The state semifinals wrapped up on Saturday at the Metrodome with six more teams punching their tickets to Prep Bowl XXVII. Stick with us at MinnesotaSportsOnline as we bring you live action of the State Championships! And be sure to check out the STATE BRACKETS.
Wayzata used the ground and the air to get things done on Saturday night against Rosemount.The Trojans scored five touchdowns, all sandwiched between two Rosemount scores.Chris Kroeten scored the first two touchdowns for Wayzata, and Garrett Engelhardt added two more.The Trojans rushed for a total of 203 yards, while throwing for an additional 142.The Irish of Rosemount struggled to solve the fast and talented Wayzata defense, netting only three points in the first half, and only finding the end zone with 2:27 left to play.Four turnovers by the Irish also contributed to the loss, but the overall speed, size and athleticism of the Trojans was the real difference in the second 5A semifinal. Full Game Archive / Game Highlights / Game Photos
For three quarters Hawley struggled to find an identity.For the third straight year, Luverne will be going to the Prep Bowl.Phillip Paquette toted the rock for Luverne, and Ryan Hoff took to the air to propel the Cardinals toward another title shot.Kevin Olson did everything he could to get the Nuggets past the three-time consecutive state finalist, but Luverne was too much to handle.Luverne will face Caledonia for the second straight year, hoping to avenge a loss to the Warriors in the 2007 final. Game Highlights / Game Photos / Full game archive
Glencoe-SilverLake used a vicious running attack to upend Holy Family Catholic, 34-0.The Panthers used eight different backs to run the ball, totaling 269 yards on the ground.Unable to effectively move the chains, the Fire failed to reach the end zone or even total 100 yards of total offense.Holy Family fell short in almost every aspect of the game rushing for 57 yards and passing for 35.The Panthers were dominant in what turned out to be more of a tune-up to their third consecutive Prep Bowl.G-SL has won the past two class 3A titles. Game Photos / Game highlights / Full game archive
What a difference 15-minutes can make.The Scarlets of Mankato West entered halftime down 7-3 to St. Michael-Albertville.After the break, Mankato West was still struggling to find its offense, but it stopped turning the ball over.And save an early Jason Dehmer touchdown run, the Scarlets started to shut down the Knights offense.When Mankato West finally crossed the goal line, they did so in bunches.Aaron Richter scored four consecutive times to turn a 14-3 deficit into a 31-14 lead.Heads were hanging on the Knights sideline, but this was not as much a loss for STMA as it was a win for Mankato West.Such an offensive explosion was a good sign for the section 2-4A winners as they will face an unexpected opponent in Northfield in two weeks. Game Photos / Full game archive / Game Highlights
The Fighting Saints of Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg rolled up on the Springfield Tigers 41-7.K-M-S running back Joel Bauman scored the first points of the game less than five minutes into the opening quarter.Springfield was up to the challenge early, striking right back with a 73-yard catch-and-run by Ryan Beyer.Unfortunately for the Tigers, that was all the points they could muster in the game as the Fighting Saints ran off 34-consecutive points.The first half really told the story of what was to come in the third and fourth quarter: K-M-S had 244 total yards of offense in the first and second quarters, while Springfield managed only 100.The big touchdown was Tigers quarterback Jordan Milbrath’s only completion of the first half, but he did throw two completions to K-M-S defenders.The second half was more of the same as the Fighting Saints piled on the yards, and even scored on defense when Mitch Hagen picked off Milbrath and sprinted 63-yards for the pick-six. Game Photos / Game Highlights /
A low-scoring, defensive battle started off Semifinal Saturday at the Metrodome.Kittson County Central, the team that upset Stephen-Argyle, fell 8-7 to Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley.While turnovers certainly played a crucial role in the outcome, the C-G-B defense came up with the biggest stop of the game.With 3:10 remaining, KCC had a 4th-and-6 at their own 39-yardline.A bootleg pass attempt by KCC’s Dylan Kent fell incomplete, and the Wolverines took over with a little over three minutes to kill.The Bearcats had two timeouts left, after calling one on that 4th down play, and used both immediately after C-G-B’s first and second down plays.This time, though, the 4th down conversion would be up to C-G-B running back Levi Nelson.A rush up the middle, and a spinning dive, picked up just enough as a measurement showed a first down by half the length of the ball.C-G-B moves on to play Houston in the Prep Bowl. Game Highlights / Game Photos / Full game archive
Congratulations to our Hardware Hank “Nuts & Bolts” Athletes of the Week: Shawn Lanners, senior, Royalton football and Evan Williams, senior, DeLaSalle football.
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