Warriors, Willmar hope to finish stronger

The Willmar Cardinals need to finish off an opponent when they have them down.

The Brainerd Warriors hope to play a complete 48 minutes.

That's the scenario Friday night when the teams meet at Willmar in a Central Lakes Conference game.

Warriors at Willmar

When: 7 p.m. Friday

The series: Brainerd leads 22-17. The Warriors won 35-13 in 2009.

Lineups, 2B

Willmar led Alexandria 21-6 after three quarters and 21-20 with about three minutes left when Alexandria was awarded a safety on a kickoff.

"Our kids played really well for a first game," second-year Willmar head coach Jon Konold said. "Offensively, we threw for about 200 yards and rushed for over 100, but we did have five turnovers. We're looking to clean that up.

"I thought offensively we played really well. Even in the second half, we moved the ball, we just didn't finish drives. (Alexandria) had about 190 yards in the second half, with 120 of it coming on two plays, so our defense played well.

"We're focusing on finishing a game. We think we have a solid group of kids who play hard. We just have to work on the little things that win football games."

The Warriors, meanwhile, racked up 263 yards in the first half of a 35-17 win over Rocori. In the second half, they managed just 32 yards and three first downs.

"We need to finish better," Brainerd coach Ron Stolski said. "We started very well. Our history has been that we (finish better). If there was a disappointment in the game that certainly was it.

"The good news was the first unit did not turn the ball over, and we literally had no penalties (one). Our defense forced three turnovers, all of them resulted in scores, and our kicking game was solid.

"There certainly were a lot of things to be happy about for a first game, but we need to be wary of the second (game). Our coaching and team mantra throughout the year will be we need to improve, be better in the second game than we were in the first."

Konold said the Cardinals' top defensive players include outside linebacker Nathanial Swoyer (6-1, 200), cornerback Jacob Damhof (6-1, 170) and tackle Cole Christopher (6-1, 245).

Offensively, Willmar's top individuals include center Taylor Neumann (6-1, 200), wide receiver Ryan Lawler (6-3, 175) and sophomore quarterback Alex Grove (6-1, 170). The Cardinals are in their second year of running a spread offense.

"All of their (defensive) starters are seniors," Stolski said. "It looks to us that they're pointing to that to be one of their real strong suits. They played Alexandria to a standstill, and it looked like they outplayed them. To lose that way, that's difficult.

"Their offense will be similar to the one we just saw with Rocori, no-huddle. It will be a real solid test for us, on the road two weeks in a row."

Konold, as well, looks to Brainerd as a test.

"Obviously, Brainerd is always a solid opponent," he said. "It will be great challenge for our kids. Brainerd seems to be very athletic on the defensive side, they also have a couple good running backs from last year. We hope to slow them down a little bit, catch some breaks, and be in the game in the fourth quarter."

• Tackle leaders against Rocori were linebackers Bruce London and Cayle Winkler with 13 and 12.

MIKE BIALKA may be reached at mike.bialka@brainerddispatch.com or at 855-5861.