Tackling confidence
The Cannon Falls football team is climbing its way through the ranks as the season draws to a close.
After getting to the section championship game the last two years, the Cannon Falls Bombers football team are hoping to go to state this year. As the players prepared for the 2018 season, they were brought many new challenges. The seniors have stepped up and became very strong leaders for the team. Captains of the team consist of Logan Hofstedt, Brodie Hansen, Broderick Ulrich, Graham Pearson, and Jack Dommeyer. The captains are very well respected by the younger players and have pushed them to be their best. Brodie Hansen stated “I am very excited to see where the younger players will go. They have a lot of potential. A lot of the younger guys have stepped up into big varsity roles and have done really well. It is fun to play with the younger guys.”
Even though the Bombers are not at the top of the food chain with a record of 2-6, they are staying optimistic and are hoping for a big run in the playoffs. The Bombers have had a really tough schedule this year. The first four games of the resulted in losses, but the team was still very confident about the rest of the season. “When we went through some tough times where we were losing games, some teams would’ve fallen apart. Our leaders brought us together and have gotten us on the winning track,” explained Dan Meyers, head coach of the Bombers. Homecoming arrived and the Bombers picked up their first win and beat the Zumbrota-Mazeppa Cougars 53-19. The true colors of the Bombers were shown against the Cougars. The Bombers rushed for 605 yards while holding Zumbrota to only 31 yards on the ground. Logan Hofstedt, senior running back, broke the school record for rushing yards while also scoring five touchdowns. “It is really fun to have a dominant win over a team as it raises the spirits of the players. A confident team win like that will give us momentum going into the playoffs” says Hofstedt.
Despite the rough patches throughout the season, the Bombers are still confident in their postseason prospects. In previous seasons, their record was similarly unimpressive, and the team advanced to the section championship. In the last two years the Bombers have made it to the section championship game but have been defeated. This year, the goal is to push past the section championship and advance to state. “I am excited to have a shot at winning the section championship. We have been close to doing it for a couple of years now, but this year we have a good shot at winning it all. We have worked hard and deserve this” said Meyers.
As the temperatures dropped, the players excitement grew as playoffs were just around the corner. Getting the 5th seed in the playoffs, the team had to travel to play against the Minneapolis-Edison Tommies. Nevertheless, the Bombers played their game and upset the Tommies 67-8. The next opponent was the Breck Mustangs who were the number one seed in the section. The Bombers came through and defeated the Mustangs 36-27. The Bombers were thought to be heavily outmatched, but showed how dominant they really can be. The deeper the team goes into the playoffs, the tougher the opponents will be. The Bombers go on to play in the section championship against St. Croix on Friday.
I am Nick Bultena and I am a sports writer for the Lantern. I play football, basketball, and baseball. I enjoy throwing hay bales and listening to country...
Bryson Felton is a senior photographer and part editor for the Lantern. He is also involved in the school musicals and plays, speech, yearbook, and track....