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Totino-Grace's triumph as easy as one, two

By Loren Nelson, Editor, 06/03/10, 9:53AM CDT

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Palermo, Colpitts help Eagles knock off previously unbeaten Blaine

Giuseppe Palermo is not a guy you want to face one-on-one.

Same goes for Nik Colpitts.

Although dangerous in drastically different ways, Totino-Grace’s “Thunder and Lightning” midfield duo typically get similar results.

And by results, we mean goals.

The undersized, ultra-quick Colpitts scored four goals and the bruising Palermo, a 200-pound sledgehammer in cleats, had three as the Eagles dumped previously unbeaten Blaine 8-4 on Thursday, June 3, in the Section 4 championship game at Irondale High School.

“When you are playing your biggest games you’ve got to have your biggest players step up,” Totino-Grace coach Justin Hoban said about Palermo and Colpitts, his top two scorers during the regular season.

Sounds easy enough. Colpitts and Palermo made it look that way, too.

With the score tied at 2 midway through the second quarter, Colpitts scored on a running, left-handed shot from long range. Palermo won the ensuing faceoff and bull-rushed the Blaine goal, eventually scoring to put the Eagles ahead 4-2. The goals came 13 seconds apart.

“My coach said to go forward, so I went forward,” Palermo said. “I tried to do my best to take it to the cage. I just happened to get there and get the shot off, and it went in.”

While the humble Palermo makes it all sound like so much happenstance, Hoban will tell you his senior-dominated team has logged hour after hour working on shooting and dodging skills.

“You’re looking a team that last year averaged four goals a game,” Hoban said. “We just couldn’t put the ball in the cage.”

A traditionally strong program, the Eagles won a combined five games the previous two seasons. This year they are 14-3 heading into their first Minnesota State High School League state tournament appearance.

“We’ve played a murderous schedule the last couple of years,” Hoban said. “We took some beatings.

“They have a chip on their shoulder.”

Colpitts can remember walking the hallways at school the day after a game and not being asked if the Eagles won or lost, but simply, how many they had lost by.

“This year we were ready to prove everyone wrong,” Colpitts said about earning a state tournament  berth. “This is the greatest feeling I’ve ever had. It’s a dream come true.”

Although Colpitts' goals came from a variety of locations and in a mishmash of ways, all of them were made possible by his extra-gear speed.

Palermo, in contrast, was his typical overpowering self, scoring one goal with three Bengals defenders in his face.

"We knew they had players like (Palermo)," Blaine coach Josh Swart said. "Players that, in big games, come up big.

As for the Bengals (14-1), they were the epitome of scrappy, battling hard for every loose ball and every inch of turf right to the final whistle.

"I don’t think we ever got deflated," Swart said. "We’ve got a real resilient, tough group of kids. I think they believed they were in it all the way."

The Eagles wouldn't disagree. Beating the No. 5-ranked Bengals proved to be a task much tougher than getting past No. 6 Stillwater in the section semifinals.

"I was getting a little nervous after the first quarter," Colpitts said. "Against Stillwater (in a 12-2 victory) we pulled away a little bit.

"This game, they just kept coming at us."
 

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Three Stars

1. Nik Colpitts, Totino-Grace
The speedy senior midfielder scored four goals for the Eagles as he consistently found room to scoot around or through the Bengals' defense.

2. Giuseppe Palermo, Totino-Grace
The Eagles' powerful midfielder was a dominating physical presence as well as an offensive threat -- he finished with three goals and an assist.

3. Tyler Mason, Blaine
A senior midfielder, Mason scored the Bengals' first three goals, keeping Blaine in the game early while showing a knack for being in the right position at the most opportune of times.

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