lea during Week 5, while quarterback Jensen Livesay produced 92 passing yards and a career-best four TDs to complement 39 more yards on the ground and another score.

“We feel good about how our offense and defense are shaping up going into this week,” said Mahoney. “Now we have to stay focused on our jobs and find a way to come away with a win.”

FAIRMONT STARTERS

OFFENSE

QB: #14 Jensen Livesay, 6-4, 205, Senior

RB: #30 Keyon Schutz, 5-11, 190, Junior

WR: #7 Brayden Williamson, 5-9, 155, Senior

WR: #5 Mason Bicknase, 6-2, 185, Junior

LT: #51 Vincent Schultz, 6-4, 175, Senior

LG: #59 Craig Schultze, 6-1, 255, Junior

C: #55 Reed Johnson, 6-5, 200, Senior

RG: #69 Luther Malo, 6-2, 240, Junior

RT: #70 Max Nielsen, 6-3, 275, Senior

TE: #81 Preston Geerdes, 6-4, 210, Junior

WR: #1 Travohn Harvey, 6-3, 145, Senior

DEFENSE

DE: #51 V. Schultz

DT: #69 Malo

NG: #74 Ethan Farnum, 6-2, 350, Senior

DE: #55 R. Johnson

OLB: #5 Bicknase

MLB: #31 Aaron Becker, 6-3, 220, Sophomore

OLB: #19 Caiden Utesch, 5-11, 175, Senior

CB: #7 Williamson

CB: #1 Harvey

SS: #6 Owen Terfehr, 6-2, 180, Senior

FS: #10 Landon Traetow, 6-0, 155, Senior

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BELLE PLAINE STARTERS

OFFENSE

QB: #12 Reed Creighton, 6-3, 185, Junior

RB: #7 Boden Siegle, 6-0, 190, Junior

SE: #17 Landon Wadsley, 6-4, 205, Junior

SE: #8 Caden Koepp, 5-9, 155, Senior

LT: #65 Aaron Johnston, 6-3, 225, Junior

LG: #74 Vincent Schaal, 5-10, 170, Junior

C: #60 Mason Bungarden, 6-1, 210, Senior

RG: #54 Zack Schultz, 5-10, 190, Senior

RT: #71 Will Posthumus, 6-4, 220, Junior

SE: #5 Evan Cahalan, 5-9, 160, Junior

SE: #6 Caleb Smith, 6-1, 150, Junior

DEFENSE

DE: #60 Bungarden

DT: #1 Teegan Cieluch, 6-3, 205, Senior

DT: #55 Logan Schultz, 5-11, 200, Sophomore

DE: #71 Posthumus

OLB: #7 Siegle

MLB: #11 Waylon Wolf, 5-10, 170, Junior

OLB: #59 Luke Schultz, 5-7, 155, Senior

CB: #3 Iker Calderon, 5-9, 165, Senior

CB: #22 Andrew Schulz, 6-0, 160, Sophomore

S: #14 Chaz Iovino, 5-9, 180, Senior

S: #5 Cahalan