It Was 20 Years Ago Today: Broadcaster Andy Lia Remembers the 2001 Lakers Football State Championship

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – Andy Lia covered lots of memorable Laker Football moments in his 41 years as the play-by-play voice of the Lakers from 1975-2016. Games like the infamous “Mud Bowl” against South St. Paul, Jon Dahl, Jim Piche, and Mark Leslie leap-frogging each other for the all-time DLHS rushing record from 1977-85, section championship games at the Fargodome against Fergus Falls, Alexandria, and Thief River Falls, and the three-state championships of the Rick Manke era in 1992, 1993, and 1995.

But one game that holds a special place in Lia’s heart, and the hearts of Laker Nation, is the 2001 State AAAA Championship Game against Mankato West, which was held at the Metrodome 20 years ago today.

“I got a call from my old color guy Jay Sorenson to remind me that it’s been 20 years already,” Lia said.

The Lakers started 1-2 in 2001, playing against three 5A opponents in Moorhead (W), Bemidji (L), and Brainerd (L) before winning out to enter the section playoffs 11-2.

The Lakers were locked in a back-and-forth battle with the Mankato East Cougars in the championship game on November 23rd, 2001 with Minnesota State High School Football Coach of the Year Flint Motschenbacher looking for his first state championship as head coach. Moetschenbacher had been an assistant under Rick Manke since the mid-1980s before taking over the program in 1998.

“I gave Flint a call to remind him, too,” Lia said.

The Lakers entered the championship game with a pair of 1,000-yard running backs in Tim Serviss and Garrett Raboin, but the two were held in check by the Cougar defense in the first half, combining for 123 yards on 19 carries as the Lakers trailed 21-14 after two quarters.

Detroit Lakes tied the game at 21-21, taking advantage of a muffed Cougars punt. Beginning the drive at the Cougar 21 yard-line quarterback Reed Manke drove the Cougar one-yard line before Raboin punched it into the endzone. Matt Mission’s extra point tied the game.

On the ensuing kickoff, Tony Dickmeyer, who had muffed the punt to set up the Laker tying touchdown, redeemed himself with a 58-yard return to the Laker 25 yard line. Cougars quarterback Craig Dahl, who would finish the game with 174 rushing yards and four touchdowns, would run for a 14-yard touchdown to give Mankato East the lead at 28-21.

After their running game was stymied in the first half, Moetschenbacher and the Laker coaching staff decided to air it out in the second half. Manke would connect with FB Darren Hovland twice for 46 yards on the drive. A 14-yard completion to WR Eric Frankberg set up a four-yard touchdown from Reed Manke to Ryan Manke. The two-point conversion attempt from Reed Manke to Dan Schiller was incomplete in the corner of the endzone, and the Lakers trailed by a point, 28-27.

The Laker defense forced Mankato East to punt on their next drive. After the punt rolled through the back of the endzone for a touchback, Manke unleashed an 80-yard touchdown bomb to Schiller on the first play of the drive to give Detroit Lakes their first lead in the game, 33-28. Another two-point conversion failed and Mankato East trailed by five points with 8:31 left in the game.

But Dahl and Mankato East answered right back with a 55-yard drive that ended with a three-yard Dahl touchdown run (his fourth of the game). Mankato East’s two-point conversion failed, leaving the door open for Detroit Lakes with 5:21 left in the game.

DL’s next drive stalled at midfield on a failed fourth-down conversion, but the Laker defense responded with Aaron Foltz bursting through the line on a Mankato East fourth-and-two conversion to tackle the running back in the backfield.

Detroit Lakes got the ball back one final time with 2:06 remaining, no time-outs on their own 29-yard line. Manke picked apart the Cougar defense with completions to Hovlund and Rory Manke to get the ball deep in Mankato East territory. A couple of runs by Raboin got the ball to the four-yard line. On third-and-four, Manke spiked the ball with seven seconds left to set up state championship-winning field goal for senior kicker Matt Misson.

The 22-yard field goal attempt was Misson’s first attempt of the season, but you wouldn’t have known it as he split the uprights at the Metrodome to give the Lakers a 36-34 lead with three seconds left.

“I remember Jay was on the field that day and he had the call screaming ‘it’s good! It’s good!’ But the Lakers still had to kick off to Mankato again.”

Dahl’s Hail Mary pass was knocked down, and the Lakers won their fourth state championship in eight seasons.

REWATCH THE 2001 AAAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN ITS ENTIRETY HERE: