MINNEAPOLIS -- Moose Lake-Willow River has its share of versatile football players.
Nate Zuk runs, kicks, punts and plays linebacker; Joe Bohaty throws a tight spiral and is a top defensive back and Dan Anderson's play at end and defensive back is equally stellar.
But the Rebels don't have Andy Bauer. The Caledonia senior caught two touchdown passes, ran back kicks, rushed the ball and even threw a touchdown pass off a reverse as the Warriors moved a step closer to defending their 2007 high school state championship with a 44-13 victory in a Minnesota Class AA semifinal Friday night at the Metrodome.
Bauer factored in Caledonia's three first-half touchdowns as the Warriors (12-1) advanced to a Prep Bowl matchup against the winner of today's semifinal between Luverne and Hawley, but none as crucial as the 34-yard scoring pass the senior threw to Isaac Fruechte with 1:10 remaining in the first half.
"That reverse pass that they scored on just before halftime widened that gap enough and really took the wind out of our sails," Rebels coach Dave Louzek said. "They got control of the line of scrimmage and control of the momentum, and we just couldn't get it back."
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The Warriors had called the same play earlier in the half but Bauer, who threw a touchdown pass off a reverse against Chatfield earlier this season, dropped the pitch. He made sure there was no repeat.
"I concentrated on catching that pitch, getting my hands on the laces and throwing," he said.
That doesn't mean that Casey Bauer, his cousin, is worried about losing his job as quarterback for the title game.
"I think he's better at wide receiver than at QB," said Casey Bauer, who was9-for-16 for 107 yards and three touchdowns, including 6- and 10-yard scoring passes to his cousin. "He's really fast, and we have to get him out in space and get him the ball."
That's what the Warriors did, to the Rebels' surprise. On the game tape that Caledonia exchanged with Moose Lake-Willow River -- last week's 21-0 quarterfinal win over Norwood-Young America -- the Warriors didn't complete a pass.
But after the Rebels (12-1) opened the game with an 80-yard scoring drive, Caledonia responded by throwing on six of nine plays with the Bauer-to-Bauer connection tying the game at 7.
"On that first drive, for them to hit those quick passes and move down the field and score, that was huge for them," Louzek said. "They were able to hit us with that short passing game and get back in control."
Andy Bauer caught six passes for 59 yards -- all in the first half -- and when he found the grip and hit Fruechte on the option pass to give Caledonia a 24-13 lead, it turned the momentum Caledonia's way for good.
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The second half featured Alex Schleich running left, running right and up the middle. The senior gained 175 yards on 34 carries and scored the final touchdown.
Zuk led the Rebels with 111 yards on 19 carries and scored the team's two touchdowns. He finished the season with 1,687 yards and 30 touchdowns as the Rebels fell to 0-3 in state semifinal games.
"At 12-1 and being in the Metrodome, you can't complain about that because there's hundreds of teams in Minnesota that would love to be in our position," Louzek said. "But it always hurts when you lose. To end with a loss like that, it becomes very emotional."
Caledonia 7-17-13-7--44
Moose Lake-Willow River 7-6-0-0--13
MLWR -- Nate Zuk 8 run (Zuk kick)
C -- Andy Bauer 10 pass from Casey Bauer (Ryan Goetzinger kick)
C -- Goetzinger 38 field goal
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MLWR -- Zuk 1 run (kick blocked)
C -- A. Bauer 6 pass from C. Bauer (Goetzinger kick)
C -- Isaac Fruechte 34 pass from A. Bauer (Goetzinger kick)
C -- Ryan Goetzinger 18 pass from C. Bauer (kick failed)
C -- Fruechte 46 interception return (Goetzinger kick)
C -- Alex Schleich 7 run (Goetzinger kick)
