LIKE CRETIN'S HENDERSON, MOUNDS VIEW'S TURNER HAS BEEN A FORCE ALONG THE LINE
Author: Brad Perlich
bperlich@pioneerpress.com
Edition: St. Paul
Section: Sports
Page: D9
Date: November 13, 2009
Article Text:
Mounds View's Billy Turner is not Seantrel Henderson. Though the compliment is nice, he prefers to keep his identity separate from Cretin-Derham Hall's massive offensive lineman, who is the top-ranked recruit in the nation.
Turner, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound senior tackle, was mistaken for Henderson recently by a concessions stand employee at a University of Minnesota football game at TCF Bank Stadium.
"I'd rather just be myself," said Turner, rated as Minnesota's eighth-best recruit by Rivals.com. "He's the No. 1 recruit, but I've always had my own identity."
One similarity is they have led their teams into this week's state football tournament. Mounds View (9-2) plays Lakeville North (9-2) in the Class AAAAA quarterfinals at 7 tonight at Griffin Stadium in St. Paul. Cretin-Derham Hall (10-1) plays Eastview (7-3) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Griffin.
Mounds View coach Jim Galvin said Henderson and Taylor are different.
"They're both unique in their own way, as much as they can be unique in their own way," Galvin said. "We run two different schemes, but they're both very good run and pass blockers. Seantrel is bigger and more physical than Billy, but we use Billy pulling on sweeps and getting to the edge more than they use Seantrel."
Galvin said Turner's athletic ability is what makes him stand out as a lineman.
"There are other 280-pound linemen out there, but when you see Billy run around on a football field or baseball field, you can see that he is something special," Galvin said.
That athleticism can perhaps be attributed to Turner's family tree.
His father, Maurice Turner, is a former Minnesota Vikings special-teams player. His brother, Maurice Jr., is a wide receiver at Northern Iowa.
Turner credits time with his dad and brother in the development of his athletic ability.
"They do agility drills and I'll go with my brother and dad, and even playing basketball and catch with them helps me develop my feet," he said. "I get all my athleticism from them helping me."
Turner leads a Mounds View offense that rushed for nearly 1,200 yards en route to a 6-2 regular-season record. The Mustangs, who lost to Stillwater earlier in the season, upset the top-seeded Ponies 23-17 last Friday in the Section 2AAAAA championship game.
Galvin and Turner's father, a Mounds View assistant coach, praised Billy Turner's leadership.
"He's the kind of kid that has the attitude that he can talk to anybody, and he is a leader on and off the field," Galvin said. "Billy doesn't need the title of captain to be a leader out there."
Said Turner's father: "He doesn't look at any of his teammates any differently from a starter or a backup, and I think that's a good trait when you can treat all kids the same way."
Turner is using his father's experience in choosing a college.
"Every day after football, I talk to my family and they give me pointers, like what to expect and what to look for in a school," Turner said. "Ultimately, when I do choose the school I go to, it will be a school where I'm wanted and where my parents think is good for me."
Turner said he has been contacted by North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, Northern Iowa, Illinois State, Wyoming and Buffalo.
North Dakota State and Northern Iowa appear to be Turner's early favorites.
"I like NDSU because they've been after me from the get-go," he said. "It's just that feeling that they want me. I feel comfortable with them. But other schools like Northern Iowa, I've been going down there for three or four years because my brother goes there, so I know what it's like down there to some extent."
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
CADETS STRIKE LATE
TWO FOURTH-QUARTER TOUCHDOWNS RALLY ST. THOMAS ACADEMY FROM 9-POINT DEFICIT
Author: Brad Perlich
bperlich@pioneerpress.com
Edition: St. Paul
Section: Sports
Page: B9
Date: November 14, 2009
Article Text:
Facing a nine-point deficit late in the third quarter, St. Thomas Academy kept its composure.
The Cadets scored twice to take the lead, then held off a last-minute drive by Mahtomedi to defeat the Zephyrs 20-15 in a Minnesota Class AAAA quarterfinal football playoff game Friday night in Woodbury.
"I'm so proud of the kids and how hard they played," St. Thomas coach Dave Ziebarth said. "They didn't get down, and they kept fighting."
The Cadets (11-0) also earned a berth in the state semifinals, where they will face Sartell-St. Stephen or Bemidji at 12:45 p.m. next Friday at the Metrodome.
St. Thomas trailed 15-6 late in the third quarter and lacked momentum. The Cadets got it on a 23-yard pass from John Garry to Luke Hvidhyld that led to a 19-yard touchdown run by Danny Abbott. A two-point run by Augie Braddock cut Mahtomedi's lead to 15-14.
St. Thomas scored the winning touchdown with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard run by Braddock. Patrick Krieger's interception had put the Cadets at the Zephyrs' 26-yard line.
