Knights taken out in first round by tough Regis squad
By Ross Pattermann
For the second straight year, the Cornell-Lake Holcombe Knights Football drew the first seeded Regis Ramblers in Level 1 of the WIAA Division 6 playoffs and for the second straight year, the Ramblers would use a powerful and daunting run game to defeat the Knights, ending their season with a 36-8 loss.
The Ramblers announced their intentions early and often in the first quarter, all but putting the game away with a 22-0 effort. The Ramblers scored with 5:53 left in the first quarter, when Tristan Root scampered into the endzone from 11 yards out, the first of five different Ramblers to score.
Gabe Chenal punched the two-point conversion to make it 8-0 and from there, the Ramblers tacked on two more touchdowns.
In spite of the score, the Knights did a good job holding the Ramblers offense in check, allowing the No. 1 ranked team in Division 6 in the state, to just 201 yards on offense. Unfortunately, the Ramblers more than returned the favor, giving up just 80 yards of offense to the Knights.
The Knights had difficulty getting past Regis’ defense, converting just one of seven, third down attempts.
The Ramblers added a pair of touchdowns – one through the air and one on the ground, with successful point after attempts, to make it 36-0, going into the break. From there, the Knights held the Ramblers scoreless through the entire second half and with 5:20 remaining, Josh Jones recorded a safety.
Battling to score against the “dragon,” with one second left on the clock and their season coming to an end, senior quarterback Kaden Kinney found pay dirt in the endzone from one yard out, to make it 36-8.
“Tough team for us to play, but very proud of our team,” said coach Troy Story.
The Knights were led on offense by senior Aden Story, who ran 21 yards on three carries, and Kinney, who added 13 yards.
On defense, Kinney had one sack and two tackles for the loss. Tate Sauerwein had 10 yards rushing and one tackle for the loss, while A. Story had one sack and one fumble recovery. Kinney finished with nine tackles and Brock Flater had eight tackles.
For the season, the Knights were led on offense by Sauerwein, who compiled 1,071 yards and 10 touchdowns. A. Story added 388 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Kinney had 165 yards and eight touchdowns.
Kinney was the Knights’ leading passer, finishing with 27 completions, for 385 yards and five touchdowns. Jones and Sauerwein were the biggest beneficiaries, with 166 and 129 yards, respectively. Caleb Balow hauled in eight receptions, for 95 yards.
Defensively, Sauerwein led the Knights with 70 tackles, along with a team high seven fumble recoveries and seven tackle for loss. Kinney finished with 65 tackles, along with nine tackles for the loss.
A. Story had a disruptive year on defense, finishing with a team high four sacks and 16 tackle for the loss. Jones had a team high four interceptions, including two pick-sixes.
Exiting are almost a dozen seniors, but those players can hold their heads high on their high school career finish, after scoring twice against the force that is Regis.
“It’s bittersweet,” said A. Story.
