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Fairmont football team ‘moving on’ in 2021

READY FOR KICKOFF — Members of the 2021 Fairmont Cardinals football team include, front row (l-r): Head coach Mat Mahoney, manager Landon Traetow, Jace Prindle, Isaac Sheard, Elijah Johnson, Owen Burmeister, Cooper Steuber, Jace Teveldal, Andrew Haefner, Cameron Schmidtke, Kyle Klug, Jacob Wiemers and David Barrientos. Second row: Assistant coach Brad Johnson, Taylor Austin, Brock Lutterman, Josiah Brakenhoff, Nate Soelter, Levi Pooley, Dan Calkins, Tyson Thate, Cole Wiemers, Gage Cyphers, Brendan Schmidtke, James Johnson and assistant coach John Kesselring. Third row: Parker Mathiason, Hayden Clabaugh, Hank Artz, Evan Meade, Mathew Cone, Adam Petrowiak, David Maakestad, Landen Meyerdirk, Ethan Geerdes, Dustin Olson, Gunner Wells and assistant coach Dave Shoen. Fourth row: Tyson Kube, Blake Hatfield, Gavin Rodning, Dakota Madias, Hudson Artz, Eli Anderson, Skyler Aukes, Blaze Geiger, Aden Welcome and Jacob Harris. Back row: Jake Singleton, Guy Davis, Gavin Junkermeier, Klay Brown, Sawyer Tordsen, Noah Rahm, Zach Jorgensen, Reece Buntjer and Gage Borntrager. Not pictured: Connor Gronewald. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — When asked to reflect on the pandemic-condensed 2020 prep football season, Fairmont head coach Mat Mahoney smiled and firmly stated, “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Mahoney and his coaching brethren rightfully want to leave each and every turn of 2020 as distant memories, but the historic decisions won’t be so easily forgotten.

First, the Minnesota State High School League decided to move last fall’s football season to the spring of 2021 due to high numbers of Covid cases throughout the state.

Next, the MSHSL opted to bring football back to the fall, but with a delayed start. Unfortunately for Fairmont, Martin County’s active case numbers surged past 100, forcing the high school to go to all distance learning. The academic transition then triggered a domino effect in athletics as the Cardinals’ initial two of a modified six-game schedule were wiped out.

Two weeks later, when Fairmont became eligible for contact on the gridiron, Mahoney and his coaching staff had only two days of practice to prepare for a clash against perennial powerhouse Marshall on the road at Southwest Minnesota State University.

After compiling a rare 1-3 regular-season record, Fairmont received a Covid bye for the limited Section 3AAA playoffs, and opted to play an “extra” game at Watertown-Mayer on Nov. 20, with the Cardinals posting a 35-6 victory to finish 2-3 overall.

“We’re moving on,” Mahoney reiterated. “No looking back.”

Mahoney, who enters his 15th season at the Fairmont helm with a 97-46 record — a .678 winning percentage, will look to take the first step toward reaching the century coaching mark when the Cardinals kick off the season by playing host to the Marshall Tigers at 7 p.m. Friday night at Mahoney Field.

“We’ve got five solid senior captains who all have a lot of varsity game experience under their belts,” Mahoney said in reference to quarterback/safety Zach Jorgensen, flanker/safety Hudson Artz, fullback/nose guard Tyson Kube, running back/linebacker Gavin Rodning and receiver/cornerback Eli Anderson. “They’ve all given us good leadership during the offseason, our summer camps and now preseason practices.”

Jorgensen returns to put Mahoney’s multiple-set spread offense in motion after topping the Cardinals’ statistical charts in both passing and rushing during an abbreviated 2020 campaign.

The strong-armed senior signal-caller completed 67 of 129 passes for 944 yards and 14 touchdowns, while generating 270 yards and three more scores on 57 carries.

“He has really matured as a passer and has stepped up as a leader this season,” Mahoney said in reference to Jorgensen, who threw for 1,317 yards and 17 TDs to complement 510 yards and nine TDs rushing in 2019. “Not only does he know our offense inside and out, he’s evolved as a safety on defense.”

