Froid/Lake Repeats As State Champions

By Bill Vander Weele

Froid/Lake Coach Michael Reiter knew that the Red Hawks were capable of a dominating performance in the state football playoffs this year..

The Red Hawks picked the perfect time for that to happen as they rolled to a 43-0 victory over Power/ Dutton/Brady in the six-man state championship contest in Dutton on Saturday, Nov. 23, for Froid/Lake’s second straight state championship.

“I’ve been waiting for it,” Reiter said of the impressive performance. “It was great.”

Not only was the Red Hawks’ running game featuring the Hobbs’ brothers unstoppable, Froid/Lake’s defense allowed very little from the Titans’ highly-regarded offensive attack.

“We just brought the energy,” Reiter said. “It was easy for me to call our plays on offense when our defense was being so great.”

Senior linebacker Brett Stentoft explained, “We just came out and brought the energy and played Red Hawk football.”

Assistant coach Jalen Hendrickson, who directs the defense, noted, “They showed up today. They brought it. I thought we were capable of that every week. We were determined. We came through at the biggest game of the year.”

One of the few offensive threats that the Titans put together occurred in the final seconds, but Froid/Lake’s defense was determined to get a shut-out. The game ended with an exclamation point when senior safety Javonne Nesbit stripped the ball and raced 78 yards for a touchdowns.

“I was just going to tackle him, but then got my arm in and got the ball,” Nesbit said. “I thought why not end up on a good note.”

Nesbit, who is regarded as one of the area’s top basketball players, decided to give football a try this year. Although it took him a few games to understand his assignments, he turned into a dominating force down the stretch.

“It feels awesome,” Nesbit said of being a state champion. “It’s great winning it with my teammates.”

Froid/Lake’s domination started when Ashdyn Hobbs took the ball on a draw and went 31 yards for a touchdown with 6:02 left in the opening quarter.

Power/ Dutton/ Brady’s next drive ended when the Titans attempted a fake punt on a fourth-and-six play. Nesbit tackled the receiver short of the needed yardage.

After senior Ashdyn Hobbs picked up a first down on a 10-yard run to the Titan 27, junior Austen Hoobs broke loose for a touchdown. The conversion kick by Mason Dethman put the margin at 14-0 with 3:09 left in the quarter.

With Red Hawk fans chanting “Run the Hobbs’ boys,” the brothers helped the squad drive 55 yards early in the second quarter. The Red Hawks reached the end zone on a one-yard dive by Stentoft with 7:39 left in the half.

Stentoft, a fullback, said he enjoys blocking in front of teammates more than carrying the ball himself. “I like to go out and hit people,” he explained.

Dethman’s kick increased the margin to 22-0.

The Titans attempted a triple pass play on their next possession, but it’s usually not a good plan to try and fool Dethman at safety. The talented sophomore intercepted the pass to put the

Red Hawks in good field position again. Froid/Lake went on to score on an 18-yard pass from Dethman to Nesbit for a 29-0 advantage.

Neither squad scored in the third quarter as the Red Hawks kept receiving strong defensive play from Quinn Abar, Ashdyn Hobbs and Stentoft.

The Red Hawks added a touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Dethman to Connor Huft with 5:30 remaining in the game. Dethman’s kick put the margin at 37-0.

As the time clicked down, Red Hawks’ fans began chanting “back to back” to recognize the team’s second straight undefeated season.