Cathedral Hall of Fame inductees relive 1992, 1993 state football titles

ST. CLOUD — When former Cathedral football head coach Gary Fasching found out his wife, Cindy, was having a boy in 1996, he wanted the name to have special meaning.

"I wanted to name it after one of my players, because they had a big impact," said Fasching, who has been the head football coach at St. John's for the past nine years. "(My wife and I) both agreed that Jeff was gonna be the name."

Jeff Fasching would go on to have a standout baseball and football career for the Crusaders before graduating in 2014. His namesake was Jeff Hoefs, a 1994 graduate who was the captain of Cathedral's only two state title football teams.

Hoefs and Coach Fasching were forever linked again on Friday afternoon, both being inducted into the Cathedral Athletic Hall of Fame.

The five-member class was originally announced in 2020, but they were finally able to be honored in-person at a ceremony in front of the Cathedral student body on Friday. They were also introduced at halftime of the Cathedral boys basketball game against Little Falls.

Nearly 30 years removed from the 1992 and 1993 Class B state titles, both men still have fond memories of the brightest stretch in Cathedral's football history.

Underdogs

Going into the 1992 section football playoffs, Cathedral didn't look like much of a threat. Coming off a two-win season in 1991, the Crusaders began the season 3-4.

"I boldly predicted we would win state that year and that Coach Fasching would be Coach of the Year," Hoefs said in his induction speech, who is now a teacher and coach in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. "Anyone could've said those words. What we needed to do was let go of our individual aspirations and learn to do what it takes to collectively enjoy success."

"We entered the playoff 4-4, .500, completely average," he continued. "Nobody could've predicted what happened next, except for the people in that room: the coaches, players, parents and school community all bonded together ... we were invincible. We believed in each other."

They'd go on to win their final six games en route to their first-ever Class B state football title, defeating BOLD 7-6 in the title game.

In 1992 and 1993, the state football tournament was divided into five classes: AA, A, B, C and 9-man. Class B was the second-smallest for teams that fielded 11 players. BOLD entered as the two-time defending state champs, undefeated and ranked No. 1 in Class B.

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"I heard there were people saying we were gonna lose by 40 points," Fasching said. "I felt very confident going in that we could beat them. We were gonna have to keep the chains moving, keep them off the field as much as we can. And our defense was incredible that game."

The game was scoreless at the half, and BOLD went up 6-0 early in the third quarter. Cathedral had to drive 92 yards with only a few minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the drive began with Fasching having to call a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty.

The Crusaders converted on fourth down twice on the crucial drive, marching down the field after a few key passes from quarterback Nate Manderfeld to Matt Mathiasen. But the winning play came on a completion to Eric Overman, who hadn't caught a pass the entire season. Hoefs still uses that example to his students to always be ready for the moment.

"Those two teams were an incredible group of young men who really believed that they could beat anybody," Fasching said. "What I've learned over 40 years is this: if you're gonna win, you better have good players ... I'm very deeply indebted to them. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the players. I wouldn't be the head coach at St. John's if not for the players here."

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Repeat Champs

The 1993 season presented a new challenge: how to win back-to-back titles with the target on their backs.

"It's often more difficult to repeat excellence, to not get complacent, to push further," Hoefs said. "It was a different animal entirely. (That's) where I learned to lean into my faith, to being certain of what we always don't see."

Despite a perfect 8-0 regular season, Cathedral still didn't earn the top seed in their section. They had to travel to St. Michael-Albertville to win the section title, eventually capping off an undefeated 14-0 season with a 28-6 win over Zumbrota-Mazeppa in the Prep Bowl.

The 1993 team allowed only 104 points in 14 games, and 47 of those points came in the fourth quarter when backups had already subbed in. They allowed only 28 points total in the first half all season, holding an incredible +31 turnover ratio.

Hoefs was a dominant force on offense, setting marks that still rank near the top of the Cathedral record books. His single-season total of 1,037 rushing yards is fourth in Cathedral history, while his 15 touchdowns ranks third all-time for one season.

But defense was his specialty. In his final two years of high school, Hoefs made a total of 310 tackles, 203 which were solo tackles. He also had six fumble recoveries, six interceptions and a safety.

More impressive than his individual stats: he won his final 20 high school football games. His desire and focus rubbed off on the team, who reached heights previously unimaginable.

"People always say, 'Who are the best players you've ever coached?'" Fasching said. "I was here for 14 years and I've been at St. John's for 27 years. I always say there are five guys I would put in the top-five. Four of them are college guys, and the other is Jeff Hoefs. That's how good he was."

Cathedral Hall of Fame Class of 2022

Gary Fasching: Fasching was the head coach of two state champion football teams at Cathedral in 1992 and 1993. In his 10 seasons as head football coach he recorded 57 wins. He also coached track and field and basketball in his 14 years at Cathedral. Fasching has a record of 81-15 in his eight seasons as head coach at St. John's, guiding the Johnnies to seven-consecutive Division III playoff appearances. He's also been named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year five times.

Jeff Hoefs ’94: Hoefs was a captain of the 1992 and 1993 title teams, rushing for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns his senior season. He was named the West Central Conference Most Valuable Player, St. Cloud Times All-Area Football Player of the Year, Associated Press All-State linebacker and played in the Minnesota State All-Star Football game his senior season. He also played baseball and was captain of the 1994 team.

Mary (Schleper) Januschka ’82: (Schleper) Januschka was a three-sport captain in her senior year, starring in volleyball, basketball and softball in the early years of girl’s athletics. She went on to play volleyball at St. Cloud State, appearing in the NCAA Division II National Tournament in 1985. She led the Huskies with 121 blocks in her senior season.

Anne (Schelper) Span ’08: (Schleper) Span was a three-sport star in soccer, hockey and softball, playing on the varsity team in each sport from the eighth grade. She went on to star at the University of Minnesota in hockey, where she played in a school-record 159 games and helped lead the Gophers to the National Championship in 2012. Span was also a key member of the USA Olympic Hockey team that won a silver medal in the 2014 Olympics.

Nate Schmidt ’10: Schmidt played varsity hockey and baseball since the ninth grade. In 2008-09 he was the second leading scorer among defensemen in the state, tallying 45 points, and was named to the 2009 All-State Hockey team. Schmidt would go on to play hockey at the University of Minnesota before signing a professional contract in the NHL with the Washington Capitals in 2013. He has played for the Vegas Golden Knights, who played in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018. He currently is a member of the Winnipeg Jets.

Zach Dwyer is a sports reporter and photographer for the St. Cloud Times. Reach him at 320-406-5660 or zdwyer@stcloudtimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @sctimeszach.

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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Cathedral Hall of Fame inductees relive 1992, 1993 state football titles