Cards have just enough

With four state tournament titles and a ton of trips to the state tournament, the Cromwell-Wright football team is one of the premier football programs in Minnesota. But high school sports invariably see ebb and flow with athletes and numbers. The Cardinals are facing something they haven't seen in many years - a lack of numbers.

"Our numbers are the lowest they've ever been," explained longtime head coach Jeff Gronner. "We have 13 players, which is down from the 17 players we had last year."

Despite the low numbers last year, the Cards made it to the state semifinals before bowing out of the 9-man state tourney. Cromwell-Wright finished with a 12-1 record. The Cards lost some impressive athletes to graduation including Drew Libbon, Kannon Korpela, Cameron Cahoon, Jaden Gronner, Isaac Shelton and AJ House.

Returning starters are Taye Anderson, a senior offensive and defensive end; Zevvus Smith, a defensive lineman and outside linebacker; Andrew Kosloski, an offensive lineman; Jaeger Goranson at linebacker; and Ethan Shelton at defensive back.

"We have to stay injury-free to be able to finish a full season of games," Gronner said after rattling off his players by name.

Staying healthy is the "big if." If that happens, the coach likes their chances of surprising teams as the season wears on.

"If we are healthy, we will be able to compete in every game and surprise some teams by the end of the season," Gronner said. "Practice has gone well so far; just having very few guys presents some unique challenges to holding a practice."