After an exchange of possessions, Mahtomedi got the ball back at its 11 with less than five minutes remaining. The Zephyrs drove 70 yards in 20 plays but could not get the winning touchdown as the drive stalled at the St. Thomas 19-yard line with less than 20 seconds to go.
"They showed a lot of guts and kept battling," Mahtomedi coach Dave Muetzel said of his players. "It's two good football teams out there playing a heck of a game."
Both defenses dominated in the first half as the only score came on a 9-yard pass from Garry to Kyle Rohde. Both units allowed the opposing offenses to drive into their territory on multiple occasions, but kept them from scoring.
St. Thomas' defense allowed only 76 points coming into Friday night's game and did not let up in the state quarterfinals.
Ziebarth said his defense has been overlooked ! all season because of the success of the offense.
"Our defense has been under the radar, and tonight they really came up big time," he said. "They shut them out in the first half and then when we really need them to do it when we got the lead back, they did it."
Mahtomedi cracked the scoreboard in the second half.
The Zephyrs' first possession of the half started at St. Thomas' 41-yard line after an interception by Nick Braunig. They scored on a 17-yard pass from Dan Ferrazzo to Alec Martinson.
Mahtomedi struck again on its next series. Ferrazzo's 32-yard pass to Charlie Adams set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Haini MoiMoi. A two-point pass from Ferrazzo to Adams gave the Zephyrs a 15-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Muetzel said his offense was more aggressive with the Cadets' defense after halftime.
"Second half, we came right at them, and we got things established," he said.
Ziebarth said he will be in St. Cloud today to see who his team's opponent in the semifinals will be as Sartell-St. Stephen (11-0) faces Bemidji (6-5) at St. Cloud State University.
"It's going to be an enjoyable ride up there," he said.
Author: Brad Perlich
bperlich@pioneerpress.com
Edition: St. Paul
Section: Sports
Page: B9
Date: November 14, 2009
Article Text:
Facing a nine-point deficit late in the third quarter, St. Thomas Academy kept its composure.
The Cadets scored twice to take the lead, then held off a last-minute drive by Mahtomedi to defeat the Zephyrs 20-15 in a Minnesota Class AAAA quarterfinal football playoff game Friday night in Woodbury.
"I'm so proud of the kids and how hard they played," St. Thomas coach Dave Ziebarth said. "They didn't get down, and they kept fighting."
The Cadets (11-0) also earned a berth in the state semifinals, where they will face Sartell-St. Stephen or Bemidji at 12:45 p.m. next Friday at the Metrodome.
St. Thomas trailed 15-6 late in the third quarter and lacked momentum. The Cadets got it on a 23-yard pass from John Garry to Luke Hvidhyld that led to a 19-yard touchdown run by Danny Abbott. A two-point run by Augie Braddock cut Mahtomedi's lead to 15-14.
St. Thomas scored the winning touchdown with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard run by Braddock. Patrick Krieger's interception had put the Cadets at the Zephyrs' 26-yard line.
After an exchange of possessions, Mahtomedi got the ball back at its 11 with less than five minutes remaining. The Zephyrs drove 70 yards in 20 plays but could not get the winning touchdown as the drive stalled at the St. Thomas 19-yard line with less than 20 seconds to go.
"They showed a lot of guts and kept battling," Mahtomedi coach Dave Muetzel said of his players. "It's two good football teams out there playing a heck of a game."
Both defenses dominated in the first half as the only score came on a 9-yard pass from Garry to Kyle Rohde. Both units allowed the opposing offenses to drive into their territory on multiple occasions, but kept them from scoring.
St. Thomas' defense allowed only 76 points coming into Friday night's game and did not let up in the state quarterfinals.
Ziebarth said his defense has been overlooked ! all season because of the success of the offense.
"Our defense has been under the radar, and tonight they really came up big time," he said. "They shut them out in the first half and then when we really need them to do it when we got the lead back, they did it."
Mahtomedi cracked the scoreboard in the second half.
The Zephyrs' first possession of the half started at St. Thomas' 41-yard line after an interception by Nick Braunig. They scored on a 17-yard pass from Dan Ferrazzo to Alec Martinson.
Mahtomedi struck again on its next series. Ferrazzo's 32-yard pass to Charlie Adams set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Haini MoiMoi. A two-point pass from Ferrazzo to Adams gave the Zephyrs a 15-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Muetzel said his offense was more aggressive with the Cadets' defense after halftime.
"Second half, we came right at them, and we got things established," he said.
Ziebarth said he will be in St. Cloud today to see who his team's opponent in the semifinals will be as Sartell-St. Stephen (11-0) faces Bemidji (6-5) at St. Cloud State University.
"It's going to be an enjoyable ride up there," he said.
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