Otters face unfamiliar foe for Section Championship

By Don Cogger (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Friday, October 31, 2008

The Otter football team will be swimming into uncharted water Saturday, playing in an unfamiliar venue against an unfamiliar opponent.

All that’s on the line is the Section 8 4A Championship and a ticket to the state playoffs. Standing in the way is a talented Sauk Rapids-Rice team, whose only loss in the regular season was to St. Cloud Tech.

Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. at St. John’s University.

“It’s a big game for us, no two ways about it,” said Otter coach

Richard Risbrudt. “The kids have worked hard, and this is the end result. Sauk Rapids is a strong team, but I think we’re ready.”

The Storm (8-1) bring plenty to the table, according to Risbrudt, including speed and quickness. Their defense reads and reacts well to the flow of the game, and on offense Sauk Rapids rotates two junior quarterbacks, David Kroger and Jarrod Mauren, to great effect.

“They also have strong running backs, led by Eric Johnson,” Risbrudt said. “They run a lot of misdirection, out of multiple formations.

“They’ll set you up with the dive inside, and the next thing you know, here comes a reverse or counter, and the defense is out of position.”

Risbrudt described the mood of his team as upbeat and confident going into this weekend’s game, though there is some concern there as well.

Defensively, the Otters will have to hold their ground, much as they did against Rocori last week, and not get caught out of position.

“The line definitely has to play physical upfront,” Risbrudt said. “Our linebackers have to know their roles and stay home. Our defensive backs continue to improve every week, and will definitely have to be on their game. The guys have to be ready for anything.”

Offensively, the Otters will need a big game from their linemen, as the Storm are known as a team that flies to the football. Turnovers must be kept to a minimum, and Risbrudt is looking for another big night from quarterback Derek Hansen and running back Matt Mitghaugen

“The key will be whether we can contain our blocks to combat their quickness,” Risbrudt explained. “It doesn’t work to play power football if the defense is able to get around your blocks. Nothing fancy, just play football and move the ball down the field.”

Aside from the normal bumps and bruises associated with playing nine weeks of football, the Otters are healthy and looking forward to playing on the turf at St. John’s.

Risbrudt said the coaches and players continue to be impressed by the community support shown them this season, and he hopes that a lot of them will be able to make the trip.

“The community has really hopped on the bandwagon for this team, and our guys really notice that,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough game, and we can use all the fan support we can get.”