March 5, 2014 by Charlie Eisenhood in Livewire, News with 0 comments
Former Wisconsin star and 2007 Callahan award winner Dan Heijmen wrote a piece about the fierce rivalry between Wisco and Carleton, but also the incredible respect the two teams have for one another. He writes:
[quote]From the first day of my first tryout I heard about CUT. It was the Fall of 2002 and the Hodags had come off their most successful season in their history: losing in National Finals to Stanford (a bitter pill) but more importantly, beating CUT in Regional Finals for the first time in over a decade. The Hodags went on to back up that win in National Semis, beating Carleton again and cementing Wisconsin as a national power.
This would have never happened without CUT.[/quote]
[quote]If you’re a Hodag, there is no bigger game than Regional Finals, and no bigger rival than Carleton. At Wisconsin, scrimmages are held where both teams are told to play like CUT, and the week leading up to Regionals is a mix of anxiety, intensity and sleepless nights. The faces of their studs pop up in your head during workouts and practices – obviously – but also when you least expect it: daydreaming in class or when you’re trying to fall asleep.
You dream about getting that block or throwing that goal that will claim this year for the Hodags. Or worse, the nightmare of getting D’d, or giving up a break that loses the game. You know that CUT will demand your best, but that it might not be good enough to win.[/quote]
