All the bells and whistles
This doesn't have to do with Minnesota, but it's an interesting look at what's going on in some communities with their high-school football programs.
This story was brought to my attention by a colleague at The Forum, and it's a rather interesting use of resources for a high-school program.
It appears that Massillon, Ohio, has built an indoor practice facility for their beloved prep football team. Keep in mind that the Cincinnati Bengals don't have their own indoor facility. Oh, and the 80,000 square foot building is 20,000 square feet bigger than what the Cleveland Browns have. And Massillon's players don't get paid a dime.
Check out the story right here.
To college coaches interested in players from Massillon: Good luck recruiting them with your practice facilities and athletic department that are now irrelevant to Tigers heading to play college ball.
Posted by: Collins on 11/20/2008 at 12:53 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Luverne 21, Hawley 14; final
Hawley is taking on Luverne in the Class 2A semifinals at the Metrodome. Hawley is 12-0, while Luverne is 11-1.
Nuggets standout running back Nathan Mattson is out on the field warming up. Earlier this week, Hawley head coach Peder Naatz wasn't sure if the junior standout would be able to go because of a knee injury, but it appears Mattson's going to give it a try. Mattson had just three carries in the 24-0 state quarterfinal win over Eden Valley-Watkins last weekend.
Sports writer's dream! Looks like the game is starting roughly 10 minutes early.
10:37 to go in first: A drop by Taylor Harms on third down forces a three-and-out for hte Nuggets on their first drive. Luverne takes over on its own 43.
9:05 to go in first: Zach Olson hauls in a 53-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Hoff, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 lead. Hauntingly familiar start for the Nuggets, who also gave up a long TD pass early in last year's semifinals against Caledonia. That's the first time that Hawley has allowed any first-half points this season.
6:58 to go in first: Hawley gets a first down, but that's about it. Four plays and a punt, and the Cards take over on their own 26.
5:05 to go in first: Beau Sorenson picks off a pass from Hoff and returns it to the Luverne 18. First big break goes to the Nuggets.
3:34 to go in first: Hawley goes backwards, and winds up turning the ball over on downs. Luverne dodges a bullet, and now has first-and-10 on its own 21.
END FIRST: Luverne leads, and its because they're dominating the clock. The Cardinals held the ball for 6:59, but their current drive ate the last 3:34 of the quarter, and has used 9 plays to get to the Hawley 41.
7:40 to go in second: Luverne caps a very, very impressive drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Phillip Paquette. The drive ate 7:54 off the clock, and went 79 yards in a staggering 20 plays.
6:58 to go in second: Kevin Olson fumbles for the Nuggets, and Luverne's Matt Fodness recovers on the Hawley 22.
5:10 to go in second: Hawley's defense holds, and the Nuggets force an incomplete pass on fourth down to get the ball back. First and 10 for the Nuggets on their own 25.
3:34 to go in second: Hawley punts after another three-and-out. Hawley is getting dominated. Its vaunted ground game has 11 carries for 9 yards. Luverne gets the ball at its own 40.
1:51 to go in second: Luverne fakes a punt on fourth-and-1, and Olson runs 12 yards to the Hawley 39. But a holding call brings it back. On their second try on fourth-and-1, Olson punts it. Hawley gets the ball at its own 23.
HALFTIME: Hawley makes a surge at the end of the second quarter, getting a 36-yard completion from Sorenson to Harms that got the Nuggets to the 17 with just four seconds left, but the Nuggets can't punch it in. Before the 36-yard play, the Nuggets had 35 yards of total offense. Luverne is completely dominating this game, but a couple of miscues still have Hawley within striking distance. But if the Nuggets can't solve Luverne's defense there won't be a return trip to the dome over Thanksgiving for the fourth year in a row.
8:00 to go in third: Luverne is back to its clock-zapping ways, eating the first four minutes of the second half on a 58-yard drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Hoff to Brent Dinger. Not the start Hawley was looking for. With the way Luverne is controlling things, this 21-point lead is probably too much to overcome.
7:40 to go in third: OK. I spoke too soon. Olson just ran 67 yards for a touchdown on Hawley's first play of the ensuing drive to put the lead back at 14 points. New life if the defense can figure out how to stop the Cardinals.
3:11 to go in third: Hawley forces a punt, but not before Luverne eats another 4:29 off the clock. Hawley has first-and-10 from its own 16.
1:06 to go in third: Dinger sacks Sorenson on third down, and the Nuggets have to punt. Luverne gets it at the Hawley 42.
END THIRD: Luverne's clock control is getting ridiculous. The Cardinals have had the ball 24:10 of the game's 36 minutes.
