By Derek Simon

The long-anticipated Hastings Raiders football season finally arrived Friday night, as the Raiders travelled to Henry Sibley High School to take on the Warriors. The Raiders had won nine straight games against the Warriors, including two wins last season, both games in Hastings. The Raiders won the opener last season 16-7 over the Warriors and followed that up with a 28-0 win in the Section Playoffs.

The Warriors were winless in 2019 but are expecting to be a much more competitive team in 2020. The Warriors return fifteen seniors from last season and a large junior class.

The Raiders, coming off of a 4-6 season, are also a young team with eighteen seniors. The Raiders have thirty-two juniors and seven sophomores on the varsity roster.

The 2020 season got off to a booming start, as senior kicker Simon Hedin sent the kick into the endzone for a touchback. Hedin is the latest in a long line of soccer players who have also thrived as the kicker for the football team.

Sibley would start with the ball on their 20-yard line. After two runs, the Warriors would face their first third down of the season. Needing five yards for a first down, they connected on a passing play over the middle of the field for a gain of twenty-two yards to their 47-yard line. Sibley gained another first down to the Hastings 40-yard line. On second down, Sibley fumbled the snap and lost six yards as senior Jaxon Schiller made the tackle for a loss. Sibley faced another third down, this time needing sixteen yards. They again completed a pass, this one to the Hastings 30-yard line. With the Warriors looking to go in for the first score of the game, senior Cameron Olsen took over and made two big tackles and Sibley suddenly was facing a fourth down and ten. After a false start penalty, Sibley decided to go for it on fourth down and fifteen from the Hastings 35-yard line. The Raiders defense was up to the task, stopping Sibley on their 28-yard line. John Chorlton, X’Zavier Deutsch and Ben Clemens were all in on the tackle.

The Raiders took over at their twenty-eight for their first drive of the season. It was clear from the beginning the Raiders game plan was to feed the rock to junior running back Brenden Freiermuth. After three straight runs by Freiermuth, the Raiders picked up the first down. Unfortunately, a false start penalty set them back five yards. After two more Freiermuth runs, the Raiders faced a third down and five at their 48- yard line. Junior quarterback Axel Arnold was unable to hook up with wide out Stephen Reifenberger, and the Raiders were forced to punt. John Chorlton punted the ball thirty-four yards to the Sibley eighteen.

The Warriors drive started at their 20-yard line after a two-yard punt return. On first down, Ben Witt blew up a sweep for a loss of seven yards on the play. Sibley recovered to pick up a first down but made it no farther than their 41yard line and were forced to punt as the second quarter See Raiders Shutout Page 12 Raiders shutout victory

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was starting.

A line drive punt was snagged by Reifenberger at the 50yard line and he returned the kick for nineteen yards to the Sibley 31-yard line.

The Raiders had great field position for their second drive. Joey Millner ran for three yards on first down. After short runs by Freiermuth and Arnold, the Raiders were facing a fourth and three at the Sibley 24-yard line. Freiermuth took a sweep outside and raced sixteen yards down to the Sibley eight, setting up a first and goal for the Raiders. Two short runs and two incompletions followed as the Raiders turned the ball over at the Warrior five-yard line.

Sibley went three and out on the following drive, punting from their own 11-yard line. After a 36-yard punt, and a five-yard return by Reiefenberger, the Raiders had the ball at the Sibley 42-yard line.

The Raiders again turned to Freiermuth, who gained twelve yards on the first two plays of the drive. After two incompletions and a short run, the Raiders were faced with a fourth and three at the Sibley 27-yard line. Arnold kept the ball and raced ten yards for a first down to the seventeen. The Raiders again faced fourth down after two more short runs and an incompletion. On fourth and eight from the Warrior 10-yard line, Freiermuth ran off tackle and powered his way down to the one-yard line. The Raiders quickly took a time out as there were just 23 seconds left till half time. On first down the Warrior defense stopped the Raiders cold and Hastings was forced to take another timeout. On second and goal, Arnold rolled out on a run/pass option and found his way into the end zone for the first score of the season. The Raiders were unsuccessful on a two-point conversion and took a 6-0 lead into the half.

Joey Millner returned the second half kickoff 20 yards to the Hastings 26-yard line. Millner then took a motion sweep five yards on first down. After Freiermuth gained six yards and a first down, the Raiders looked like they were ready to take control of the game. Unfortunately, on the next play, Arnold’s pass was tipped and intercepted by Sibley. Arnold took out some frustration, blasting the Sibley player at the 22-yard line.

As they had all night, the Raiders defense stuffed the Warriors and down by six, Sibley had a decision to make. The ball was resting on the Hastings 19-yard line and it was fourth down and seven yards to go. Would Sibley attempt a 36-yard field goal or go for it on fourth down?

The Warriors went for it and their QB scrambled eight yards for a first down. With all the momentum seemingly on their side, they ran the ball three more times, setting up a first and goal at the Hastings one-yard line.

