Two torn ACLs. Two seasons missed. Two triumphant returns

Oct. 27—The brace on Trevor Heindel's right knee is a reminder.

It's a reminder of what he's been through and how far he's come. Twice.

It's been there so long it's part of him now. And it's a reminder that any adversity he faces on the football field on Friday nights pales in comparison to the adversity he faced over the past two years.

"What he's been through, it's going to help him for the rest of his life, any challenge that comes his way," said Mike Kesler, the head football coach at Rochester Lourdes, where Heindel is a senior this fall. "The life impact that this will have, Trevor will have a lot bigger challenges down the road, but to go through this adversity the past couple years, to fight through that and keep going, that is going to pay dividends for him down the road."

The adversity started for Heindel in the fall of 2021, the final week of the regular season. Lourdes' 42-0 win at Pine Island that night was a bright spot in a 4-6 season. For Heindel, it was the start of a long journey that ultimately totaled nearly 18 months of strenuous rehabilitation, but rarely a doubt in his mind about his ultimate goal — to be back on the field with his friends, teammates and classmates during his final year of high school football.

During a run-of-the-mill special teams play, Heindel felt a twinge in his right knee. He thought it was just a minor injury, the type of bump or bruise or strain athletes play through all the time. But when Lourdes' season ended a couple of weeks later, the diagnosis was much more severe: A torn ACL.

"It was hard because I felt like I was finally to the point where I was on the team and contributing, in my sophomore year," Heindel said. "I was on special teams that year, so I felt like my ability to play was going to be taken from me as a junior.

"I worked really hard and pushed myself as much as I could to get back."

Heindel did exactly that. When practices started for his junior season, in the late summer of 2022, he was there with his teammates, ready to shoulder a big load as a defensive back and a tailback in Lourdes' run-heavy option offense.

Then, in the season opener at Chatfield, Heindel swarmed to the ball with his defensive teammates, looking to make a play.

"I was coming up to make a tackle and had my right leg in the ground," the 5-feet-9, 165-pound senior said. "I kind of got pushed on my left side and all my weight went over my right side and my knee just kind of folded in.

"Right away I knew what it was. I could tell."

A flood of thoughts, concerns and disappointment went through Heindel's mind in a split second. He knew his junior season was done. So was the idea of joining the Lourdes track and field team in the spring. He knew what kind of effort would be required to rehab his knee from a second torn ACL, but he also knew, short of a doctor telling him he couldn't do it, there was no way he wasn't going to be on the football field when his senior season began.

"I think what he's been through teaches all of us some toughness," said Lourdes quarterback Adam Sellner, a good friend and classmate of Heindel, "because obviously, all the injuries — two ACLs — he deals with things even now, from those surgeries, that most people don't have to deal with.

"He's probably one of the toughest kids I know."

That toughness has been on display this fall. Not only did Heindel work his way back from a torn ACL for a second consecutive season, but he has transformed himself as a player. With sophomore tailback Caleb Akinbolu entrenched in the starting role, Heindel worked much of the summer with Sellner on pass routes, and has become the Eagles top receiver.

By design, Lourdes (7-2) has only thrown the ball an average of 7.4 times per game this season. Sellner has completed 31 passes for 542 yards. Heindel has caught 13 of those passes for 333 yards, both team-bests. He also has caught one of Sellner's four touchdown passes. He also plays every snap at defensive back, rarely leaving the field.

"What an example, first of all, his mindset and his mental toughness is so impressive," Kesler said. "He could easily — easily — have said 'no, I'm just going to be part of the program and help out as a manager or whatever as a senior.' He was determined to come back again.

"Trevor loves football. He's worked hard at it for many, many years. For him to not only come back, to have the impact he's had for us — averaging (25.6) yards a catch — he's made a lot of big plays. He's a captain, one of our leaders, and a great example for our young kids."

If it wasn't for the brace — the extension of his right leg that Heindel often forgets is there — it would be impossible to know what he's been through while watching him on the field. Heindel has blanketed receivers he'd lined up against, and learned how to quickly create separation from defensive backs when he's playing offense.

Most importantly to him, though, is doing whatever he can to help the team win. Lourdes will face La Crescent-Hokah at 2 p.m. Saturday in a Section 1, Class 3A semifinal game. The winner moves on to next Friday's section championship. If Lourdes can get past the Lancers, it will reach a section final for the first time since 2018. Heindel and his classmates want to be part of that.