11:49 to go in fourth: Luverne punts, and Olson's boot goes out of bounds at the Hawley 4. The Nuggets take over there.
8:31 to go in fourth: Olson gets a couple of first downs, and is up to 105 yards on the ground, but Hawley has to punt. Luverne gets the ball at its own 26.
6:54 to go in fourth: Hawley forces a three-and-out. Hawley gets the ball at its own 31. The Nuggets need to make something happen here. Time is running short.
5:19 to go in fourth: Hawley was on the move, but a fumble by Marc Pritchard ends the threat. Britton Stratton recovers for Luvere, and the Cards have it at their own 35.
3:53 to go in fourth: The Nuggets notch their second straight three-and-out on defense, adn they get the ball back on their own 34.
2:11 to go in fourth: Harms just hauled in a 13-yard TD pass from Sorenson to get Hawley within a score. Harms had four catches for 47 yards on the 66-yard drive.
Luverne recovers the onside kick, and has first-and-10 on its 47.
1:16 to go in fourth: Hawley uses its last timeout, and Luverne is facing a fourth and 2 from Hawley's 45. Big play by Pritchard on third down for the stop on Paquette. Luverne tried to draw Hawley offsides, but the Nuggets don't bite and they call timeout.
1:12 to go in fourth: Luverne punts, and a fair catch on the return gives the Nuggets the ball at their own 16. No timeouts left and 84 yards to go.
:03 to go in fourth: Hawley has it on Luverne's 5 yard line with likely one play left.
FINAL: Hawley's final pass falls incomplete, as the Nuggets ran out of time.
Posted by: Collins on 11/15/2008 at 5:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Hawley coming up
Hawley will be taking on Luverne in the Class 2A semfinals at 5:45 p.m. (or thereabouts) today.
Hawley is 12-0, and is in the state semifinals for the fourth year in a row. This is a tough spot for the Nuggets, as they've lost in the semis ikn all three previous tries.
Luverne has had no such problems in the semis, having advanced to the state title game each of the last two years -- but they lost both of those games, to Triton in 2006, and Caledonia last year.
The Cardinals are 11-1, but unbeaten against Minnesota competition. Their lone loss is to Harrisburg, S.D., which lost to eventual South Dakota Class 11A champ Dell Rapids in that state's semifinals last weekend.
I'll provide live updates on this blog when the game starts.
Posted by: Collins on 11/15/2008 at 3:11 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Everyone's new favorite team
Now that Stephen-Argyle's record streak is a thing of the past, the Metrodome is buzzing with a new darling.
Blaine appears to be wearing a tag that reads "HELLO my name is David." After beating two-time defending champ Eden Prairie in the quarterfinals, the Bengals' encore was just as impressive, as they dumped Cretin-Derham Hall 28-27 in overtime last night.
People love to root against super powers Eden Prairie and Cretin-Derham Hall, mainly because of plain old jealousy of their deep pockets and sheer numbers. For example, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley's team photo in the state program has 24 players. Eden Prairie's team photo in the program has 20 cheerleaders. Eden Prairie's roster has 96 names. That's only 15 fewer than Verndale's ENROLLMENT.
Of course, those are comparisons on the extreme ends. Eden Prairie is the largest school in the state, with an enrollment of 3,099. Of course they're going to have a lot of good athletes to choose from. Add to that the fact that Eden Prairie is a suburb that is doing just fine financially, and the Eagles turn into the Yankees of the Minnesota prep world. And like the Yankees and Notre Dame, people love to cheer for their failure.
Aside from the Stephen-Argyle loss in the section title game (streak slayer Kittson County Central was dumped 8-7 this morning by Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley, by the way), Blaine's success is the story of this football season.
Even though the Eagles and the Raiders have been knocked off by Blaine, there's still Wayzata for people to cheer against. (The Trojans play Rosemount at 8:15 p.m. tonight, by the way)
Posted by: Collins on 11/15/2008 at 12:44 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Royalton 42, LPA 20; final
Lake Park-Audubon is taking on Royalton in the semifinals of the Class 1A football tournament.
10:09 to go in first: LPA forces a three-and-out to start the game, and Kenyon O'Brien fair catches the punt at the Raiders' own 33.
8:28 to go in first: Dan Gadacz picks off a deflected pass, and Royalton takes over on the LPA 44.
6:42 to go in first: Shawn Lanners connects with Cole Jendro from 4 yards out to open the scoring. Zack Lanners runs in the two-point conversion.
5:03 to go in first: LPA works one first down, but has to punt. Royalton has first down on its own 20.