What happened next was one of the greatest goal line stands I’ve seen in my almost forty years of watching high school football. On first down, Jaxon Schiller and Lucas Knoll stuffed Sibley’s inside run, setting up second and one. On second down, the Warriors tried to run outside on a sweep. Michael Gruwell, Joey Millner and Stephen Reifenberger were waiting and stopped Sibley for a four-yard loss. On third down from the five-yard line, Reifenberger broke up a slant in the end zone. Sibley went back to the ground on fourth down tried to fool the Raiders with a quarterback keeper. The Raiders were not fooled. A host of blue and gold swarmed the ball carrier for no gain.

With the ball at the five-yard line, Hastings ran the ball conservatively up the middle, only gaining a few yards. John Chorlton, standing in his own end zone, had a big 38yard punt that Sibley fair caught at the Hastings 45-yard line.

After the emotional goal line stop, the Raider defense forced the Warriors into a three and out. Sibley then executed a beautiful punt and downed the punt inside the Raider one-yard line.

With their backs to the wall again, and the third quarter ending, Hastings again turned to Freiermuth three straight plays for a first down. On first down from the fifteen, sophomore speedster Payton Burow raced off tackle for a gain of twelve yards. Burow fumbled the ball out of bounds as he was tackled. On the next play, Arnold kept the ball and powered his way nineteen yards to the Raider 46-yard line. The drive would stall there, but Hastings had flipped the field position. Chorlton then punted the ball 34-yards to the Sibley 22-yard line.

Sibley picked up ten yards, running the ball out to their 32-yard line on first down. Sibley dropped back to pass and the ball went through the receiver’s hands. Deutsch alertly picked off the pass at the Sibley 42-yard line.

Burow ran for nine yards on back-to-back plays, giving Hastings a first down at the Warrior 24- yard line. Burow and Freiermuth look to be Hastings version of thunder and lightning with Burow’s speed and Freiermuth’s powerful running. Speaking of Freiermuth, it was his turn, running through Warriors for ten yards and a first down at the 14yard line. Arnold then got into the action with a quarterback sweep, as he gained eight more yards down to the six-yard line. Freiermuth followed back to back three-yard runs, the second resulting in the Raiders second touchdown of the night. The Raiders were again unsuccessful on a two-point conversion attempt, but the Raiders now led 12-0 with just over three minutes left in the game.

Simon Hedin again kicked the ball into the Sibley end zone for a touchback and the Warriors would start from their 20-yard line. After a six-yard completion and two incompletions, the Warriors faced fourth and four from the 26yard line. On the next play, two Raiders collided and the receiver was off to the races. Thankfully Reifenberger was on the field as he was able to make the tackle at the Hastings 48-yard line after a big gain of 26-yards. Sibley threw two straight incompletions. The second was broken up by Raider Tyler Hague. After a five-yard completion brought up fourth and six, Sibley threw another incompletion as the receiver heard Millner’s footsteps and dropped the ball.

Hastings took over at their 44-yard line with just one minute and 34-seconds remaining in the game. The Raiders would run the ball each of the first three plays losing yardage, but Sibley was forced to use all three of their second half timeouts. After a 31-yard punt by Chorlton with ten yards added after the return for a Hastings penalty, the Warriors would have the ball at their 45-yard line with exactly one minute to play.

On first down, junior defensive end Owen Glade, made an inside swim move on the Sibley tackle and sacked the quarterback for a seven-yard loss. Sibley would then throw two short completions as time ran out on a 12-0 Hastings victory.

The Raiders ran 52 plays for 186 yards on the night. Sibley ran 49 plays gaining 167 yards. Hastings was 0-9 passing for 0 yards and 1 interception. Hastings ran the ball 43 times for 186 yards. Sibley was 10-21 passing for 113 yards and 1 interception. Sibley ran the ball 24 times for just 58 yards.

With the Raiders passing game out of sync, the Raiders rushing for over four yards a carry, was impressive. The Raider moving company of Ben Teigland, Ben Witt, Stephen Reinardy, Ben McKinney, and Jacob Wichern opened holes all night for Raider runners against a defense looking for the Raiders to run the ball.

Brenden Freiermuth led Hastings with 26 rushes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Axel Arnold added 10 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown. Payton Burrow carried 5 times for 29 yards, and Joey Millner chipped in with 2 carries for 8 yards.

The Raiders return to action next Friday night at seven o’clock at McNamara Stadium. Hastings will host their rivals to the north, the Park Wolfpack, looking to improve to 2-0 on the young season.

Raiders Quaterback, #7 Axel Arnold scores the first touchdown of the 2020 season in the second quarter of Hastings 12-0 victory over Henry Sibley at Warrior Stadium in Mendota Heights. Photo by Bruce Karnick

Sophomore running back #32 Payton Burrow takes a handoff from quarterback #7 Axel Arnold and looks for a hole in the Henry Sibley defense Friday in the Raiders 12-0 win at Mendota Heights. Photo by John Molene.