It's why he spent all those hours working to get back on the field.

"It's my job to just give (100 percent) effort," Heindel said. "When I'm catching the ball, they're all working for me, so it's only fair that I work for them. ... I just wanted (to get back) for this senior class," Heindel said. "I've always wanted to get out here with these guys and have a chance to try to go to state with my best friends."

A look, in alphabetical order, at some southeastern Minnesota players who stood out during this week's section quarterfinal games:

The Cardinals do-it-all quarterback was at his best again Tuesday, when second-seeded L-O topped Grand Meadow 44-20 in a Section 1, 9-Player quarterfinal. Hungerholt accounted for six touchdowns, running for three and passing for three. He finished with 11 carries for 225 yards and was 9-for-12 passing for 163 yards. All three TD passes (29, 26 and 8 yards) went to Carter Sweeney.

Jensen and the Cardinals are heating up at the right time, with wins in three of their past five games. Included in that stretch is a one-score loss to Rushford-Peterson and Wednesday's come-from-behind 35-30 Section 1-2A quarterfinal win against St. Charles. Jensen played a huge role in that win, running for five touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter as the Cardinals rallied from a 30-21 deficit. He finished the game with 113 yards on 27 carries. Next up for L-A: A date with top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Caledonia at 7 p.m. Monday in a section semifinal game.

The standout senior athlete touched the ball just five times in the top-seeded Falcons' 41-14 win against eighth-seeded Hayfield in a Section 1-1A quarterfinal. Kiehne turned those five touches into four touchdowns — receptions of 23 and 24 yards, and runs of 36 and 10 yards — as the Falcons built a 41-0 lead by halftime.

The University of North Dakota commit was outstanding Tuesday, helping the fourth-seeded Tigers to a 28-20 win against No. 5 seed Pine Island in a Section 1-3A quarterfinal. Ryan, a standout receiver, has become a rushing threat. He ran the ball 20 times for 170 yards and three touchdowns against the Panthers, including a 65-yard score in the fourth quarter to make it 28-20.

The Cobras 6-foot, 185-pound senior running back was all but unstoppable in a 43-6 victory against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton in a Section 2, Class 2A quarterfinal. Stark ran for three touchdowns and 205 of the Cobras' 350-plus rushing yards.

The standout senior took over at quarterback midway through the Lions' 32-6 Section 1, 9-Player quarterfinal win against Mabel-Canton, after starter Bryce Berns left with an injury. Strinmoen didn't skip a beat, carrying the ball 14 times for 231 yards and two touchdowns (on runs of 83 and 61 yards).

Rinse and repeat for Wiersma and the Knights, who are the No. 1 seed in the Section 1, 9-Player tournament, and the No. 5-ranked team in the state. Wiersma turned 18 carries into 194 yards and five touchdowns as the Knights rolled to a 46-0 win against Lanesboro in a section quarterfinal game Tuesday.

(Editor's note: These rankings are considered "pound-for-pound" rankings, similar to many rankings systems in boxing and mixed martial arts. They represent the best teams in southeastern Minnesota, relative to the class they play in.)

The sun rises in the East. The Stewartville Tigers rise on game day. There's nowhere, though, for them to rise in our Power Rankings — or the Class AAA state rankings. After a thoroughly dominant 47-0 victory against Red Wing in the Section 1, Class 3A quarterfinals, the Tigers are still No. 1 with a bullet in the state poll and these Power Rankings.

The Warriors' first-round bye in the Section 1, Class 2A quarterfinals has been extended by two days; they'll host a section semifinal game at 7 p.m. Monday, after the heavy rains Tuesday forced the postponement of the quarterfinal game between Lewiston-Altura and St. Charles. The Cardinals won that game Wednesday night. Their reward: A matchup with No. 2-ranked Caledonia, which has won seven of its eight games by 20 or more points and averages 41.1 points per game.

