Lancaster takes non-conference battle with Pointers; Hall of Fame inductions tonight

By Matthew Goninen

Last Friday Night, the Mineral Point High School varsity football team dropped its season opener to Lancaster 21-6 in a slow, grind-it-out game.

Mineral Point would receive the opening kickoff. They opened their first drive with an explosive 33-yard run from Senior Roen Carey behind the experienced Pointer offensive line. Following a penalty, Carey would find the gap again, this time for 23 yards. The Pointers would bring out their offense on fourth and  13 from the Lancaster 37, however the incomplete pass from freshman quarterback Liam Carey would result in a turnover on downs. 

The response from Lancaster was immediate; led by senior quarterback Nolan Wolf, the Arrows flew down the field. Wolf found senior wide receiver Brennen Gildersleeve early and often, eventually connecting with him in the flat on second and two from the 14-yard line for the first touchdown of the game. 

“We anticipated the hurry-up,” Head Coach Justin Leonard said. "We usually don’t huddle up; we stay loose. It was more about personnel changes and getting players in the right spots.” 

After moving the ball 54 yards down the field, the Pointers punted the ball back to Lancaster. Early in the second quarter, Wolf found Brennen Gildersleeve on a screen play, and Gildersleeve would take it 27 yards to the house. Wolf, also serving as Lancaster’s kicker, tacked on the extra point to make it 14-0 with 10:16 to go in the first half. 

While the next Mineral Point drive would look promising following the 59-yard kickoff return by sophomore Clayton Yanna, the Pointers would come up empty, turning the ball over on downs once again. Both teams would struggle to move the ball on their next few drives, and the Flying Arrows would take their 14-0 lead into the halftime break. 

After a wild snap over the head of Lancaster punter Quinton Ploessl, the Mineral Point would take over with prime field position early in the third quarter. The Pointers moved the ball down the field to the Lancaster three yard line. While they would move backward following a false start, they would finally punch the ball into the endzone on a five yard touchdown rush from quarterback Reid Acherman. Roen Carey would miss the extra point, and the deficit would sit at eight with 7:35 to play in the third quarter. 

Pre-snap penalties would plague both offenses through the remainder of the third quarter and through much of the fourth quarter. Mineral Point would attempt to convert fourth and nine from the Lancaster 39, but defensive pressure from Sophomore Brady Muldoon would lead to the incomplete pass from Liam Carey to Junior Grady Finley. 

With the ball and five minutes to play, Lancaster slowly moved the ball down the field, looking to run out the clock. However, following two Mineral Point tackles for loss, Lancaster would face third and 15, well outside of field goal range, with just under two minutes to play. On a throw up the middle, Wolf found senior running back Semaj Venson, who broke free from a pair of Pointer defenders and found paydirt. Wolf tacked on the PAT, and Lancaster came away with the 21-6 victory.

“We were just not able to finish drives,” Coach Leonard added. “As a staff, we learned a lot about ourselves. We are going to fix the things that we didn’t do well.” 

Tomorrow night, the Pointers will host the Platteville Hillmen in the second week of non-conference play. Both teams entered the game 0-1, as Platteville dropped their week one contest to Darlington.

Tomorrow night is also Hall of Fame night for the Pointer Football Team; all Hall of Fame members, their families, and MPHS Football alumni are invited to a pregame tailgate at Soldiers Memorial Park from 4:30-6:30 pm. Food and drinks will be available courtesy of the Gridiron Club. There will also be a reception at Dodge Point Country Club after the game.

 “Going into the week against Platteville, we are going to look at how our strengths can mold into how we can take advantage of them offensively and defensively,” Coach Leonard said.