October 21, 2016 at 10:09 a.m.
Pointers to see familiar foe Friday in Level 1
The Pointers and the Golden Eagles met earlier in the year in a game that ended up 21-20 in Fennimore's favor. That game came down to a two point conversion attempt tried by the Pointers that came up short of the end zone.
So, Friday's meeting at Fennimore should be a game for the ages.
Mineral Point is seeded fifth in the division while the Golden Eagles were awarded the fourth seed and will host. Kick off is set for 7 pm.
Freshman quarterback Isaac Lindsey has completed 51 passes for 696 yards and seven touchdowns but he may not be available for the game. Lindsey was injured early in last Friday's SWAL finale and his spot was taken by senior Lance Steffes who had been serving as a receiver this year. Steffes guided the Pointers to the win over Southwestern that put them into the post season.
"It is unclear if Isaac will be able to play this week," said Mineral Point coach Andy Palzkill. "We are in a very fortunate position to have two athletes that we know can do a great job as our quarterback. Our staff is organizing a game-plan that will work for either Isaac or Lance. We will really miss Isaac's play defensively as he is one of our best defensive backs and if Lance does play quarterback it will limit our depth at linebacker."
As a receiver Steffes has been the Pointer's leader with 24 receptions for 313 yards and a touchdown.
Lucas Sanchez is the rushing leader for the Pointers with 114 carries for 727 yards and nine scores.
The Eagles feature a prolific passing attack. Quarterback Jordan Williams has thrown for 1826 yards and 18 touchdowns, hitting on 90 of 163 attempts.
His featured receiver has been Trevor Neuroth who has hauled in 39 receptions for 899 yards and eight touchdowns.
Sophomore Zach Davis is the rushing leader with 397 yards on 79 attempts, and average of five yards per carry. He has five touchdowns to his credit.
"Fennimore is a very dangerous team offensively," Palzkill said. "They have the best passing offense in the area and are a good football team. We know Fennimore well and they know us well. It will be matter of who can limit mistakes and take advantage of match-ups. It will be a great battle for us and we look forward the playoff atmosphere this Friday night."
Friday it took awhile for the Pointers to unleash their offense before they coasted to a 35-21 final score which gave them a 3-3 SWAL record and a post season berth.
The Wildcats, winless in the SWAL this season, played like they had nothing to lose and the Pointers started out on the wrong side of the penalty flags.
Lindsey got the first score of the night on a one yard run and Curtis Cox kicked the conversion for a 7-0 first quarter. That score still stood at the half.
"Southwestern really played hard and a team with nothing to lose is always dangerous," Palzkill said. "It was a strange game without any real flow due to the amount of penalties called. We had numerous big plays on offense called back and that put us into first or second and long situations. Some games are like that and I give credit to our athletes for continuing to work hard and do things correctly. Making the playoffs was an important goal for our team and we worked very hard for this win to make that happen.'
The second half started with an 80 kick return by Riley Workman and exploded for two more scores and 21 points in the third frame. Steffes crept in from the one and Workman struck again with a 34 yards scamper. Cox kicked all three conversions.
Palzkill said scoring on the first play of the second half got the Pointers rolling.
"Riley Workman has become a big-time weapon for us on offense and he continues to demand more and more touches," Palzkill said. "He also had a big touchdown run in the second half. We were also able to settle down offensively and Lance did a great job of stepping into the quarterback position."
Grant Sporle also scored on an interception return late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. His grab on the Southwestern turnover went for 41 yards and Cox again booted the extra point.
The move to Steffes with the injury to Lindsey was not a major adjustment for the Pointers.
"I have so much confidence in Lance Steffes and I know he is a very good quarterback," said Palzkill. "Lance continues to impress me and has turned into one of the best football players in the area. His emergence as a runner was a big part of our offense and the main reason that we were able to score in the second half. I also feel that his presence as a leader was a very calming influence on our team. "
Steffes carried the football 22 times for 111 yards and a touchdown. The Pointers totaled 285 yards for the game while Southwestern totaled 267 on 75 rushing and 192 passing. The Wildcats threw 37 times, completing 18.
Palzkill said several Pointers had big performances in the win.
"We were very impressed with Lance Steffes and Riley Workman on both sides of the ball," Palzkill said. "Both of these young men made big plays to allow us to win against Southwestern."
"I was also very proud of Dathan Paradis who does not get many opportunities to play on Friday nights," Palzkill continued. "He did a great job for us and had an important interception as well as many big tackles. Caden Jackson and Grant Sporle are also doing a great job for us and they both came up with big turnovers to help us against Southwestern."
The Division 6 bracket for the Pointers is SWAL heavy with Darlington, Mineral Point, Fennimore and Cuba City.
The bracket finds #8 Brookwood at #1 Darlington, #5 Mineral Pont at #4 Fennimore, #6 Cuba City at #3 Markesan and #7 Waterloo at #2 Pecatonica/Argyle.
