Several Knights heading home

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- For the Martin Luther Knights, it's the next best thing to playing at home. In fact, more than a few Knights will be playing at home, sort of.

Seven MLC players may not have the homefield advantage when the Knights and Maranatha meet at 1 p.m. today in Watertown, Wis., in UMAC football, but they definitely will have the hometown advantage.

In addition to the seven players with Watertown home addresses -- Seth Fitzsimmons, Ben Kuerth, Brad Taylor, Brad Krause, Eric Kaesermann, Chris Fischer and Mark Ehlke -- many more are from the area. Enough so that all but about a dozen will be sleeping in their own beds the night before the game.

All the Old Home Week stuff can be a big advantage. Or a distraction.

"That's what I'm worried about," MLC coach Dennis Gorsline said. "I just don't want them to get caught up in all the other things going on."

And there will be plenty of "other things" going on. Probably quite a few mini-family reunions and other assorted family events. And there's likely to be more than a few MLC moms, dads and girlfriends in the stands.

There's somewhat of a rivalry atmosphere when the schools meet, much of it going back to when Maranatha and crosstown rival Northwestern used to battle before Northwestern's amalgamation with Dr. Martin Luther. And you can add this to the fire: even though only seven players are from Watertown, 19 others attended Luther Prep in Watertown.

While today's players may not remember the past battles, they're still fresh in the minds of Gorsline, who previously coached at Northwestern, and Maranatha coach Terry Price.

"I always look forward to seeing Dennis," Price said. "We've coached against each other for 25 or so years. It's always good when we can get together to talk and get reacquainted."

But in addition to all the old acquaintances remembered, there is also a football game. It's a football game MLC (2-4, 2-2 UMAC) should win easily from slumping Maranatha (1-5, 0-4).

But then again, all those "intangibles" could prove to be troublesome for the Knights, Gorsline said.

"They're a very spiritual team," Gorsline said. "The main thing is we can't let Maranatha get off to a good start and get ahead of us. That would be like pouring kerosene on the fire.

"If we can get on top, they probably have loseritis. I think a lot of it could be the start of the game. But unless the football gods are not on our side, I still think we should win."

It should be interesting, though. The UMAC's worst offense (MLC, 299.2 yards per game) will meet up with the conference's worst defense (Maranatha, 458.0 yards per game).

But it's not like the Knights are really the worst offense in the conference. Facing a tough nonconference schedule, and early UMAC matchups with Mount Senario and Northwestern (Roseville), yards and points were hard to come by.

But the Knights have also proven they can score points. Both of MLC's UMAC wins have been blowouts by a combined score of 125-0.

Hometown product Kuerth will get the start at quarterback against the Crusaders, Gorsline said, but the two-and-two rotation system will again be in effect. Kuerth will play the first two series and then give way to fellow Luther Prep alum Fitzsimmons, who lives about three blocks from Kuerth in Watertown, for two series.

It will not be a perfect homecoming for Knights junior running back Eli Cloute, who graduated from Luther Prep. Cloute is listed as extremely doubtful with the nagging hamstring injury that has plagued him since before the start of the season.

"I know he really wants to play," Gorsline said, "but I just don't think he will. He really wants to, though, and if it were up to him, he'd play. But we're not going to risk him if he's not going to be productive."

The Knights' injury situation is much better that Maranatha's. This season has proven it doesn't take major injuries to decimate a season.

"The injuries have been devastating," Price said. "We kind of thought we were going to have a good year. The injuries aren't all serious, but a game here or a game there lost and it adds up to a lack of continuity. It's been a tough year."

There is some good news on the injury front for the Crusaders. Senior running back Josh Snook will return to the lineup today after missing the last game with a broken finger.

Snook is Maranatha's leading rusher with 425 yards and five touchdowns on 76 carries.

The Crusaders also have the UMAC's best receiver in senior Mark Brock, who averages 144.5 yards per game. Kevin Taylor is the second-ranked quarterback in the conference, averaging 214.5 yards per game (96 of 191, 1,287 yards, 6 TDs).

"(Brock) doesn't look real fast, but he's got good hands," Gorsline said. "And he's tall."

Gorsline said he expects the Crusaders will try to take advantage of Brock's size (6-foot-4, 200) against the Knights' undersized corners. That means fades and out patterns out of three-step drops.

Price said there's no scheming to win this game.

"It's just going to be how well we match up with them," he said. "It's just going to be how well we play."