This year's Paynesville team took shape with a clean slate. The green-clad student athletes from central Minnesota, in a town that used to be considered the halfway point to the Twin Cities in the days before the Interstate, entered Friday in a first place tie in league.
This would be no easy hurdle on the Tigers' schedule.
This would be no easy hurdle on the Tigers' schedule.
Wow! What a game it was. Among the highlights are two in particular that stand to be remembered a long time.
The Paynesville coach wasn't content letting the clock run out to halftime, and called timeout. Paynesville had the football and felt it could still capitalize in the time remaining - mere seconds. The coach's initial signalling didn't get through to the referees. Only on appeal was the break granted and time put back on the clock.
Could Paynesville summon some sort of dramatic play to get some valued momentum going into halftime? There was a dramatic play all right. The Paynesville coach had to watch with indescribable dismay as it was the Tigers getting getting that momentum.
The hero was Tim Ostby of the Tigers who picked off a pass. He capitalized, sprinting 42 yards for a score!
The Morris Area Chokio Alberta fans were ecstatic as their team entered the halftime huddle with the lead, 28-20. The Paynesville fans? Stunned, absolutely stunned.
The Tigers needed each and every point they scored on this night. They even needed a TD at the very end. Finally, when the final horn sounded, the Tigers could savor victory 40-34. Paynesville relinquished that share of first place in the WCC-South (with BOLD).
That decisive scoring play at the end had Jake Torgerson passing the football and Chandler Erickson catching. The clock showed 28 seconds left when this play unfolded. The score was tied 34-all. The Torgerson-to-Erickson connection worked for a 46-yard touchdown!
The conversion run try failed, leaving MACA with that six-point lead which stood up.
The only turnover of the game was that Ostby interception.
The win was the Tigers' first in conference play. They'll take a 2-3 overall record into week #6 of the season which will be at home. The foe: Lac qui Parle Valley (on 10/7).
The interception and the late touchdown produced priceless memories. If coach Jerry Witt's eyes look like they're open a little wider than usual this coming week, you'll know why.
Paynesville scored first on a three-yard run by Josh Bungum, who would prove to be a real workhorse. He would rush for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Plus he passed for 102 yards and a score.
It was QB Torgerson scoring the first MACA touchdown. This was on a run from the one. Ostby carried successfully for two on the conversion.
It was Bungum scoring next for Paynesville on a 34-yard scamper. He also carried for two.
Tom Holland then scored a Tiger touchdown on a five-yard run. The conversion pass try was no good (a problem area for the Tigers).
Bungum crossed the end zone stripe for Paynesville's next score: a three-yard carry. The Tigers answered with a 12-yard scoring pass from Tanner Picht to Tom Holland. The usual thrower, Torgerson, took over for the conversion and he passed successfully to Logan Manska.
The next TD was the thrilling interception return by Ostby in the waning moments of the first half.
The Bulldogs sought to fight back, first with an 18-yard TD run that had - who else? - Bungum cradling the pigskin. But the Tigers kept pace as Torgerson connected with Picht for an 18-yard scoring strike. Alas, the conversion pass try went awry. (Back to the drawing board for that.)
Paynesville asserted itself with a 20-yard TD pass from Bungum to Kyle Wolters. Then came the 46-yard Tiger scoring pass described earlier.
Whew! Thank goodness this website is available to share all the highlights in a proper and timely way. Nothing is standing in the way of anyone else doing this either. (It can cost as little as zero.)
The Tigers had 14 first downs. Ostby had a whale of a night running with the football, eclipsing 100 yards. Holland ran for 23 yards.
Torgerson completed eight of 15 pass tries for 139 yards and no interceptions. Here's the ample receiving list: Tanner Picht (four catches, 101 yards), Tom Holland (3-17), Austin Thielke (1-8) and Chandler Erickson (1-25).
Volleyball: Tigers win marathon at Monte
There's nothing like a five-game volleyball match to leave you feeling drained. The MACA Tigers and Montevideo Thunder Hawks engaged in such a marathon Tuesday at Monte.
