ALBURNETT - When you are playing the biggest game in school history, it’s nice to have the best player on the field. When you are tied late in the biggest game in school history, even more so.
Laken Caves scored on a 20-yard run with 41.6 seconds left as Alburnett beat Wilton, 28-21, in a Class 2A state football playoff quarterfinal Friday night.
The senior running back-defensive back and University of Northern Iowa commit put his team on his back in the second half as the top-ranked Pirates (10-1) advanced to the semifinals for the first time. They’ll play No. 7 Spirit Lake (9-2) at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Caves’ future college home, the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.
“It’s fun to win,” Caves said. “We needed to capitalize on some things. But at the end of the day, we got the ‘dub.’ The job’s not finished, yet.”
Alburnett rallied from a 14-0 hole in this game, and a 14-7 halftime deficit, with Caves scoring all three of his team’s second-half touchdowns.
The first one was on a 92-yard punt return four and a half minutes into the third quarter, an electrifying play in which Caves fielded a kick on the left side of the field, sprinted to his right into the open, head faked his way past a potential tackler about midfield and down the sideline, cutting inside at about the 20 to house it.
His 38-yard run scoring run late in the third put Alburnett up for the first time in the game, 21-14. That came on a pitch play left to the short side of the field in a formation in which the Pirates used three bunch receivers that side.
“Everybody sees Laken, and they think it’s just track speed,” said Alburnett Coach Nick Wooldrik. “But he’s physical, he’s so elusive in space, and his vision is so good. It’s hard to prepare for. You see him on film, and you’re like ‘Oh, that kid’s fast. But they don’t realize how physical he is, how shifty he is. He’s got all those things. And you know, I’m just glad he’s on my team.”
Wilton (8-3) tied the game at 21 with a touchdown in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. The teams then traded possessions for most of the rest of the fourth, with Alburnett taking over the football at its 29 with 4:02 to go.
A Caves touchdown run on the first play of the drive went for a touchdown but was called back because of a holding penalty. Two plays later, he ripped off 35 yards on a pitch play, then two plays after that, went for 13 and a first down to the Wilton 26.
“We knew we needed to score,” said Alburnett two-way senior lineman Justin Strand. “Our coaches called the right plays, we just went down and scored. We’re lucky to have Laken Caves. He’s an incredible athlete. He took us all the way.”
“We just decided to grit down,” Caves said. “We needed to stay more disciplined. That first half, they were kind of kicking us around a little bit. We just decided we were going to flip the script.”
Caves had a pair of three-yard runs to move the ball to the 20. On third-and-4, he took a pitch left to the short side again and maneuvered his way into the open and to the end zone.
Freshman Pierce Foster’s extra point made it a seven-point spread. Wilton got the ball only to its 40, with four straight incompletions ended things.
“I’m just happy for these guys,” Wooldrik said. “We’ve got a lot of seniors, and they worked their butts off. Last year, we got so close, lost that 13-7 (quarterfinal) game at Osage. From that point, those guys told me ‘We’re going next year. Whatever we’ve got to do, we’ll get to the Dome.’ They worked their asses off and went and proved it. It was awesome to see.”
Held to 19 yards rushing in the first half, Caves finished with 168 in the game on 21 carries. He also caught six passes from quarterback Brody Kaestner for 32 yards.
Kaestner’s biggest throw was a 42-yarder to wide receiver Cash Varner late in the second quarter that set up a Kaestner five-yard touchdown run just before halftime.
Wilton quarterback Gunner Edwards completed 17 of 32 passes for 217 yards three touchdowns. Wide receiver Bryer Putman, a tight end commitment to Boise State, had nine catches for 157 yards.
If Caves was the best player on the field Friday, Putman might have been second best, if not 1A best.
Alburnett 28, Wilton 21
(At Alburnett)
Wilton 7 7 0 7-21
Alburnett 0 7 14 7-28
TEAM STATISTICS
First Downs - Wilton 12, Alburnett 12. Rushes-Yards - Wilton 26-90, Alburnett 34-182. Passing - Wilton 17-33-0-217, Alburnett 8-14-0-74. Total Yards - Wilton 307, Alburnett 256. Punts-Average - Wilton 5-33.6, Alburnett 5-28.2. Penalties-Yards - Wilton 9-80, Alburnett 4-30. Fumbles-Lost - Wilton 1-0, Alburnett 0-0.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Wilton - Rushing: Noah Gray 13-52, Gunner Edwards 10-50, Caleb Burford 1-4, Kinnick Maine 1-(minus) 10, Team 1-(minus) 6. Passing: Gunner Edwards 17-33-0-217. Receiving: Bryer Putman 9-157, Oiver Grings 3-23, Noah Gray 3-21, Collin Keith 2-16.
Alburnett - Rushing: Laken Caves 21-168, Owen Henriksen 4-10, Brody Kaestner 7-9 Cooper Franklin 2-1. Passing: Brody Kaestner 8-14-0-74. Receiving: Cash Varner 2-42, Laken Caves 6-32.