Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Howard Lake, Lester Prairie, Winsted, Watertown, Mayer, New Germany, Waverly, MN and the surrounding area

PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Bulldogs looking for quicker start against MVL


LESTER PRAIRIE – A win in the season opener is always a good start, but that doesn’t mean the Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity football team is satisfied. Even though they came away with a 25-0 win against St. Clair in the opener, the Bulldogs know there are plenty of things to work on yet.

“Defensively, I thought we played real fast,” Bulldogs coach Joe Scoblic said. “That’s what we’re going to need to do this week, too. Offensively, it took us a little while to get going. We got it going kind of with the blocked punt, but then I thought the offense really kind of settled down.”

Although the Bulldogs racked up 25 points, Scoblic knows how important is to have a better start to the game offensively.

“I think it’s really important,” Scoblic said about the importance of starting quick offensively. “In MVL’s first game, Mayer jumped on them early, so they were kind of desperate. I would sure like to do that, too. We need to establish ourselves offensively, and then defensively, I think we’ll still be OK.”

If the Bulldogs want to get to 2-0 on the season, they’ll need to get the running game going with Tyler Scheevel. The Bulldogs rushed for just 15 yards in week one.

If the Bulldogs want to get to 2-0 on the season, they’ll need to get the running game going with Tyler Scheevel. The Bulldogs rushed for just 15 yards in week one.

Getting the running game going will be a big factor for the Bulldogs heading into their matchup Friday night. The Bulldogs rushed for just 15 yards in their win against St. Clair. MN Valley Lutheran’s first opponent, Mayer Lutheran, ran for 327 yards last week, and Scoblic is hoping his team can get that going in order to be successful.

“We have to get that run game going,” Scoblic said. “We can’t be 15, 18 yards rushing and 250 passing yards. It ain’t going to work. “

If the Bulldogs can get their running game going, that will open things up in the passing game, as well. Junior quarterback Michael Ziermann, who had one of his best games of his career in the opener, has plenty of weapons to use at his disposal offensively.

“We always say physically is the biggest change is between sophomore to junior,” Scoblic said. “But for Michael, it’s been mentally, too. He’s just been unbelievable. He has such a grasp of the offense, and quite honestly, I would have no problems playing that kid defensively, other than if he got hurt. He reads well. He’s just playing phenomenally. He’s playing at a level that we just haven’t seen at quarterback in a long time. He knows the offense through thick and thin. He’s in complete control out there. I told the team, in the huddle, he’s the man. Nobody says a word when he’s in the huddle.”

The Bulldogs will be looking to improve to 2-0 on the young season with a win against the Chargers, but they’ll have to overcome a longer than usual bus ride compared to years past. Even with the long travel, that’s no excuse to be not ready to play according to Scoblic.

“One thing that’s nice is we’ll take a coach bus,” Scoblic said. “We’re taking a coach bus, so that will be a good ride for us. We get there early enough that we try to get out on the field and walk around a bit. That always helps, but once you get between those lines, it doesn’t matter where you’re at, you got to play.”

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