Class AA Prep Bowl: Barnesville hoping to shock three-time defending champ Caledonia
(Cover Photo: Anthony Souffle/Minneapolis StarTribune)
Caledonia | Barnesville | |
---|---|---|
Record | 12-0 | 11-2 |
Head Coach | Carl Fruechte | Bryan Strand |
Rankings (NFN, AP, QRF) | 1, 1, 2 | NR, NR, 15 |
State Championship Apparances | 11 | 2 |
State Titles | 9 ('76, '07, '08, '10-'12, '15-'17) | 0 |
Points Per Game | 37 | 36.9 |
Opponents Points Per Game | 5 | 10.2 |
Opponents Win Pct | 68-58 (.540) | 70-61 (.534) |
Caledonia and Barnesville entered the 2018 playoffs on very different notes.
The Warriors had just finished another undefeated regular season with a defense that hadn’t allowed an opposing offense more than one score per game. Barnesville, on the other hand, was rolling through the regular season before dropping back-to-back one-point games to end the regular season.
They will now meet on Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium for the Class AA title.
Caledonia will be trying to keep its 53-game winning streak going while winning its fourth-straight state championship. The Warriors would join Eden Prairie (2011-2014) and Stephen-Argyle (2003-07) as the only programs to win at least four titles in a row.
Barnesville will be looking for its first championship in its third Prep Bowl appearance. The Trojans were last in the Prep Bowl in 2010.
Key Matchup
Barnesville Rush O vs Caledonia’s Rush D
Barnesville has a chance to knock off the defending champions if they can grab an early lead and milk the clock.
That will limit the opportunities for Noah King and the Caledonia offense, while putting pressure on the champs. The Trojans Power T-formation offense will also have to hit on some big plays in the running game, because the likelihood of stringing together multiple 10- or 12-play drives against Carl Fruechte’s defense is extremely low.
Few teams been able to stop Caledonia’s offense all season – well, for the better part of three years for that matter – so it’s going to be a challenge for the Trojans to keep Caledonia under 21 points. If Barnesville is not able to slow the game down and stay ahead of the chains on offense, Caledonia will have a chance to do what they have done to nearly every opponent during their winning streak – dominate.
Quarterback Adam Tonsfeldt has led Barnesville to an average of nearly 37 points per game this season. (Renee Jones Schneider/Minneapolis StarTribune)Key Player
Barnesville OL
2018 Team Stats: 3,450 rush yards, 534 pass yards
The easy answers here are Caledonia’s King or Nick McCabe, along with Barnesville running back Nick Detloff or quarterback Adam Tonsfeldt.
The real key players in the game will be the guys up front for Barnesville, led by seniors Gabe Dent and Jackson Poepping.
If they can control the Caledonia front seven or eight for most of the game, the offense will hum, and the Trojans will have a chance to pull off the upset. If Barnesville struggles on first down and faces second- or third-and-long situations, it will go against the Trojans’ strengths and play right into the hands of the Warriors.