The Remsen St. Mary’s football returned to the UNI Dome in style defeating defending champion Bishop Garrigan 22-20 in the Class Eight-Player state semifinal on Wednesday morning.
The game was not a stereotypical high-scoring eight-player football game with both sides struggling to score early in the game. The first drives for both sides ended in scores, but those would be the only scores of the first half. Remsen St. Mary’s head coach Tim Osterman says the key was to keep Garrigan’s possessions down to limit their scoring chances.
That style of game is a tough one to play, but it is one the Hawks had to play to have a chance to win. Quarterback Landon Waldschmitt says games like these take toughness and a little luck.
The Hawk defense was able to rely on their front unit to help keep the Golden Bears at bay. Collin Homan was a huge reason for that leading the defense with 6.5 tackles and a tackle for loss. He says he was able to find some success with a great swim move to make plays.
As the game progressed, things got more intense with the lead never growing bigger than one possession. The Hawks were able to have a lot of success moving the ball with Landon Waldschmitt who totaled 99 yards rushing, 91 yards passing, and threw for three scores. Coach Osterman says he has a different game than some Hawk QBs in the past, but he is still an incredible athlete.
The Hawks took a 14-8 lead in the third quarter, and Bishop Garrigan answered with two-straight scoring drives to give them their only lead of the day. The Hawks had to answer with 3:30 left on the clock and three timeouts. Homan says the offense was encouraged to take control of the game while they still had the means to.
The Hawks got down field with a great starting play which was a 34-yard run for Landon Waldschmitt. After a few more plays, the Hawks got a crack at the end zone and capitalized with a deflected pass that ended in the hands of Brady Wurth to tie the game. Wurth had two touchdown grabs in the game after having just one all season prior. Waldschmitt says it is nice to see him getting some praise for his play.
Coach Osterman says the tip play was intended to go to Collin Homan, but the deflection caused it to end up in Wurth’s hands. He says, in the end, he is just happy it worked out for his guys.
Waldschmitt says he is fortunate to have many guys be able to make a play for him no matter what that play is.
The Hawks then had to go for two, and Waldschmitt was able to find Keaton Harpenau for the go-ahead two-point try. Coach Osterman says that was a play they had worked on before, and they executed it well.
Remsen St. Mary’s advances to their third championship game in five years with a 12-0 record. Coach Osterman says he hopes his guys can take advantage of an opportunity that few teams in the state get the chance to.
The Hawks will play next Thursday morning at 9:30 AM at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls. They will play Gladbrook-Reinbeck for the Class Eight-Player Championship. KLEM will broadcast the game with live coverage beginning at 9:00 AM.