1:56 to go in first: Jesse Wixo picks off a pass from Lanners, and the Raiders get the ball at Royalton's 42.
END FIRST: Raiders are on the move, with the ball on Royalton's 14. O'Brien has 5 carries for 24 yards for LPA, but the big play was Wixo's pick.
10:57 to go in second: O'Brien darts in from 3 yards out to get LPA on the board, but Bobby Lalonde's run on the two-point try comes up just short. The Raiders trail by two early in the second.
8:00 to go in second: Royalton strikes again, this time going 68 yards in nine plays and some help from a 15-yard LPA penalty. Zack Lanners scores on a 5-yard run. Pass on the two-point try comes up short, and LPA trails 14-6.
6:51 to go in second: Three and out for LPA, and Royalton takes over on the Royals' 21.
3:04 to go in second: Royalton gets to the LPA 26, but a turnover on downs gives the Raiders the ball back.
2:46 to go in second: Wixo tips a pass, and Shawn Lanners picks it off at the Royalton 39. It looked like LPA quarterback Brian Gordon had Zach Downs open, but Downs and Wixo were in the same vicinity, and it turned into a tip for a turnover.
1:22 to go in second: The turnover bites the Raiders, as Lanners connects with Jendro for the duo's second TD hookup through the air. Big score at the end of the half to go up by 14.
:12 to go in second: Turnover-fest ensues. After Jake Lunde loses a fumble for LPA, Wixo picks off Lanners. On the Raiders' first play, Gordon throws another pick -- which is hauled in by Lanners. Five interceptions between the two teams combined in the first two quarters.
9:44 to go in third: Another turnover, this time a fumble by Lalonde, and the Royals take over on the LPA 46. The Raiders have turned the ball over five times.
7:49 to go in third: Shawn Lanners hits Zack Lanners for a 60-yard touchdown pass -- on third and 24 from Royalton's own 40. It's Shawn Lanners' third TD pass of the game. Two-point conversion run comes up short. That TD might be a back-breaker for the Raiders.
5:41 to go in third: Three-and-out for LPA, and Royalton has great field position. Royals ball on the LPA 45.
3:11 to go in third: Ryan Wiener plunges in from a yard out, and Shawn Lanners hits Zack Lanners for the two-point conversion. The lights aren't out on the Raiders' season yet, but Royalton's flipping switches.
END THIRD: LPA is on the move with a first down at the Royalton 35. But the Raiders have a lot of work to do.
10:10 to go in fourth: Wixo catches a 16-yard touchdown pass that was intended for Lunde. It was tipped by a Royalton defender right to Wixo. That's about the only break the Raiders have gotten in this one.
9:23 to go in fourth: LPA's Braeden Hogie recovers the onside kick, and two plays later Wixo runs into the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown catch. Gordon runs in the two-point conversion, and the lead is down to 14.
3:40 to go in fourth: Royalton may have slammed the door on this one, as Shawn Lanners' fourth TD pass of the game goes to Brian Schlichting on a fourth-and-three play from the 12. The drive chomped nearly six minutes off the clock. Lanners also connects with Jendro for the two-point conversion.
2:43 to go in fourth: Gordon throws interception No. 4 on the day, and Royalton takes over on its own 47. LPA has six turnovers in the game.
Posted by: Collins on 11/14/2008 at 10:23 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink
Houston 56, Ada-Borup 14; final
Ada-Borup (10-2) is taking on Houston (12-0) in the semifinals of the 9-man state tournament.
10:43 to go in first: Brian Miller rushes for 8 yards, but the Cougars have to punt.
10:05 to go in first: Kevin Lindh takes Houston's third play of the game to the house, scoring on a 52-yard run on his first carry of the game. The Hurricanes are FAST.
7:53 to go in first: A 46-yard pass on a flea-flicker set up a 6-yard touchdown run by Zach Stackhouse. The pass went from Chris Stackhouse to Trent Kerrigan. Houston has run five plays, and has 125 yards of offense in just :59 seconds of possession. Cougars are shell-shocked.
4:28 to go in first: Yuri Johnson gets into the big-play act, breaking four tackles en route to a 42-yard touchdown run for Ada-Borup. Johnson then hits Payton Kujava for the two-point conversion. Now if the Cougars could only stop the Hurricanes.
4:16 to go in first: Nope. They can't stop them. Lindh returns the kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown. At least Ada-Borup is getting the ball back. Lindh has touched the ball twice. He has two TDs and 134 total yards.
2:35 to go in first: Three and out for Ada-Borup. Kujava wisely punts it out of bounds to prevent another score. Houston takes over at the A-B 46.
