During the age of COVID, we’ve learned something… nothing is guaranteed. Things haven’t been great in the world of an athlete. Their training schedules were disrupted and their seasons– canceled. As the spring turned to summer, turned to fall, nobody knew what would become of the 2020 fall sports season in the WIAA. Then, just weeks before the season was set to kick off, we learned it was on. Throughout this whole situation, we have learned how to find the positive in negative situations. It has become a necessity. That skill has always been necessary for athletes. Now? It’s more important than ever. Sure, their season almost didn’t happen, and they didn’t know who they would play just weeks before the games would take place. But as the Pointers took the field on Friday, the forgot all about that. Because of everything that happened, they were put in a situation they wouldn’t have been in, to begin with. They were set to open their 2020 season against one of the state’s premier teams in the Lake Mills L-Cats. The L-Cats, who are a Division 4 team, were coming into the game just as excited, just as eager as the Pointers. They, too, fell in Level 3 of the playoffs last season. Lead by a record-setting quarterback in Adam Moen, they felt they were primed for glory– and so did the rest of the school, the city, and the state.

The Pointers, however, had something to say about that. How do they respond to all of this pressure? Easy. Nothing beats a 95-yard opening-kickoff return to start the season. The field erupted in cheer as Dominik McVay waltzed into the endzone. The remainder of the first quarter was simply a defensive showdown. Nobody budged. The Pointers got close to scoring their second touchdown, however after one of many penalties that evening, they were pushed back. They had to settle for a field goal, but that kick missed. Lake Mills answered quickly with Adam Moen finding Rex Cassady for a 34-yard touchdown. It looked like Lake Mills was going to pick up right where they left off last season, dominating teams. Once again, the Pointers had to say something. Dominik received another kickoff, this time, running it back 90 yards. The L-Cats had learned their lesson on that front. From then on they only kicked squib-kicks. However, the L-Cats answered right back with a touchdown toss to Jaxon Retrum. The Pointers needed to put points on the board as the L-Cats would get the ball to kick off the 2nd Half. What better way to do that than giving it to Dominik. What ensued was his third touchdown of the night, this time a 50-yard run. The Pointers headed to the locker-room on a high note, up 20-14 after missing the extra point.

Both teams came back on the field ready to prove they had it in them to take the other team down. After a big defensive stop, Liam Stumpf and the Pointers took it to the air, finding Joah Filardo for a 19-yard touchdown. After the successful Two-Point Conversion, the Pointers found themselves up by two scores. However, the L-Cats just wouldn’t go away. Adam Moen found the endzone himself, running the ball in for a touchdown, cutting the deficit down to just seven points. The momentum began to shift towards the L-Cats, which could spell doom for the Pointers. Then, as the fourth quarter began, one of the most important plays of the game happened. Lake Mills called a pitch play in the end-zone, and the Pointers brought down the running back before he could cross the end-line. Safety. This play was huge for the Pointers. Then after a 15-yard touchdown run from Will Straka, the game looked to be over. But it was all but over. You can never be too safe when playing a team like Lake Mills.

After an 11-yard touchdown pass from Adam Moen to Jaxon Retrum and a 16-yard rushing touchdown from Adam Moen, the L-Cats had a decision to make. They were down by two points, 34-36. They could go for two to tie the game up, or they could kick the extra point and hope their defense could get them the ball back. They decide to go for two. Moen throws it to Retrum. Caught. Tie Game. Then, in a finish for the ages, Liam Stumpf lead the Pointers down the field as the clock kept ticking away, and Will Straka ran the ball in to go up by six. Then, the Pointers were faced with the same decision the L-Cats had to make just minutes ago. Go for two and keep the L-Cats from winning in regulation or kick the extra point and rely on your defense. They, too, took the field, looking to put the game away. Liam snapped it. Liam ran it in. Pointers took the eightpoint lead. However, Lake Mills still had time on the clock to go for the win. After getting down to Mineral Point’s side of the field, it was time to heave the ball up in hopes of sending the shootout to overtime. They threw it up, and it was knocked away. However, after roughing the passer, they got 15 more yards and one more shot. Same result. Pointers win in an instant classic.

Mineral Point improves to 2-0 as the status of their game on Friday is unknown. Be sure to check pointermedia.org for more updates on this story.