Private photograph by Travis Rosenau Martin Luther Faculty's Andrew Esmay (9) dives on Crown quarterback Zach Brown (13) throughout Saturday's Higher Midwest Athletic Convention soccer recreation towards Crown Faculty on the MLC Bowl in New Ulm. Esmay completed the sport with three sacks, two pressured fumbles and two fumble recoveries, setting the college single-season file for fumble recoveries in a season with eight.
NEW ULM – Persevering with his historic 12 months of junior school soccer, Martin Luther Faculty's Andrew Esmay led the Knights' protection by way of 5 innings en path to a gritty 13-Zero Higher Midwest Athletic Convention victory over the Crown Faculty Polars on Saturday at MLC Bowl. .
The 6-foot-6 defensive finish added to his school-record complete of sacks, which now stands at 16 1/2 for the 12 months, after selecting up three sacks on Saturday. Not solely did Esmay rack up three sacks, he additionally pressured and recovered two fumbles, giving him eight pressured fumbles on the 12 months and 6 fumble recoveries for the season. His six fumble rebounds is an official MLC single-season file, surpassing Justin Krause's earlier mark of 4 rebounds set in 2008.
“I simply wish to get the quarterback behind the backfield and, if I can, get that ball out and provides the ball again to our offense, drop again and make them put up factors.” Esmay stated. “Each time I wish to get into that backfield and create some havoc.”
With the grass pitch moist throughout the recreation because of early rain, each groups knew they must work further exhausting to maintain the ball.
Simpler stated than accomplished.
Workers photograph by Travis Rosenau Martin Luther Faculty's Thomas Balge (Four) and David Baumann (eight) have a good time Saturday throughout the Higher Midwest Athletic Convention soccer recreation towards Crown Faculty on the MLC Bowl in New Ulm.
Whereas passing was nonetheless an possibility, particularly for MLC quarterback Brady Turriff, who accomplished 19 of 34 passes, the turnovers nonetheless piled up for each groups. Turriff threw two interceptions within the recreation and the Knights fumbled him thrice, dropping two of these fumbles.
However the Knights gained the battle 5-Four, led by Esmay.
“The workforce that wins that turnover often wins the sport.” Esmay stated. “So we hold doing what we're doing and hold giving the ball again to the offense they usually hold scoring, that's all we will do as a protection.”
Knights head coach Paul Huebner stated whatever the moist circumstances, he knew his workforce would see a special Polars workforce than when the Knights traveled to Crown Faculty on Oct. 12 and gained 30-14.
“We had been anticipating a battle as a result of Crown has improved since we first performed them,” Huebner stated. “I watched movie and the final two weeks they've modified their defensive scheme … I knew they weren't going to surrender the deep balls we put in there. At them, we struggled to maneuver the ball a bit of bit, so at this time was powerful. We bought going within the second half, it took some time to search out our groove and discover the correct targets within the run recreation, however our protection performed phenomenally nicely, pitching a shutout is simply unbelievable.”
The Knights took a Three-Zero lead into the half after Micah Koschnitzke launched a 22-yarder by way of the uprights with 6:27 left within the first quarter.
The Knights scored early within the second half after an 11-play drive went 62 yards and was capped by a 1-yard run by Rees Roecker, who completed with 34 carries for 70 yards .
After a brief catch by Corey Tipton that left the Cavaliers, the ball slipped out of Tipton's fingers for a fumble. The ball was then scooped up by Crown's Gabe Banks and carried to the MLC 16-yard line with lower than 5 minutes left within the third quarter.
The MLC protection got here by way of, nonetheless, forcing a 30-yard discipline aim try by Brock Knick that was huge left.
After Turriff was picked off on a deep move by Tristan Krank on the Crown 32, Crown quarterback Zach Brown accomplished a 32-yard move to Seth Medina to finish the third quarter on the MLC 36. Nevertheless, a couple of minutes later late within the fourth, Esmay dismissed him. Brown and took the ball. Esmay fumbled on his personal fumble, however Thomas Balge threw the ball away to get better it and provides the Knights the ball again at their very own 44.
The Knights bought their first move of the sport with 9 minutes left to play on a Matthew Hillmer interception, however the Knights had been pressured to punt after a three-and-out.
Joey Ehlke then bought into the interception column for the MLC protection. After the ball tipped off the supposed receiver's fingers and into the air, Ehlke was capable of pull it as he fell again to the bottom. That interception led MLC to its last factors of the sport on a 25-yard discipline aim by Koschnitzke.
Late within the recreation, because the Knights tried to run down the clock, Arthur Robinson took a hand up the center for Four yards however fumbled it, giving Crown one other likelihood to get on the scoreboard. The Polars' subsequent drive was short-lived, nonetheless, as Esmay had one other sack that was recovered by Daniel Reinke with 2:10 left to play.
Thomas Koelpin led the Knights in receiving with 5 catches for 53 yards, whereas Jude Pederson had 4 catches for 21 yards and Tipton had 4 catches for 18 yards. Andrew Raasch added three receptions for 37 yards.
First Crown quarterback Ethan Peterson went Three of 6 for 19 yards and an interception earlier than Brown took over beneath heart and accomplished 2 of 10 passes for 44 yards and an interception.
Assisted Esmay, Ehlke and Hillmer within the defensive dominance of MLC Daniel Biermann, who had 1 1/2 tackles for a loss and 1 1/2 sacks. Jesus Medina additionally had 1 1/2 tackles for a loss and 1/2 sack for MLC.
DO NOT blame the rain
Despite the fact that his workforce turned the ball over thrice and misplaced two of these fumbles, Huebner nonetheless felt the Knights had a bonus over Crown as a result of they had been used to the grass discipline.
“Our guys are used to taking part in on grass, working towards on grass as a result of that is our house.” Huebner stated. “For Crown, it's grass on a regular basis … so the ball is a bit more slippery, the bottom is a bit of bit — your footwork's not fairly the identical, it's not bouncing the identical. So I believe that performs to our benefit being on the Bowl, that's our place.
“We've been ready for it, we simply must do a greater job when now we have the ball, 'Double and hassle' is the phrase we use. It’s a must to put two fingers on the ball and you must shield it.”
FINISHED AT A
HIGH NOTE
The Cavaliers are actually 6-Three, however are formally out of the playoffs. Regardless, successful their last recreation of the season, a UMAC matchup on the College of Minnesota Morris on Saturday, is on the prime of their precedence listing.
“Profitable subsequent week is a giant deal for me, it's a giant deal for our teaching workers and I believe it's a giant deal for our gamers,” Huebner stated. “To finish the season with a win … to go and win at Morris can be a giant deal as a result of my first 12 months going there and taking part in there, I wasn't on the sector with these guys. We simply got here out bodily, that they had extra pace than us, extra measurement than us, energy than us and it was a troublesome, powerful recreation at their place.
“So let's erase that reminiscence, compete nicely and win like we did the primary time we performed them right here. [this season] it might be a fantastic deal for all of us and for this system.”
Huebner's first recreation teaching the Knights at Minnesota Morris led to a 47-Zero loss on Oct. 22, 2022. Nevertheless, the Knights defeated Morris 21-14 this 12 months in New Ulm at Homecoming on Oct. 5 .
The final time a Knights soccer workforce completed its season with a win was in 2021, a 27-21 house win towards Northwestern College–St. Paul.