A kicker's best moment made 1987 Moorhead's best year

The Star Tribune is celebrating 50 years of high school football state tournaments one day at a time for 50 days.

The wait ended for Moorhead.

The unbeaten Spuds won their first football state title in their eighth playoff appearance with a 13-7 victory over Winona in the Class AA final. Moorhead (14-0) had been the runner-up twice, losing to Minneapolis Washburn 26-6 in the first Class AA state championship in 1972 and to Rosemount 40-14 in 1981, the year before the first Prep Bowl at the Metrodome.

"We came close the last time," Moorhead coach Dan Kostich said. "I remember it was at Parade Stadium and there were about 6 to 8 inches of snow on the ground and they had to clean it off right before we played. This time we had better weather."

Moorhead placekicker Greg Reinhiller didn't expect to play the vital role he played. His two second-half field goals (32 and 25 yards) broke a 7-7 halftime tie.

"We've been scoring so high this season that we really haven't needed any kicking from me," Reinhiller said. "And I haven't done much. I think I was 1-of-4 on field-goal attempts this season, and I've missed a lot of extra points."

When it counted most, Reinhiller didn't miss.

Moorhead nose guard Scott Gauthier had a key sack on Winona's next-to-last possession. On the Winhawks' final possession, with 48 seconds remaining, they couldn't get out of their own territory.

"They say the best defense is a good offense," Gauthier said. "Our offense kept us on the sideline and kept their defense on the field. We were used to getting big leads and then playing stalemate in the second half. We were a little concerned at halftime, and the defense just said we've got to hold together."

For Winona, its dream season fell just short of a championship.

"The run we made that season was unheard of," the Winhawks' Joel Staats said in a 2011 interview. "We had T-shirts made before the Prep Bowl that said, '13-0, One To Go.' "

Staats, a 6-3, 220-pound linebacker who finished with 21 tackles, considers his trip to the Prep Bowl among his most cherished football memories.

Senior Jeremy Wicht grabbed the spotlight in Class A. He stepped in front of a sideline pass and returned the interception 56 yards for a touchdown with 1 minute, 9 seconds left, propelling Cambridge to a 28-14 triumph over Lakeville.

Wicht, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior, recovered a fumble in the first quarter that led to Cambridge's first touchdown. He also rushed for 110 yards on 21 carries.

"He just played outstanding," Cambridge coach George Larson said. "They shut him down a little bit on offense, but he can do a lot of things for us."

In Class B, the all-state combination of Rick Meyer and Dave Anderson made Ely's first state title game appearance a miserable one. The tandem combined for five touchdowns as Granite Falls made amends for 1986's state runner-up finish with a 43-20 victory.

Meyer rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, and Anderson had 168 yards receiving and three touchdown catches on passes from quarterback Tony Ladner.

In Class C, Minneota quarterback Chris Meidt threw 30 passes — short ones, screens, shovel passes, 35-yarders. His receivers caught 19 of them for 203 yards and three touchdowns. It was only the first half. The Vikings trotted off the field with a 27-point halftime lead over Grand Meadow en route to a 27-7 victory.

"We were pretty sharp in the first half," said Vikings coach Gerhard Meidt, Chris' father. "We completed some critical fourth-down plays and then came out real flat in the second half. But what kind of pep talk do you give with a 27-0 lead? Go out and kick them. You don't want to rub it in."

State championship games

Class AA: Moorhead 13, Winona 7

Class A: Cambridge 28, Lakeville 14

Class C: Minneota 27, Grand Meadow 7

Nine-Man: Silver Lake 30, Verndale 14