High School Football: Warriors close regular season against St. Francis – Brainerd Dispatch

BRAINERD – Brainerd head coach Jason Freed is hoping to build on the momentum from last week’s fourth quarter.

The Warriors lost to Bemidji 28-22, but outscored the Lumberjacks 12-0 in the fourth quarter in their comeback attempt.

Brainerd’s final test before the Section 8-5A playoffs is the St. Francis Fighting Saints on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Adamson Field.

“It will be senior night, which is always exciting,” Freed said. “You have the opportunity to celebrate the seniors and it’s always a big night. We want to continue playing good football and I think we are on the right track. We didn’t win last week, but after watching the film I think we’re starting to play with a little more urgency.”

The fifth meeting of all time between the Warriors and Fighting Saints will take place on Wednesday. Last season the Warriors won on the road 42-16.

St. Francis enters the final week of the regular season at 2-5. The Fighting Saints are coming off a 47-19 win over Irondale last week. Their other win came in week five against Cambridge-Isanti.

The only common opponent between the two teams is Elk River. St. Francis lost to the Elks 51-14, a week after the Elks defeated the Warriors 50-14.

“I have to say that their record is not indicative of the football team that they are,” Freed said. “They are a good football team and I like what I saw from them on film. They do some nice things on offense and have some playmakers on the perimeter. They have a really good looking running back and they spread you out. The quarterback throws a nice ball and we will be overwhelmed defensively. On defense they look like they fly around and play hard. They’ve been in some games and had some bad rebounds.”

Brainerd’s offense has picked up steam over the last two weeks, totaling at least 400 yards in the last two games.

The Warriors’ identity is a run-first offense led by Jayden Barnum, who has recorded 633 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 108 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

Quarterback Ty Nelson has passed for 424 yards and five touchdowns on 80 carries, a 5.3 average.

Brainerd’s passing game has improved and last week’s 217 passing yards marked the most for the Warriors this season.

Wide receiver Izaac Vanek is one reason for the Warriors’ rise in the air attack. Vanek caught four passes for 136 yards last week, including an 80-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. This season, Vanek has caught 24 passes for 487 yards and five touchdowns and five rushes for 71 yards and a touchdown. Vanek has recorded a touchdown in each of the Warriors’ last five games.

“I think we find our identity on offense,” Freed said. “We are definitely a first-come, first-served offense and have to stay ahead of schedule. When we have manageable second and third downs, it shows the variety of what we can do in our offense, from the perimeter pass to the screen game to the misdirection game. I think our offensive line has done a really good job and we’ve had a lot of changes there this year due to injuries. We need to continue to focus on the run game and try to limit possessions and keep the points down in some of these games because that’s the type of game we play.”

Brainerd’s defense has been marred by big plays all season. Last week was no different. In the third quarter, the Warriors allowed touchdown runs of 45 and 91 yards. This season, the Warriors have allowed 13 touchdowns of 40 yards or more.

“You get frustrated when you see big plays like that happen, and a lot of times those things stand out in the game and you dwell on those things,” Freed said. “I think defensively we made some good strides and moved guys around a little bit, which helps us get in the right spots.”

Freed also wants to see the defense’s turnovers. The Warriors have forced six turnovers all season, including three in week three against Sartell.

“We have to force some turnovers, that’s just the way it is,” Freed said. “We need to create a little sense of urgency and try to force turnovers.”

Moorhead captured the Northstar North District title last week with a 36-34 victory over Alexandria.

Seedings for the Section 8-5A playoffs will be announced on Thursday, October 17.

“The time has come when the sand in the hourglass is ticking,” Freed said. “It’s playoff time and it’s time to play with a little more urgency, a little more intensity and a little more focus. Heading into the final game of the regular season, I fully expect our team to be very focused and very ready to play in a short week.”

CONRAD ENGSTROM can be reached at 218-855-5861 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/the_rad34.

Brainerd hosts St. Francis
When: 7 p.m
Where: at Brainerd High School
Series: Brd leads 3:1
Last result: Brainerd won 42-16 last season.
Twitter: @the_rad34
Radio: KLIZ-AM (1380)
Web stream: www.kliz.com.