Pequot's Michaelson making it happen
Area athlete of the week
Matt Michaelson is spoiling all the fun.
Fortunately there's still tons of fun to go around for the Pequot Lakes Patriots football team.
Thanks to the senior tailback's big-play ability, the Patriots' offense has been limited. Not in its ability, but in the number of plays it gets to run.
For example, buried on its 6-yard line Oct. 15 against Roseau, Pequot needed one play to travel 94 yards for a touchdown. That one play was a hand-off to Michaelson, who found a crack in the offensive line and sped toward the end zone following his quarterback, Cole Engen.
Matt Michaelson
"My offensive line has been doing just awesome this year," said Michaelson. "Kendall Swenson, Jason Daudt, Nick Simpson, Chris Tappe and Luke Landecker deserve all the credit for the yards I've gotten. They've given me all the room to run. I just hit the holes as fast as I can. They do all the work of making the holes."
Against Roseau, Michaelson finished with 246 yards and three touchdown runs. He also intercepted a pass and returned it 23 yards for score in Pequot's 51-13 win over the Rams.
Before Wednesday's game with Thief River Falls, Michaelson had rushed for 1,203 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 100 carries. He's kicked 13 extra points, thrown for 133 yards and four touchdowns and caught two passes for 12 yards and a score.
Pequot has outgained opponents 2,735 to 1,444 despite a restricted offensive attack.
"We go into the game with 40 to 50 plays we want to run, but in the end we only run about five because we don't need to use any more," said Pequot head coach Chip Lohmiller. "Those five plays are working and our offensive line has done such a great job, then when you have Cody Chambers, who is a big fullback making blocks, you can run all day."
Lohmiller said Michaelson runs similar to the Vikings' Adrian Peterson. Strength, speed, the ability to break tackles and run between the tackles, or outside, have made Michaelson a threat to score from anywhere.
Matt Michaelson
Year: Senior
School: Pequot Lakes
Sport: Football
Position: Halfback, defensive back
Key stat: Rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns and returned an interception for a score against Roseau
"I just worked out a lot this summer to get my foot speed up and to get quicker and stronger," said Michaelson. "I knew I would be handling the ball a lot and I would need to shed tackles and stuff like that."
Lohmiller said his three-year starter not only worked in the weight room, but also in the film room.
"Last year he studied a lot of film with me," said Lohmiller. "We saw he wasn't making the right cuts off his blockers. We studied the game film and showed him how to read the blockers and which way to make the cuts off those blocks. His vision has gotten a lot better and he's reading the blocks better."
Defensively, Michaelson has 48 tackles, one fumble recovery and three interceptions.
He hopes to play football next year at a four-year school with a nursing program.
"He's a great leader," said Lohmiller. "The other kids look up to him. It's been such a nice season mainly because of the seniors I have. They're a great group."
Other notable performances:
Football: Amos Schmidt, Verndale, scored three rushing touchdowns and returned a kick for a score against Hancock.
Sean Nokken, Pillager, rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown and picked off two passes against United North Central.
Andrew Welshons, Aitkin, rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 64 against Hinckley-Finlayson.
Sam Johnson, Aitkin, rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns against Hinckley-Finlayson.
Cody Stangl, Pierz, rushed for 182 yards and three touchdowns against Holdingford.
Matthew Hudrlik, Crosby-Ironton, rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown, caught three passes for 41 yards and added an interception against Pine City.
Aaron Kern, Wadena-Deer Creek, ran for 146 yards and a touchdown against Pelican Rapids.
Matt Michaelson, Pequot Lakes, rushed for three touchdowns and returned an interception for a score against Roseau.
Alex Jansson, Staples-Motley, threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns against Warroad.
Soccer: Grant Bell, Little Falls, scored four goals in a South Subsection 8-1A win over Becker and added another in a loss to St. Cloud Cathedral.
JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5856.