The fleet-footed Anderson will be Jorgensen’s main target again as the lethal aerial attack combined for 37 receptions for 667 yards and 10 scores in just five games a year ago.

“Eli’s athleticism is incredible. He’s improved on running routes and possesses awesome hands on both sides of the ball,” Mahoney said in reference to the 2020 South Central Red District’s defensive back of the year, who led Fairmont by pocketing five interceptions. “He can cover the best opposing receivers, but he’s also a good tackler against the run.”

But Anderson is not alone in the speed category as Hudson Artz proves “a legitimate threat every time he touches the ball,” Mahoney said in reference to the 2020 all-district special teams player of the year, who returned seven kickoffs for 229 yards and a 32.7-yard average.

“Hudson has an incredible skill set and gives us athleticism and versatility in all three phases of the game,” Mahoney said in reference to the flanker/running back/safety/outside linebacker/defensive end/kickoff returner.

Hudson Artz, Jorgensen and Anderson will join forces with Rodning in the defensive secondary and Kube in the trenches to create a formidable 5-2 alignment this fall.

The hard-hitting Rodning topped the Cardinals by recording 58 tackles from his linebacker position in five games a year ago, while Kube has the flexibility to slide back into a linebacker role from his usual starting nose guard spot.

“Rod (Rodning) is Mr. Reliable, while Kube is Mr. Workhorse,” said Mahoney. “Rod has evolved into an overall great football player, while Kube really brings it as a lead blocker. Both do a lot of the work that’s not glamorous, but very necessary to compete.”

While Kube and Rodning will open running lanes and provide passing protection out of the Cardinals’ backfield, 6-foot-4, 275-pound senior Klay Brown will handle the snapping duties for a college-sized offensive line.

Brown returns to center after missing games in 2020 due to an injury and will be flanked by 6-3, 208-pound junior Gavin Junkermeier and 6-1, 287-pound sophomore Jacob Singleton at the guard positions.

Junkermeier, a Sentinel All-Area choice last fall, returns to his starting role in the offensive trenches as does 6-7, 260-pound junior tackle Sawyer Tordsen and 6-6, 330-pound senior tackle Noah Rahm. Add 6-1, 225-pound freshman tight end Hank Artz to the mix, and the Cardinals have the makings of a formidable frontline.

Gunner Wells and David Barrientos will provide depth in the offensive line, Ethan Geerdes will back up Hank Artz, while James Johnson and Elijah Johnson will receive handoffs out of the backfield.

Levi Pooley, David Maakestad, Evan Meade and Brock Lutterman will compete for time at receiver to round out Fairmont’s offense.

Across the line of scrimmage, Dustin Olson and Tordsen will bookend the Cardinals’ 5-2 defensive scheme, with Hank Artz and Junkermeier flanking Kube at the tackle positions. Gage Cyphers, Barrientos and Rahm will rotate into the frontline mix.

Aden Welcome will start opposite of Rodning at linebacker, while Jacob Harris, Cooper Steuber, Maakestad and Lutterman will compete for minutes at the cornerback spot across the field from Anderson. Pooley rounds out the secondary as a backup at safety.

Owen Burmeister, who split his time between soccer and football during 2020, will handle Fairmont’s kicking duties, while Jorgensen returns to launch punts.

“Obviously, with numerous starters returning, one of our goals is to make it back to the bank,” Mahoney said in reference to the site of the MSHSL Prep Bowl semifinals and finals at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. “We’re playing a tough schedule this year, with Jordan and Blue Earth Area back during Week 3 and Week 8, respectively.

“Better competition during the regular season should make us better in the long run.”

During the offseason, the MSHSL moved long-time sectional rival Jackson County Central from Class AAA to AA for the upcoming fall, with Waseca — the Cardinals’ Homecoming opponent during Week 4 — filling the void in Fairmont’s Section 3 bracket.

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