Prep football: Cards looking for first playoff win since 2010

The last three seasons, whether good or mediocre, the Willmar football team entered the playoffs knowing it would literally be outnumbered.
Last season, it was Rogers, who thumped the Cardinals 63-0. In 2013, Buffalo jumped a 6-2 Cards team by a 43-20 count. In 2012, Elk River ended Willmar’s season 51-21.
The common thread in all three of those first-round losses was that the Cardinals were facing teams from high schools with between 400 and 600 more students than Willmar.
With new district alignments this year, Willmar’s path to its first postseason victory since 2010 may be a bit more manageable.
“In the sections the last three years, we were outmatched by bigger schools that had more students and more football players,” said Willmar head coach Jon Konold, whose Cards play host to Thief River Falls in the Section 8AAAA opener at 6 p.m. today at Hodapp Field.
“That’s a tough road for us,” he said. “Thief River Falls is about the same size as us, and our kids feel we have a good shot at being competitive. It will be a tough game but they know if they play hard they have a chance to be in the game.”
On the negative side, at least the Cardinals had a good idea what they were in for the last three years. New alignments mean unknown opponents.
“I know nothing about Thief River Falls except what’s on film,” Konold said, adding with a laugh, “My tax accountant is from Thief River Falls and he played football, so he told me some stories. But that’s about it.”
Konold does know this: Being a northern Minnesota team, running the ball and stopping the run are TRF’s primary objectives.
The Cardinals’ chief concerns as they attempt to break their four-year, one-and-done playoff streak is protecting the ball and getting something going on the ground.
Willmar has yet to crack 1,000 team rushing yards - the Cards stand at 829 - and is averaging a meager 2.9 yards per carry.
The Cards have been effective through the air, piling up almost 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns. But they’ve been plagued by 20 interceptions. They have surrendered three or more picks in four games and they won just one of those games (their 20-19 last-second thriller over Buffalo in the season opener).
Conversely, the Willmar defense has intercepted eight passes and recovered just four fumbles.
On Friday, the Cardinals led Sauk Rapids 14-6 after three quarters but mistakes helped the Storm score three-straight fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 26-21 Willmar loss.
“They know they took a little step back,” Konold said. “But we’ve had a couple good days of practice and they’re ready to get back in there.”
Should the Cards get by the 3-5 Prowlers, losers of three straight games, they should have at least a numerical edge on their remaining section opponents, much like their last three section foes had on them. Willmar has the largest enrollment among the six 8AAAA teams by almost 200 students.
But enrollment numbers won’t matter as much as the eternal, late-season facts of football life.
“At this point in the season,” Konold said, “it’s a matter of who’s healthy and who makes the fewest mistakes.”