Tiger trap

Published 12:00 am Sunday, October 17, 1999

Austin ended a five-game slide by whipping winless archrival Albert Lea, 33-0.

Sunday, October 17, 1999

Austin ended a five-game slide by whipping winless archrival Albert Lea, 33-0

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Austin Daily Herald

The Austin football team secured at least the No. 5 seed in the upcoming Section 1AAAA playoffs by pummelling Albert Lea on Friday.

The win assured the Tigers of the No. 6 basement seed in the prep playoffs.

Austin (2-5) beat Albert Lea (0-7) behind a punishing ground game and an inspired defense, which allowed Albert Lea just 73 yards.

"It’s a great feeling," said quarterback Tanner Schieck, who ran for a score and threw for one to go with his 60 passing yards.

Schieck hit his favorite target, Matt Smith, with a 8-yard strike on third-and-goal to give Austin a 27-0 lead in the third quarter.

Schieck capped a nine-play, 69-yard second-quarter drive with a 4-yard keeper on third-and-goal.

"We had some big third down plays tonight," Austin coach Steve Knox said.

Prior to Schieck’s TD run, Brian Heimer carried five times for 59 yards on the drive.

Heimer also led the defense. He was in on 11 tackles and had one-and-a-half sacks.

Safety Nick Rohne and linebacker Bill Nagle were also in on more than 10 tackles.

Austin game turns on lineman’s big play

By BRADY SLATER

Austin Daily Herald

Ahh, garbage time.

How the Packers had longed for it. That time in a football game when – with the lead secure – the bench players empty onto the field as the regulars frolic on the sidelines.

James Knoebel soaked it in. He relished the garbage time of Friday’s 33-0 Austin win in Albert Lea like he were an out-of-work lounge act with the spotlight suddenly turned on him.

Ba-da-bing! – "I didn’t even know where the endzone was," he joked as he recounted aloud to teammates the play that turned the game the Packers’ way.

With Austin holding a 7-0 first quarter lead, Knoebel found himself in a position every lineman either dreams of or dreads: His hands were on the football.

And Knoebel loved it. But then, Knoebel wasn’t in totally unfamiliar territory either.

After Tiger QB Nick Cunningham’s errant pass floated into the 6-foot, 265-pounder’s sizeable breadbasket, Knoebel did what came naturally – he ran with the football. Just like he did as a member of the ninth grade squad last year, when Knoebel was used as a short-yardage tiller.

"Even in seventh grade I used to run," Knoebel said. "I scored then too."

To be sure, his 8-yard lumberjack jog for a touchdown was unlike any rush the Packers have seen this year.

But as unexpected and jolly as the situation appeared, it wouldn’t have happened without a good amount of brains on Knoebel’s part.

Knoebel told of how the Packers defense worked on defending screen passes all week.

He told of how the defensive coaches wanted one of Austin’s defensive tackles to stay back should the offensive linemen pop off the line only to release their blocks.

"They were letting us rush in," Knoebel said, "so I decided to stay back and see what happened."

What happened was noseguard Brian Heimer and lineman Kevin Maus bore down on Cunningham hard. They buried the QB, but not before he released the ball, which Heimer got a hand on.

Knoebel then collected the payoff for his perfect refrain-from-rushing read.

Knoebel’s TD and Tanner Schieck’s subsequent two-point conversion keeper put the Packers up 15-0 with 8 second to play in the first quarter.

And for the first time since Week One, the Packers found themselves playing downhill.

That left the uphill battle to Albert Lea.

Moments after the game, Knoebel was asked about his team’s upcoming hurdle – Wednesday’s home tilt against a John Marshall team that’s coming off its first loss, a 29-22 defeat at the hands of archrival Mayo.

"We’re looking to shock the world," he said. "We’re going to beat the unbeatable."

Nobody argued with with.

Nobody bothered to break into Knoebel’s limelight all night long.