Fairmont to face St. Croix Lutheran in AAA state football quarterfinal

Fairmont vs. St. Croix Lutheran Academy 2.0. Kickoff time: noon on Saturday. Location: Burnsville High School’s football field. Postseason level: Class AAA state quarterfinal.

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Legendary mentor Carl Lemke and his ground-and-pound Crusaders edged fifth-year head coach Mat Mahoney and his pass-oriented Cardinals, 34-32, for the Class AAA state football championship on Nov. 26, 2011, inside the Metrodome.

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It was Mahoney’s first-ever appearance in the opening round of the Prep Bowl,

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while the championship clash triggered a string of seven consecutive state bids by Lemke’s gridiron program.

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Fast forward to the present. Lemke has been retired since December of 2018 after closing out his 46th season as the No. 7 all-time winningest high school football coach in the state of Minnesota at 304.

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Adam Frey, Lemke’s successor, earned the first state bid of his four-year tenure at the Crusaders’ helm and St. Croix Lutheran Academy’s ninth overall.

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Frey’s team carries a somewhat deceptive 5-5 overall record into Saturday’s state quarterfinal on the heels of a 44-25 victory over Minneapolis Henry and a narrow 14-6 win over 2021 champion Breck for the Section 4 crown.

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Senior fullback Evan Valleau produced both of the Crusaders’ touchdowns during their sectional finale win over Breck.

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