October 11, 2011 at 10:52 a.m.
Schmitz' 4 tds key Pointer win
After the Pointers demolished Boscobel 45-6 Friday, teams should be aware there is a new sheriff in town.
That would be John Schmitz, a 5-11, 190 pound junior halfback who ran for four touchdowns and gained 103 yards on seven carries in the process.
That means over half the times Schmitz had the ball in his hands he scored.
His scoring trips included a five yard run in the first quarter, runs of 19 and 14 yards the second quarter, followed by a 45 yard jaunt in the third frame.
Other touchdowns came from Brady Tibbits on a first quarter 25 yard run, Cody Bertram on a 12 yard scamper in the second quarter and Nick Mohlmann who raced 34 yards on his only carry in the third frame.
Other Pointers who scored were Dakota Poad on a two point conversion run and Tommy Olson who kicked an extra point.
Bertram ran twice and gained 21 yards. He was also three for four passing for 54 yards.
Mineral Point coach Tom Steger was impressed with Schmitz's effort.
"John ran extremely hard and well," said Steger. "He hit some holes better than I have ever seen him, and used his speed to finish those runs off. We truly have a four headed monster in our backfield, which forces teams to play us honestly and defend everyone. If they don't, we will find their weakness."
Steger was also happy with how Bertram has developed and found a home at quarterback.
"Cody has gotten more confident as the season has progressed, and is more comfortable in the pocket," Steger said. "He was three for four on Friday, and if the game was more competitive, we may have passed more. His legs have always been a weapon, and teams will have to account for him, or he will exploit the defense."
The Pointers stuck to the run because it was working and also to give their stable of backs some work. Steger was satisfied with the results.
"Our backs ran very well, and our line has made some improvement in their blocking, particularly at the second and third level," Steger said. "We hope to keep getting better in our run game, particularly against tougher defenses."
The Pointers ran for 337 yards on 38 tries. Also carrying the ball were Dakota Poad who gained 47 on seven tries, Todd Tibbits who had seven in four attempts, Jacob Hemisoth who carried three times for 15 yards, Mohlmann who had the 34 yard scoring run, Brandon Bennett who gained 21 on three carries and Nolan Barrette who picked up four in two rushes.
"It was nice to get some of our players involved in the game who hadn't played a ton the past two weeks," Steger said. "We moved some players around to different positions, and saw some positive results which are promising."
The win helped the playoff hopes for the Pointers. The magic number for them is one but two would be better.
"We have two games left, and we need to win at least one of them to get in," Steger said. "This was certainly a key victory towards playoffs, but we are concentrating on playing better, so that if we do get in, we will give ourselves a chance to make a run."
Friday the Pointers are at Cuba City, a team hoping to tie or win the SWAL championship. The time would never be better for a big Pointer win.
"Amen to the "time for a big Pointer win thing," Steger said. " We face a very tough Cuba City team. Their defense has not allowed a lot of points this year, and they are big and physical. We will need to play fast and hard to pull one out at Cuba."
