TODD SOMMERFELDT
Coulee Sports Connection
CALEDONIA, Minn. — There weren’t many chances for Ethan Stendel to show off his growing skill set as a linebacker during the Caledonia High School football team’s final game of the regular season.
The Warriors’ collective defense was just that good against a Pine Island team that came to town with a 6-1 record and was trying to continue momentum for the MSHSL postseason.
Caledonia was having none of that and held Pine Island to 15 total yards in a 40-0 victory. But Stendel, who will be a linebacker for the University of Minnesota next season, made a bigger impact at quarterback with a couple of touchdown runs.
The Panthers had no time to test Stendel down the field, and whenever he was quick to shut down a running lane, Stendel’s teammates on the defensive line didn’t allow the runner to reach him.
But the speed and athleticism that made Stendel an attractive recruit for the Gophers was on full display as Caledonia closed out a 6-2 regular season.
“He’s gonna be so good when he gets with Minnesota,” said Caledonia coach Carl Fruechte, who has been part of the coaching staff for 10 of the program’s 11 state championships. “He’s gonna blossom and really mature. It will be fun to watch.”
Stendel is an experienced quarterback, and learning to become a linebacker has been a work in progress. But Fruechte has sent plenty of players to good college programs and a couple to the NFL during his career, so he has a good idea of what can work out down the road.
“He runs so well for that size, “Fruechte said of the 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior. “Self-doubt can slow you down. And it does sometimes with him, but it shouldn’t.
“He’s got it. I’ll take the bullet for him not playing a lot (at linebacker) before, but there was a reason, and that’s because we’re a small 2A school.”
Stendel needed to be protected a bit as the starting quarterback, and that philosophy paid off with a strong junior season. He passed for 1,482 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 382 yards and 10 scores.
When college scouts started talking about Stendel’s best fit on the next level being at linebacker, the workout focus had to change a bit.
“I’ve just tried to bring what I learned in the summer into this season,” said Stendel, who passed for 954 yards and nine TDs and rushed for 472 yards and five TDs this regular season. “Coming in, I hadn’t played linebacker, so it was a lot of punching bags and getting off blocks.
“The summer gave me a lot of time to figure out how to play linebacker.”
Picking the right times to be aggressive has been a challenge, but Stendel’s speed can also help him recover if a bad decision is made. He’s also tough for a receiver to beat down the field.
Stendel, whose in-game speed has been documented at more than 21 mph, recorded 45 total tackles during the regular season while forcing two fumbles and intercepting two passes. He also sacked the quarterback once.
The Warriors received a first-round bye and second seed in the MSHSL Section 1AA playoffs. Caledonia hosts third-seeded Lewiston-Altura at 1 p.m. Saturday.