This West Central-South Conference match ended up going the Tigers' way. The Tigers showed enough balance along the front line to outlast Monte.
Both teams entered the night below-.500 in conference and overall. Both were seeking a more competitive stance to hopefully crawl closer to the .500 plateau and maybe surpass it.
At first it looked like the Tigers were not going to emerge from the evening with that kind of optimism. They dropped game #1, 18-25.
But they stayed resolved and got things evened up in game #2, winning by that same 25-18 score.
The pendulum swung back to the host T-Hawks for game #3. That game ended with MACA on the short end 17-25, so the Tigers couldn't afford another loss. They'd try to push the pendulum back in their direction.
They did it! The game #4 outcome was a 25-22 Tiger victory. The stage was set for a dramatic fifth and deciding game. There was no handicap being the visitor as MACA won 15-8. They came out of the night at 2-5 in conference and 5-8 overall. Monte's numbers: 1-5 in conference, 2-10 overall.
A five-game match is truly a test for the setters, and Katie Holzheimer and Terianne Itzen scurried to get in the best position to set for the hitters. Sydney Engebretson and Itzen led in kills with nine each, while eight were pounded down by Nicole Strobel and Paige Schieler. Jaime Bergerson pounded down three kills.
In the ace blocks category, Engebretson and Shieler were tops with four and two respectively while these Tigers each had one: Bergerson, Courtney Gades and Nicole Strobel.
The busiest Tigers in digs were Mikaela Henrichs (17), Itzen (13) and Engebretson (11).
Henrichs had three serving aces and Holzheimer two. Itzen and Emily Tonn each served for one ace.
The Tuesday victory removed much of the sting from the 0-3 loss the Tigers were dealt the previous night by BOLD.
BOLD 3, Tigers 0
The Tigers came up against a red-hot BOLD Warrior team that had won its previous two conference matches by sweep.
On Monday, here, the Warriors made it three in a row but had to survive a strong Tiger charge in game #3.
BOLD eked out that game #3 win 26-24 after having won the first two games 25-16 and 25-12.
Tyann Caspers and Nikki Neisen were top hitters for BOLD and Neisen was busy with digs too.
Holzheimer and Itzen were busy setting for the Tigers. In hitting we have the following list (kills): Itzen 7, Engebretson 6, Bergerson 4, Schieler 3 and Strobel 2.
Bergerson and Schieler each had two ace blocks and Engebretson had one. In digs it was Henrichs clearly the leader with 15.
BOLD was very sharp in receiving serves so there were no Tigers with more than one serving ace.
Benson 3, Tigers 2
A week that was busy to the max for Tiger volleyball included a Thursday home match against Benson. The Tigers took the Braves to five games like in the Monte match, but on this night the pendulum wouldn't swing their way in the end.
The teams took the court after a 2-2 standoff in games, and finally the fans would learn which team could chalk up the 'W'. It was Benson with a 15-7 win.
Benson began this night like they'd be dominant, putting away the stunned Tiger team 25-9 in game #1. Would Benson rule the night? Not at all, as the Tigers showed an unfazed air to take game #2 (barely) 25-23.
Game #3 was just as close and this time Benson eked out the win by two, 26-24.
Morris Area Chokio Alberta stayed alive in game #4 with a 25-20 triumph but they failed to sustain that momentum.
The Tigers worked to survive frequent kills chalked up by Braves Samantha Goff, Emma Peterson and Emily Reuss.
Holzheimer and Itzen set up the hitting where Itzen ended up the top kill contributor with 15. Engebretson pounded down eleven kills. The list continues with Strobel (6), Bergerson (3) and Schieler (3).
Engebretson set the pace in ace blocks with six. Henrichs and Courtney Ehleringer topped the digs list with 29 and 22 respectively.
No Tiger had more than one ace serve.
The Tigers will visit Yellow Medicine East on Tuesday, 10/4.
The Tigers will visit Yellow Medicine East on Tuesday, 10/4.
- Brian Williams - morris mn Minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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