For the first time in 28 years the Tiger football team won just one game (1-8) but veteran coach Mark Froehling said there were more than a few positives to take away from the 2010 season.
"As a team we showed great improvement throughout the season," he said. "The players never quit and continued to learn through the final game.
"We got behind early in a lot of games but we were able to come back and play competitively. Our running game produced two 200-yard games by CJ Record and in the passing game our sophomore quarterback completed 50 percent."
Froehling pointed to a come-from-behind win over Red Wing, a fourth quarter rally in a one-point loss to Holy Angels and a near upset of Northfield as major highlights of the season just completed.
On the other side of the ledger Froehling said his team's two shutout losses, spotty special teams play early in the season and habit of giving up big plays were the biggest disappointments.
Froehling and his staff awarded varsity letters to 38 players, including 18 members of the senior class: Dayne Eich, Record, Sebren Baer, Tyler Grubb, Tyler Beckett,, Evan Workman, Eric McWright, Peter Folz, Ricardo Ziegler, Jake Schaeppi, Josh Zarras, Cory Johnson, John Schimmel, Dillon Pariseau, Derek Sather, Jacob Lee, Tommy Korbein and Tyler Bagley.
"The coaches really enjoyed working with the seniors," Froheling said. "They are good people who woked well together and gave us good effort."
Underclassmen monogram winners included juniors Austin Bassett, Brady Lindrud, Drew Hegseth, Nathan Graham, Blake Weinand, Ryan Schoening, Charlie Weierke, Mitchell Prout, Joey Ouyang, Andy VanBlarcom, Jake Novak, Nick Newman, Bret Hoffman, Josh Cordes, Tyler Engel and Jordan Vandivier and sophomores Darren Beenken, Kevin Olund, Alex Chadwick and Athen Ashton.
Record, the team's leading rusher with 1,013 yards and six touchdowns and Johnson, the anchor of the offensive line, made the all-Missota Conference team.
McWright, the team leader in tackles (58) and quarterback sacks (7) and Korbein, third on the team in tackles with 55, received all-league honorable mention.
Record was voted the team's most valuable offensive player while the defensive MVP award was shared by Zarras, Ziegler and Sather.
Johnson won the most valuable offensive lineman award while Pariseau's hard work earned him a special coaches award. Baer took home the Earl Wetzel award named for the Tiger coach of the 1980's and 1990's.
The losing season was the second in a row for the Tigers and Froehling was realistic in noting that a reversal in fortune will be neither easy nor guaranteed.
"It will take some time to have the number of athletes 'varsity ready' that we need to be dominant again," he said. "We don't have the size and athleticism along the line or the depth at the skill positions that we've had in some seasons.
"What we do have are underclassmen willing to commit to the work necessary to fulfill their potential. As more athletes reach their potential, the team will reach its potential."
The Tiger coach said he plans to stick with the new spread offense he and his staff introduced this season.
"We used several sophomores at both the varsity and junior varsity levels this year, so they will be familiar with it," he said. "The ninth graders had a successful season and some of them could help us right away if they work hard in the weight room in the off-season."
