Eagles can win if they execute fundamentals

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- In high school football, many times the determining factor between winning and losing a game is phrase "executing the fundamentals."

That means being fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball, not turning the ball over (although turnovers will happen), and properly reading your keys on offense and defense.

It means not taking bad penalties at inopportune times. It means being "football smart."

Thus far this season, the New Ulm Eagle football team has struggled, going 0-5.

But in three of those five losses, they have led in the game.

This past Saturday they held leads of 9-0 and 16-6 over Waseca. However, in both cases, costly penalties led to Bluejay scores.

In the second quarter, the Eagles' defense forced Waseca into a fourth down with two yards to go. Football 101 is when you are on the defensive line, you watch the ball. But the Eagles were flagged for an offside penalty that gave Waseca a first down. Later in the drive, a facemask call on New Ulm moved the ball to the 5-yard line where the Bluejays scored their first touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, a big personal foul flag on New Ulm kept a Waseca scoring drive alive.

But perhaps the most costly mistake made by the Eagles came with less than two minutes to go in the game. Trailing by a 16-12 score, Waseca was forced to pass from the Eagle 41-yard line when their quarterback, Gino Glynn, found a wide receiver, Dhane Milbrath, wide open behind the Eagle secondary, for the game-winning touchdown.

These things do happen, even in the pros. We all recall almost the same play last year in the Vikings game at Arizona that kept Minnesota out of the playoffs.

This year's Eagle team came into the season with a lot of inexperience. But now, five games into the season, inexperience can no longer be an excuse.

Granted, New Ulm did lose a lot from graduation from last year's team. That is why playing smart, fundamental football is more important that ever.

The Eagles face a tough road ahead to get a win. They play a tough Fairmont team on Friday before facing Blue Earth Area and then St. Peter.

The Eagles are a lot better than their 0-5 mark indicates.

They just need to go out and prove it.

CHARGERS WERE CONFIDENT: Minnesota Valley Lutheran trailed Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 13-0 going into the fourth quarter when MVL displayed one of the best comebacks at Johnson Field as they scored 20 straight points to register a win.

"We had confidence that we could win," MVL running back Ryan Timm said. He scored all three touchdowns in the victory. "We knew that we were more physical than they were. And we had the right attitude -- we knew that we could come back."

Timm said that the turnovers by the Chargers "were more mental than physical. We knew that we had to get back to what we had been practicing all week. I tried to do more than I should and I ended up screwing up."

He said the Thunderbird turnover that the Chargers forced was one of the keys to the comeback.

"Plus we knew that we were only down by two touchdowns," he said. "We knew that we could score.''

Timm said the win "was a huge for us. It was a fun game for the fans to watch. I wish that I would not have made it so exciting (with a fumble) but we got the win."

He added that the Chargers "are young but we know that we have a lot of athletes on the team. It is just a matter of getting things to click for us."

KUNZ TO COACH HOCKEY: Look for Dave Kunz to be named the new girls head hockey coach at New Ulm High School at the next school board meeting.