Crusaders excited for clean slate with new coach

ST. CLOUD — The St. Cloud Cathedral football program has gone through a bit of a rough patch the last few seasons, but that hasn't broken the spirit of the Crusaders.

They're looking to improve on their winless 2018 campaign where they took a 54-12 loss against New London-Spicer in the first round of the Section 6-3A playoffs.

"We're going to have a lot of fun and get a lot more wins this year for sure," senior running back Andrew Tolman said.

Getting some wins should be a bit easier for the Crusaders this year as they have 15 seniors returning.

"We went from having eight seniors last year to 15 this year so that's a big step up," head coach Jason Klinefelter said. "We're looking forward to building on some of that experience this year."

Klinefelter is starting his first year as head coach of the Crusaders after assisting former head coach Mark Chamernick for three seasons.

A new head coach has this year's Cathedral squad excited for a fresh start.

Some excitement is also being generated in the form of a quarterback battle between senior Mason Wolf and junior Jack Pelzel.

Wolf and Pelzel split time at quarterback last season and combined for 1,074 passing yards and nine touchdowns. It will be interesting to see which option Coach Klinefelter leans toward when the season begins.

"Both Mason and Jack are equally able to contribute so we'll find a place for them to play," Klinefelter said.

Whoever is taking the snaps will be targeting senior wide receiver Chris Wrenn, who was the team's third-leading receiver last season with 13 catches for 203 yards and one touchdown.

Andrew Tolman and junior running back Andrew Rott split carries last year in a three-man rushing committee and are back to make an impact this season.

Tolman rushed for 131 yards and one touchdown on 39 carries while Rott had 108 yards and no touchdowns on 41 carries.

Tolman and Rott also play linebacker and were key pieces in last year's defense tallying 61 and 52 tackles respectively.

Another key contributor making a return is senior defensive end Andrew Klinefelter. Last year he was one of Cathedral's biggest defensive playmakers recording 52 tackles (24 solo, 28 assisted), three fumble recoveries and one interception.

Senior center Brock Van Halbeck also returns after helping Cathedral rack up 1,773 yards of offense in 2018. He also saw playing time on the defensive line, recording ten tackles in six games played.

"These first few practices have been the most intense I've seen in my four years here," Van Halbeck said. "Everyone's buying in this year."

While the Cathedral squad aspires for a deep run in the section tournament, Klinefelter has a secondary goal in mind.

"We'll prepare, plan and play to win but that's not our purpose," Klinefelter said. "We're looking to grow great kids and help them learn some transformational life lessons through the game of football."

St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders

2018 record: 0-6 East Central North, 0-9 overall. St. Cloud Cathedral lost 54-12 against New London-Spicer in the first round of the Section 6-3A playoffs.

Head coach: Jason Klinefelter. Assistants: Jon Leintz, Roy Olson, Andrew Leintz, Jon Voss, Colin Munoz, James Boyle.

2019 schedule

(All games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise indicated)

Thursday, Aug. 29 — Spectrum

Friday, Sept. 6 — New London-Spicer

Friday, Sept. 13 — at Foley

Friday, Sept. 20 — at Princeton

Friday, Sept. 27 — Little Falls

Friday, Oct. 4 — at Zimmerman

Friday, Oct. 11 — Milaca

Wednesday, Oct. 16 — at Albany

3 things to watch:

• Senior Mason Wolf and junior Jack Pelzel are both vying for the starting quarterback position. They split time at the position last season and it will be interesting to see who earns the spot when week one rolls around.

• The Crusaders are expected to go with a running back committee this year featuring senior Andrew Tolman and junior Andrew Rott. Look for them to try and eclipse last year's team rushing total of 640 yards.

• Cathedral finished with an 0-9 record last season. This year they have almost twice as many seniors with 15 compared to last year's eight, so expect to see an improved record this season.

Follow Eric Fraser on Twitter @ejfsports or call 320-255-8772. Send an email to efraser@stcloudtimes.com.