St. Ansgar takes 1-A title over Council Bluffs St. Albert

Posted: 11/19/2011 - by Charlie Narmi

Kyle Hanson is listed as one of the smallest players at Saint Ansgar.

On Saturday, he delivered the biggest play.

The Saint Ansgar sophomore returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown as the Saints stunned No. 2 undefeated St. Albert with a 25-15 win in the Class 1-A finals at the UNI-Dome.

“Kyle is the smallest guy on the field,” St. Ansgar coach Drew Clevenger said. “He’s generously listed at 5 foot, 5 inches, 135 pounds. I don’t think he’s quite that.”

What he is, however, is electric.

The sophomore provided the biggest blow to St. Albert’s perfect season on the first play of the season half.

Hanson brought back the opening kickoff of the third quarter 93 yards for a touchdown. The kickoff was the first returned for a touchdown in a Class 1-A championship game.

More importantly, it gave the Saints ( 12-2) an 18-0 lead on their way to the school’s first football state championship.

“I think it was huge,” Clevenger said. “Coming out of halftime, they’d make some adjustments defensively that we found out later about.”

Clevenger’s team learned about the adjustments quickly as they watched their 18-point lead evaporate in a matter of minutes.

Kellen O’Neill capped off an 83-yard drive with St. Albert’s first touchdown, a 1-yard push into the end zone, to trim the lead to 18-8.

Later in the third quarter, Zane Cozad rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to make it an 18-15 lead.

A once promising 18-point lead started to disappear as Culjat as his teammates gathered on the sidelines.

“The 12 seniors, we just looked at each other and said ‘you know what, let’s go, we’re still in this,’ “ St. Albert quarter JD Culjat said.

They were knocked out of it when John Sievert capped off an 82-yard drive for Saint Ansgar with a 22-yard touchdown run to give the Saints a 25-15 lead.

The Falcons never returned to the end zone as their last two possessions ended with interceptions deep in the Saints’ territory.

“After they scored a touchdown, we just needed something to pump us back up,” Sievert said. 

The biggest pump up came from one of the smallest guys—Hanson.

The kickoff return for a touchdown, was the second of the season for Hanson, who celebrated with teammates who eventually caught up with him in the end zone.

“It helped a lot,” Hanson said. “We had a lot of momentum. It was a big play.”

It was a play that developed in front of Hanson quickly.

“It was a nice kick,” Hanson said. “I got a lot of blocks and a big whole opened.”

The run didn’t surprise Clevenger who said Hanson often uses his small size to his advantage.

“He doesn’t need a lot of room,” Clevenger said. “One cut and he can be gone.”

The loss was the first of the season for St. Albert (13-1) which entered the game as the proverbial favorite making its sixth appearance in the finals.

The Falcons looked anything like the veterans, mustering just 57 yards of offense in the first half and surrendering three turnovers.

Sievert, who rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns, said he relished the idea of being overlooked.

“I kind of like being the underdog,” Sievert said. “It’s more fun that way.”

Even more exciting? Carting the championship trophy off the field for the first time in school history.

“It’s awesome,” Sievert said. “It’s an honor.”

Tommy Birch - The Des Moines Register

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