Hollenbach lifts Shiner St. Paul
to second title in three years
by Albert Alvarado, Advocate Sports Writer
Saturday, December 8, 2012
AdvoSports.com Article | St. Paul Cardinal Football | Shiner Home Page
WACO - Two years ago while his teammates celebrated a state championship, Adam Hollenbach joined them with a wrapped right elbow.
Shiner St. Paul's Adam Hollenbach (#21) breaks towards the end zone during the TAPPS Division III state title game against Frisco Legacy Christian at the Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco Friday. photos by Morgan Walker, Victoria Advocate
Hollenbach, then a sophomore, dislocated the elbow on the first play of the fourth quarter and left the game.
On Friday, he made up for lost time and left the Frisco Legacy Christian Eagles defensive players feeling as if they bumped their funny bones.
Hollenbach ran for 307 yards and scored all eight St. Paul (10-3) touchdowns in a 56-43 win over Frisco Legacy (11-3) in the TAPPS Divisioin III Championship Game at Floyd Casey Stadium.
"The team stepped up then and today I just had to do it," Hollenbach.
Hollenbach earned his second 300-yard rushing game in the last three weeks. He finishes the season with 2,227 yards and 42 touchdowns rushing.
"It makes me feel like we did our job," said senior offensive lineman Laddie Patek. "That's what it's supposed to be like."
The win gives St. Paul it's fifth state football championship and the senior class its second state championship in three seasons.
The 12 seniors on the roster end their careers with a 46-9 record, including three consecuive trips to a TAPPS state championship game.
Combined, Hollenbach's touchdown runs accumulated 132 yards.
"We just won the game," said St. Paul head coach Jake Wachsmuth. "We just plugged away, and plugged away."
Hollenbach said the team was determined to win the state title this season after losing to rival Hallettsville Sacred Heart in the TAPPS Division IV State Championship Game more than a year ago.
Senior quarterback Dakota Kresta, number 7, kicks a conversion during the Cardinals TAPPS Division III state title game against Frisco Legacy Christian in Waco, Tx.
For senior quarterback Dakota Kresta, the win makes all the hard work and sacrifices well worth lifting the state championship trophy and having medals put around his neck.
"You get those days where it's hot, you're running sprints and you say 'I don't want to do this,'" Kresta said. "This is what it's for. I realize now all those long days at practice are to make champions."
The 5-foot-10, 160-pound Hollenbach back made up for lost time from the beginning.
He scored all five first-half touchdowns for St. Paul and surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark with 8:33 remaining in the second quarter.
Hollenbach's 68-yard score on the 12th St. Paul offensive play of the game got the Cardinals on the board and a seven-yard score 38 seconds into the second quarter put the Cardinals up for good.
His third TD of the game, from 68-yards put Hollenbach over the century mark for the third time this post season. Hollenbach averaged 237 yards per game in the playoffs.
"Losing last year did not go well with us and this year we were determined," Hollenbach said.
Although the Cardinal defense gave up 378 total yards and 43 points, they came up with a key stop and it proved to be the only one St. Paul would need.
On the first Legacy Christian drive of the second half, senior running back and inside linebacker Martin Kennedy blocked a punt and gave the Cardinals the ball on the Eagles 18.
Hollenbach scored from 12 yards out three plays later to put St. Paul ahead 41-21 with 9:35 left in the third quarter.
"We told the kids at halftime that we had to come up with a stop," Wachsmuth said. "We did, we blocked a punt, we got another stop."
"Those were humongeous plays for us at key points," Hollenbach said. "Marco Ynclan was key because it was the second drive of the second half and we picked it up and scored again. Martin's blocked punt set up another score."
Kresta completed 4 of 6 passes for 112 yards and rushed six times for 28 yards. Kennedy had 69 yards on eight carries.
"I love my school, I love my team more than anything. I wouldn't want to win state with any team other than this one," Kresta said fighting back tears.
More Photos by Morgan Walker from The Victoria Advocate
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GAME STATISTICS:
statistics source: http://www.www.advosports.com/games/football/shiner-st-paul-at-hallettsville-sacred-heart/328/
GAME SUMMARY: Shiner St. Paul 56, Frisco Legacy Christian 43 TEAM STATISTICS: St. Paul Frisco Legacy First Downs: 19 x Penalties: 7 x Penalty Yards: 55 x Attempted passes: 5 x Completed passes: 4 x Passing Interceptions: 0 x Passing Touchdowns: 0 x Passing Yards: 112 x Rushes: 56 x Rushing Yards: 406 x Rushing Touchdowns: 0 x Fumbles: 0 x Fumbles Lost: 0 x Punts: 1 x Punting Yards: 28 x SCORING SUMMARY: 1 2 3 4 -- Final Shiner St. Paul 7 14 28 7 -- 56 Frisco Legacy Christian 7 15 14 7 -- 43 SCORING DETAILS: First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS: Rushing SP - Adam Hollenbach 39-303, Dakota Kresta 6-35, Mitchell McElroy 2-4, FL - Ovie Urevbu 12-123, Adam Beck 7-31 Passing SP - Dakota Kresta 5-45-112-0 FL - Adam Beck 14-11-250-1 Receiving SP - Martin Kennedy 1-51, Dylan Barton 3-61, FL - Bryan Marino 2-35, Hunter WOOD 8-199, Zach Snider 1-15
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