Catholic Central 49, Shoreland Lutheran 30
Toppers work out first-half kinks with huge second half
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
Burlington Catholic Central head coach Tom Aldrich told his players what just about every high school football player wants to hear at the end of a stressful, grueling week.
Take the weekend off.
Sensing general fatigue and over-exposure to football, Aldrich gave his guys three days off after Friday’s 49-30 victory at Shoreland Lutheran.
He emphasized getting away from the sport, recharging batteries and healing up minor bumps and bruises.
During a post-game speech where Aldrich questioned the squad’s at-times lackadaisical effort despite the win, Aldrich asked if the team may be too good and feel like they don’t have to work anymore.
It’s certainly a good problem to have, though, because Catholic Central is off to a 3-0 start and has won each game by double digits.
Lake Country Lutheran and Shoreland, two teams that were supposed to pose a threat to the Toppers, couldn’t come close to stopping the lethal offensive duo of quarterback Ben Heiligenthal and running back Cole Kresken.
Sprinkle in an athletic defense and receivers who can blow the top off any defense, and the Toppers’ recipe for success has them as the current front-runner for the Metro Classic Conference crown.
“I thought it was a sloppy game from our standpoint,” Aldrich said. “But you have to give Shoreland credit. We’re a better team, but we just had to go out and play. Twice we were inside their 2-yard line and didn’t score. That’s frustrating. The kids did a nice job of staying focused.”
One-man wrecking crew
Catholic Central busted a 21-14 game wide open with a 21-0 third quarter.
Heiligenthal, who kept it 19 times for 149 yards, scored on runs of 3 and 37 yards, and he capped off the dominant quarter by finding Cole Pankau on a perfectly-thrown deep ball in stride for a 41-yard touchdown.
The game was essentially over at 42-14.
Kresken did his damage in the first half, totaling three touchdown runs.
He finished with a season-high 203 yards on 21 carries. Kresken leads the area with 511 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
Pankau had four catches for 105 yards.
“Shoreland played tough, but it woke us up,” Kresken said. “We stuck with it. We gave 100 percent every play.”
Heiligenthal said the team persevered despite several first-half turnovers.
“Some of the calls didn’t go our way, but this group of guys stay together no matter what happens. The younger guys look up to the seniors, and we’re always calm,” Heiligenthal said.
“This is a special team. The guys around me can make any quarterback look good. And Ian Aldrich, Kyle Goelthal, Trevor Meinholz, Andy Kempken and Bryce Hocking are beasts up front. That’s why Cole gets all those yards. They just get after it.”
Heiligenthal added that the line is smart and adapts to what the defense is doing. They only average 175 pounds up front, but Heiligenthal said the guys make up for it with tenacity.
Heiligenthal said he’s been running more this season because the offensive line does its job, and the defense is focused on stopping Kresken.
For the season, Heiligenthal has run for 445 yards and five touchdowns. Through the air, he’s amassed 319 yards with two touchdowns and only one pick.
Defensively against Shoreland, Kresken led the way with seven tackles. Aaron Reuber added five, and Zach McClenathan, Hocking, Goethal and Kempken each were credited with four.
Goethal and Hertel Novasic each forced fumbles.
Catholic Central returns home Friday night at 7 p.m. against conference foe Greendale Martin Luther (2-1).
The Toppers are currently ranked No. 2 in the state in Division 7, according to the Wissports.net Coaches Poll. However, Heiligenthal said the guys can’t get caught up in the hype.
“Every week, you have to go 1-0,” he said. “You can’t look too far ahead, you just have to focus on this week, and that’s what he have to do.”
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