The Alexandria football team won’t get any breaks on the schedule for homecoming weekend as a 3-1 Willmar team comes to Citizens Field for a 3 p.m. kickoff this Saturday.
Willmar lost a three-year starter at quarterback in Alex Grove last season, but in has stepped a new signal caller that is finding similar success early on. Junior Augustine Hahn has helped this Willmar offense average 35 points per game and score more than 42 in three of those four contests.
“Last year, they had a good one in Alex Grove,” Alexandria head coach Mike Empting said when I talked to him on Wednesday. “And they just took the next kid and same thing. Good athlete, throws the ball well, makes good decisions, has a good running back next to him, but the bottom line is everything goes through him.”
Hahn set the tone for his team in a 45-0 win over Grand Rapids last Friday night. He finished 14-of-17 passing for 243 yards and three touchdowns in a game that was all but over by the half. Hahn completed his last nine passes in the first half on his way to 214 yards by the break.
He’s a big reason why this Willmar team is 2-0 in the South half of the conference and 3-1 overall. They are currently tied with St. Cloud Tech (4-0, 2-0 CLC) and St. Cloud Apollo (3-1, 2-0 CLC) atop the division. Bemidji (4-0, 2-0 CLC), Brainerd (4-0, 2-0 CLC) and Moorhead (2-2, 2-0 CLC) are tied on top of the North Division. The game against Willmar will be a big challenge for this Alexandria team as it tries to get its first win of the season in front of a homecoming crowd.
“We’re going to be tested again,” Empting said. “It’s the nature of playing in the Central Lakes Conference. I think it’s one of the best outstate conferences in the state . There are tremendous teams out here. We represent every year at the state level.”
Check out Friday’s issue of the Echo Press for more on the match-up against Willmar.
