John O' Grady spent his final Saturday afternoon on the sidelines of Ramer Field as the Falcons fell 58-13 to Stevens Point. O'Grady is the longest tenured coach in the school's history and has been affiliated with Falcon football for over three decades as he walks off a place he has called home for the last 22 years.
Stevens Point did not have a problem rebounding from last week's tough loss to Whitewater. The Pointers put up 548 yards of offense, their highest output in 47 games when they amassed 587 yards at Wartburg in 2006.
The Pointers wasted no time getting on the board as Jake Swank threw for 193 yards and two scores in the first quarter giving Stevens Point a 21-0 lead. Swank found Jared Jenkins, the WIAC's leading receiver, seven times for 150 yards and two scores in the first quarter alone.
Early in the second quarter, Keith Lofgren (Esko, MN, Fond du Lac CC) picked off Swank marking the first interception of the season for the Falcons. The first pick of the season led to the final touchdown pass Ryan Luessenheide (New Hope, MN, Cooper) will throw at Ramer Field. The senior quarterback found Nate Brandt (Lakefield, MN, Jackson County Central) for a one yard score cutting the lead to 21-7. The Falcons ran five plays inside the ten, including a fourth-and-one sneak by Lussenheide, before finally punching it in on a play-action pass on third down.
Lofgren's pick started a trend in the secondary as Lee Spohn (Albany, MN, Albany) and Matt Ainsworth (Maple Grove, MN, Osseo) each grabbed an interception, marking three picks in eight pass attempts. Both Spohn and Ainsworth's interceptions were on deep throws when Swank had the wind at his back as he continued to look deep all afternoon.
The takeaways did not alter the Pointers game plan as Swank finished with 304 yards and four scores, including 198 yards to Jenkins. The Falcons defense could not prevent the big play for the second consecutive week as Stevens Point put up seven plays of over 30 yards, including five touchdowns. The Pointers scored on the first play of a possession three times and had another which took just three snaps. The final score of 58-13 marks the largest margin of victory in the series which dates back to 1912.
Joe Ganske (Shakopee, MN, Shakopee) had a career-game on his final Saturday at Ramer Field. He racked up seven catches for 104 yards in his first 100-yard receiving game of his career. Alex Adams (Brooklyn Park, MN, Park Center) led the team with 10 stops, followed by Jake Mandoza (New Brighton, MN, Irondale) with a team-best seven solo tackles.
Greg Klingelhutz (Chanhassen, MN, Holy Family) added his first score of the season on a four yard gain in the fourth quarter. Klingelhutz has already set the WIAC records for kick return yards in a season and a career and now he is chasing some NCAA records. He is just 91 yards shy of the NCAA Division III record for most kick return yards in a season.
The Falcons drop to 0-9 as they will fight to avoid the first winless season in the history of the program next week. The Falcons current losing streak of 11 games ties the longest in school history. They wrap up the 2010 season next Saturday in Eau Claire at 1:00 p.m. at Carson Park.
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