Rebels Are Back In The Prep Bowl

Wes Vork-NSO

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Nov 18, 2011

Wes Vork-NSO

For the second time in three years the Moose Lake-Willow River Rebels are back in the prep bowl. Behind a 223 yard rushing performance by Jake Disterhaupt, the Rebels defeated Waterville-Elysian-Morristown by a score of 35-14 to advance to the title game for the second time in three years.

The Prep bowl will be played on Friday the day after Thanksgiving, so what would normally be a day of turkey and all the trimmings, will be replaced by the nearly as traditional night before a football game team spaghetti feed for the Rebels. “I think if we can eat spaghetti for Thanksgiving everyone’s going to enjoy it; because you know the reason why is that we’re playing in the Prep Bowl. We’ll take spaghetti every year.” Commented Moose Lake-Willow River Head Coach Dave Louzek.

The Bucks won the coin toss but elected to defer, meaning they would kick off and play defense to start the game; then receive the ball to start the second half. Disterhaupt had them re-thinking that choice when on the first play of the game he took the handoff and outran the WEM defense down the sidelines for an 80 yard score. After a BJ Young kick, the Rebels led 7-0 just 11 seconds into the game.

“It was really nice to get that score to open the game; it gave the kids a real boost of confidence knowing we could move the ball against that team. We’ve been deferring all year, but since the section finals and at this level we want the ball in our offense’s hands to start the game.

So to get the ball is what we were looking for; and then to open up with an 80 yard run like that just sets the tone for the whole game” commented Coach Louzek.

As nice as the quick early lead was, this game was the state semi-finals and the Rebels were playing a well seasoned Bucks team, the team that denied ML-WR a state title two years previous in 2009; so the game certainly wasn’t over by a long shot. The Bucks responded with a 14 play, 74 yard drive that took 7-/12 minutes off the clock in the second quarter and tied the game at seven all.

“Coach Bakken is one of the best coaches in the state and has done a great job with that program. They have won three state championships and we knew coming in he would be adjusting on the fly and he did a great job of that.

So we needed to make a few adjustments also; it was really a chess match kind of game” stated Coach Louzek.

As they have done all year, the Rebels responded by just simply running their offense. Only this time with just 2:44 to work with, they proved they are not just one dimensional and displayed a more balanced attack with Tony Adamczak going 4-5 passing on the 15 play, 70 yard drive which ended in with a 10 yard scoring pass to Disterhaupt on 3rd and 7 with just :04 remaining in the half. The extra point attempt failed however, but the Rebels led at halftime by a score of 13-7.

As big as Disterhaupt’s long scoring runs were for the Rebels, perhaps his biggest play in the game came when WEM took the second half kickoff, the one they had deferred to get and began to march down the field for the tying score. After four successful run plays got the Bucks near mid-field, Disterhaupt picked off a first and 10 pass attempt by the Bucks to create the game’s first turnover.

“(The interception) came at an important time in the second half; they had a good drive going. We spent some time this week working Jake at safety because they go from the power run to the shotgun spread and don’t give you time to get different personnel in, and it happened he was in the right spot at the right time” explained Louzek.”

They were rolling; (the interception) stopped their momentum when they were on their way to score. It was nice to get it turned around and give the offense the ball again” stated Disterhaupt.

After being back up to their own seven yard line by a penalty, Disterhaupt turned the turnover into points when he sped in from seven yards out, and after a Josh Cisar conversion run, the Rebels held a commanding 21-7 lead.

On the Bucks next possession it was the Rebels defense that struck again, this time it was Josh Cisar intercepting the ball right at mid-field on a fourth and four play. Like Disterhaupt in the previous series, Cisar turned the turnover into points with a 1 yard dive into the endzone for the score and a 28-7 lead for the Rebels.

WEM did put together a drive with Tate Harmon scoring on a 1 yard run to cut the score to 28-14 but Disterhaupt answered with his fourth touchdown of the contest, this time on a 66 yard cutback run to seal the game and secure the 35-14 win over the team that denied the Rebels a title in 2009.

With the Win the Rebels head to the Prep Bowl for a shot at a state title. “This game kind of had a little revenge, but they’re just another team in our way of a state championship; just go out and do Rebel football,” mentioned senior running back Chris Gassert. “We’ve been working since seventh grade for this and we’re here, it’s ours to take,” added Gassert.

The Rebels will play the winner of Saturdays match-up between last year’s state champion, #5 ranked Caledonia and Warroad. For Gassert it really doesn’t matter who the play. “It is always the ultimate goal of the program to make it to the Prep Bowl and win it. It doesn’t matter who we play, they’ll be ready for us and we will be ready for them but we’ll have more heart.”

Coach Louzek believes this group is one of the more focused teams he has coached. “These kids will be ready, there not looking past anyone, they’re going to be ready to go.

Maybe in the Moose Lake-Willow River area they can do the spaghetti on Thursday and still enjoy a good turkey dinner, surrounded by a state championship trophy on Saturday.

Wes Vork can be reached at wes@northlandsportsonline.com