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Saturday, October 4, 2008

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Moenkedick is a man of many roles

By JEREMY MILLSOP

Sports Writer

The one thing more constant than football wins in Verndale during the last four seasons has been Matt Moenkedick's presence in the Pirates' starting lineup.

Being a four-year starter in the football-frenzied community of Verndale is rare. More unusual is how much his position has changed. The senior has played tight end, fullback, quarterback, tailback and inside and outside linebacker.

He has succeeded at all those positions, as have the Pirates when he is in the lineup.

"They're all pretty similar," said Moenkedick. "It's football. There isn't a whole lot of difference between outside and inside linebacker. I go play wherever they tell me to play.

"Most freshmen don't start on an average Verndale team. If the numbers in the upper classes weren't below average, I wouldn't have started as a freshman. I practiced hard and they played me. It was a good experience. It feels good to be the starter for four years and on some good teams."

Matt Moenkedick

Year: Senior

School: Verndale

Sport: Football

Position: Running back, linebacker

Key stat: Rushed for 180 yards and four touchdowns against Hillcrest Lutheran

The Pirates advanced to the state semifinals last season. This year, third-ranked Verndale is 5-0.

"He's just a really hard-nosed football player," said Verndale head coach Mike Mahlen. "He's just a very determined individual. He's always giving 100 percent. The abilities he does have he us using to the utmost. He's not super fast, but he gets the job done. He runs with a lot of determination."

Moenkedick rushed for 180 yards and four touchdowns in Verndale's 56-12 victory over eighth-ranked Hillcrest Lutheran Sept. 26 in Fergus Falls.

A week earlier, Moenkedick rushed for 140 yards and two scores in the Pirates' 40-6 victory over Bertha-Hewitt. The win helped Mahlen break George Larson's all-time wins record for Minnesota High School football coaches.

On Sept. 12, Moenkedick rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries in a 56-12 win over Ashby. He also threw for 74 yards on 6-of-8 passing.

The second week of the season saw Moenkedick rush for 258 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries against Underwood.

The only game Moenkedick hasn't surpassed 100 rushing yards came in the opener. He carried the ball just eight times for 38 yards, but threw for 56 on 2-of-4 passing to help Verndale to a 47-0 halftime lead over Brandon-Evansville.

Moenkedick isn't a one-man show, as teammates Amos Schmidt and Zack Meidinger have worked to make names for themselves.

"You want to have that balanced attack," said Moenkedick. "We are more balanced than we were last year. Teams know I'm going to carry the ball. They also know we have Amos, who can carry it, and Meidinger has the speed so you don't want to give him the edge. We don't just give it to one back all the time like we did last year with my brother (Sam). It's nice that teams can't just focus on me."

Because of Moenkedick's experience and versatility, he's asked to play quarterback in the shotgun formation, the fullback in the wishbone and the tailback in the I-formation.

"Offensively, he's going to handle the ball for us," said Mahlen. "Defensively, he's a very physical player. He's a hitter. He sets the tone for us. Against Hillcrest we intercepted the ball and Matt put a devastating block on one of their players to spring our guy for a big gain. That set the tone for the whole game."

Other notable performances:

Cross country: Clayton Foster, Pequot Lakes, won the Pine River-Backus invite and the McGregor Invite.

Football: Matthew Hudrlik, Crosby-Ironton, rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns against Rush City.

Derik Midthun, C-I, threw for 114 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 99 yards against Rush City.

Michael Weber, Pierz, threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns against Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa.

Cody Stangl, Pierz, rushed for four touchdowns against B-B-E.

Amos Schmidt, Verndale, rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown against Hillcrest Lutheran.

Glen Abbott, Pine River-Backus, rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns against Blackduck.

JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5856.

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