No time to ponder

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, October 16, 2001

Admittedly, the Albert Lea Tigers were hoping for a better showing in last Friday’s football game against arch-rival Austin.

Tuesday, October 16, 2001

Admittedly, the Albert Lea Tigers were hoping for a better showing in last Friday’s football game against arch-rival Austin.

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But they won’t have to wait long for another chance. It’s MEA week, meaning virtually all of Minnesota’s high school teams end the regular season Wednesday.

The Tigers, according to coach Jeff Marty, need to forget their 34-0 loss to Austin and concentrate on a team with which they should be very competitive – the Winona Winhawks. The Tigers will make the long trip to Paul Giel Field for the 7 p.m. game.

Albert Lea’s loss to Austin was its 26th consecutive dating back to 1998, but Winona dropped its fifth in a row and fell to 1-6 with a 13-7 loss to Rochester Century. The Winhawks’ lone win was in week two against Faribault, a team the Tigers played extremely tough in week four.

Marty said the attitude in practice Monday was &uot;pretty positive&uot; considering what happened last Friday.

&uot;I think the guys were a little surprised the way the game went,&uot; said Marty. &uot;I think they felt they were better prepared. But, as coaches, we have to take some responsibility for that.&uot;

The biggest factors, though, were a pair of big plays in the first half that got the Packers rolling. The first was a blocked punt they converted into a touchdown.

The Tigers’ awards for the Austin game went to Jordan Skophammer, Lineman of the Week; Jason Kuipers, Big Dog Hit; and Brad Edwards, Special Teams Player of the Week. Edwards averaged 39.5 yards on five punts.

Marty said the Tigers have &uot;guarded optimism&uot; heading into Wednesday’s game.

&uot;There’s no reason for our guys to go over there and not be confident,&uot; he said. &uot;We’d like to get a win, and go into the playoffs on a high note.&uot;

Every other area team plays at home Wednesday.

United South Central, 6-1 after a 25-0 triumph at Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop, looks to wrap up a No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a win over 4-3 Madelia/Truman in the Gopher Valley Conference while 1-6 NRHEG hosts 3-4 Martin County West.

In the Southern Confederacy, 2-5 Glenville-Emmons meets 1-6 Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Martin Luther while 1-6 Alden-Conger faces 6-1 Medford.