In another wild meeting between River Falls and Eau Claire, the Falcons carried too much pride and perseverance and allowed John O' Grady to end his career with a “W”. In a game which marks the legendary coach's last, there were quite a few firsts as the Falcons finished on top 45-42.
The first winter storm of the year left a sheet of snow over the playing surface at Carson Park in the early afternoon, which was washed away by the continuous rain over Eau Claire on Saturday. To go along with the inclement weather, there was the man who has been associated with River Falls football longer than anyone else coaching his final game and a group of seniors refusing to lose as they led a prideful team to an improbable victory avoiding a winless season.
Ryan Luessenheide (New Hope, MN, Cooper) played out of his mind in the final game of his career. The senior quarterback carried the team on his shoulders as he threw for 375 yards and five touchdowns, both school records. As big of a day Lussenheide had in the air, the play of the day came from his legs. The Falcons were trailing 42-38 with less than two minutes to go, facing a fourth-and-18 and destined for a winless season. Luessenheide was forced to scramble and was able to create his longest rush of the season by picking up 19 yards to extend the drive. A few plays later, he found Brady Hannigan (Oakdale, MN, North St. Paul HS) in the end zone for the third time to give the Falcons their final lead 45-42.
Joe Ganske (Shakopee, MN, Shakopee) had a career-game last week and nearly doubled his production on his final day as a Falcon. The senior receiver grabbed nine passes for 202 yards and two scores. The 202 yards sets a new school record breaking the previous mark which stood for 41 years.
The offensive line paved the way for another 100-yard performance by Taylor Edwards (Janesville, Parker) who gained 141 yards on 26 carries. Edwards has rushed over the century mark in seven of the 10 games in 2010 as he finishes with over 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season.
Keith Lofgren (Esko, MN, Fond du Lac CC) and Steve Marich (Cottage Grove, MN, Park) each played their final game for the Falcons as they came up big on the defensive side. Lofgren made seven tackles while breaking up three passes in the secondary and Marich added six stops, a tackle for a loss and recovered a fumble on Eau Claire's opening drive. Ryan Bartsch (Cameron, Cameron) picked up another sack giving him a team-best 3.5 sacks in 2010.
As the record-setting day continued, Greg Klingelhutz (Chanhassen, MN, Holy Family) set a NCAA Division III record by returning for 1,017 yards in 2010. No other player in the history of Division III football has ever returned for over 1,000 yards. Klinglehutz also tied the NCAA record with 49 returns in a season. Heading into his senior season, he is just 28 returns and 688 yards shy of the NCAA career records for kick returns and yardage.
It was a wild game which saw the momentum swing back-and-forth like a pendulum in a monsoon. Every time a team was down, they fought back as there were six lead changes and each team overcame a double-digit deficit.
Adding to the excitement the teams combined for over 1,000 yards, put up 87 points, executed 12 plays of over 20 yards, and were 5/5 on fourth downs - including a fourth and 18 conversion by each school.
The final scoring drive for the Falcons is one that will surely be ingrained in John O' Grady's memory as they marched 70 yards on 17 plays, needing a touchdown to give their coach his final victory. O'Grady was congratulated with a Gatorade shower from the players as well as a “Coach O” chant before hearing his team sing the Falcon Fight Song one final time.
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