This is the Falcons' time of year. After a 41-14 win against Hayfield in Tuesday's Section 1, Class 1A quarterfinals, Fillmore Central has a 7-2 record in the postseason since the 2021 playoffs. Those two losses came by a combined nine points. In other words, even though any of the four teams left in the Section 1-1A tournament appear capable of winning it, getting past the Falcons will be no easy task. They have the top defense in the state in Class 1A, allowing just 7.5 points per game. Coincidentally, the second-best defensive team in the state? It's Fillmore Central's opponent in the Section 1-1A semis, Goodhue (7.7 points allowed per game).

Here's what the Knights have done since a season-opening 40-34 win against Mabel-Canton on Sept. 1: They've won eight more consecutive games, all by at least 25 points and all by an average of 41.3 points. They've allowed an average of just 12.6 points per game and they've recorded two shutouts in that span, including a 46-0 win against Lanesboro in Tuesday's Section 1 9-Player quarterfinals. All of that is to say, the No. 5-ranked Knights are human, which means they're beatable. We're just not sure how or if that will be accomplished.

The KoMets sure appear to be on a, ahem, collision course with rival Byron in the Section 1, Class 4A playoffs. The only thing standing between top-seeded K-M and a fifth consecutive berth in a section championship game, is Saturday's 7 p.m. Section 1-4A semifinal game against fourth-seeded Faribault, at Kasson. The KoMets beat the Falcons handily, 30-8, at Faribault in Week 4 of the regular season.

We've always found it in our best interests to avoid hungry Bears. Winona has no choice this weekend, though, when it comes to Byron for the second time this season. The Bears walloped the Winhawks 36-0 back on Sept. 15 and haven't let off the gas since — aside from one hiccup, a 21-14 loss to Kasson-Mantorville on Oct. 6. Still, Byron is hungry to not only get another shot at K-M, but to get to a state tournament. The Bears haven't been there in 20 years. They're two wins away from getting there, though we know there's no chance they're looking that far ahead. A win on Saturday in the Section 1-4A semis against Winona would give Byron a chance to not only avenge their only loss of this season, but to also avenge a loss suffered the last time it was in a section final. K-M beat the Bears 42-14 in the 2021 Section 1-4A title game.

While on the subject of teams that are hungry to prove themselves, add the Dover-Eyota Eagles to that conversation. Section 1, Class 2A has belonged to either Caledonia or Chatfield for nearly two decades. The Eagles have forced their way into that conversation this fall, beating Chatfield by two touchdowns on Oct. 13, and giving Caledonia its toughest game of the season, a 20-13 loss in which D-E led by two scores in the fourth quarter. The Eagles also hold wins against three opponents — Lourdes, La Crescent-Hokah and Lake City — who will play in the Section 1, Class 3A semifinals Saturday.

Wanna count the Gophers out because they're the No. 3 seed in Section 1-2A, and because they lost to Caledonia and Dover-Eyota in the regular season? Go ahead, at your own risk. The core of this team was on the field last year when the Gophers won the section title and finished as the Class 2A state runner-up. Some of them played — many of them were dressed — when Chatfield won the section and state titles in 2021. There's a lot of pride in the Gophers locker room, and an understanding that what happened in the regular season doesn't matter this time of year.

The Bombers have bounced around to different sections and classes in recent years more than the Minnesota Vikings fumble in the first quarter. (We can say that, we're long-suffering Vikings fans.) But one thing has remained consistent: The Bombers are going to play their game no matter who is lined up across from them. And their game is to run the ball, run the ball, then run the ball. Then run it some more. And they play that game incredibly well. Opponents in Section 4, Class 2A are finding that out this fall. The Bombers are just the No. 3 seed in that section, but they routed No. 6 Maple Lake, 33-6, in a quarterfinal game Tuesday. That sets up a matchup Saturday against No. 2 seed, No. 7-ranked and unbeaten Norwood Young America.

Kingsland is the talk of Section 1, 9-Player, and rightfully so. But LeRoy-Ostrander, the No. 2 seed in the section and the No. 9-ranked team in the state is happy to quietly lurk in the Knights' shadow. By quietly, we mean rolling up 45.3 points per game, including topping the 50-point mark in six of nine games so far this season. L-O will have its hands full Saturday with defending section champion Spring Grove, a team it didn't meet during the regular season. The Cardinals and Lions are quite familiar with one another though, having claimed the past two section titles. L-O won in 2021, when it won a state title. Spring Grove won last season en route to a spot in the Prep Bowl.