:58 to go in first: Stop the presses, Ada-Borup got a stop. Mark Mitteness sacks Sires on third down to force a punt. A-B ball at its own 14.
END FIRST: Houston has zapped the Cougars, and Lindh has only two touches. Ada-Borup had the ball for 9:12 of the first quarter, and its down by two TDs.
11:18 to go in second: The Cougars lose a fumble by Miller, and Houston takes over on its own 30.
10:22 to go in second: Houston scores again after the fumble, getting a 47-yard run by Lindh on the first play of the series. Two plays later, Zach Stackhouse scores from 21 yards out. Ada-Borup has shown it can move the ball, but this one looks like it's over. Lindh has been unstoppable with three carries for 101 yards.
6:32 to go in second: The teams trade punts, and Ada-Borup has the ball back. A penalty for an illegal block pushes the starting position of the series back to the Cougars' 14-yard line.
3:03 to go in second: Brett Benson picks off a pass from Johnson and returns it to the 26. Two plays later, Lindh scores again on a 26-yard scamper on an option run. Houston has four touchdown drives, and all have been less than a minute. The fifth score was Lindh's kickoff return.
1:07 to go in second: Sires hits Benson for a 25-yard touchdown pass to cap a two-play scoring drive that covered 55 yards. Houston is completely out of Ada-Borup's league.
HALFTIME: This one's over, but we still get two more quarters to watch. Lindh has 5 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns, a 30-yard reception and an 82-yard touchdown on kickoff return. That's an average of 34.1 yards every time he touches the ball. Houston has 284 yards on 21 offensive plays -- which means the Hurricanes are gaining average of 13.5 yards every time they snap the ball. Johnson has 82 rushing yards to lead the Cougars - who have run more than twice as many plays as Houston, 43 plays for 196 yards.
I'll only post scoring plays the rest of the way. Pray for running time, football fans.
8:32 to go in third: Houston gets another TD from Lindh on a 10-play drive that ate 3:28 off the clock. To put that long drive in perspective, Houston's five first-half touchdown drives needed just 12 plays COMBINED.
5:09 to go in third: Chris Stackhouse scores from 5 yard out for Houston. Lindh has two carries for 41 yards on the drive, and now has 195 on 11 carries for the game.
9:39 to go in fourth: Johnson hits Kujava for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Running time in full swing here.
Posted by: Collins on 11/14/2008 at 8:01 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink
Morning at the Dome
Rise and shine, it's football playoff time!
Six games at the Metrodome today in Minneapolis, but only two that we care about in our coverage area -- and they start early.
Ada-Borup takes on Houston in the 9-man semfinals at 8 a.m., and Lake Park-Audubon squares off against Royalton at 10:15 a.m. in the Class 1A semifinals.
I'll provide live updates from both games as often as I can. If I can stay awake.
Posted by: Collins on 11/14/2008 at 7:27 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Holy Family 41, Perham 32; final
Perham is taking on Holy Family Catholic in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A football tournament in St. Cloud.
Holy Family is 9-2, and beat Pine City 37-16 to win Section 5. Perham is also 9-2, and eat Thief River Falls 30-20 to win Section 8.
7:39 to go in first: John Westerhaus darts in from 25 yards out to start the scoring. Westerhaus accounted for 44 of the 67 yards on the drive.
5:21 to go in first: Perham answers quickly on a 1-yard plunge by Ben Bucholz. That was set up by a 40-yard dash to the 1 by Nate Schmitz. Two-point conversion run is stuffed to leave the Fire up by a point.
3:20 to go in first: A shootout is brewing. Westerhaus scores another touchdown run, this time running in a 35-yard score. He has 8 carries for 87 yards and two scores in less than nine minutes.
1:30 to go in first: Pat Bailus intercepts a Bucholz pass and returns it to the 50. Holy Family can break it open.
END FIRST: Perham is having a hard time stopping the run, as the Fire are gaining huge chunks of yards. Holy Family Catholic already has 158 rushing yards through one quarter.
7:28 to go in second: The huge gains weren't there, but the result was the same. Jay Roane capped a 13-play, 50-yard drive that ate 6:02 off the clock. PAT kick failed.
4:47 to go in second: Two runs by Schmitz net a first down, but then Perham throws three times in a row and punts. Bucholz was sacked twice. Holy Family gets the ball at its own 29.
2:44 to go in second: Perham falls farther behind, and Westerhaus has three touchdowns -- this one coming on a 7-yard run. The drive started with Holy Family's first pass of the game, a 49-yard connection from Zack Rockers to Colin King.
HALFTIME: Perham made a surge at the end of the second quarter, but Matt Rasmussen intercepted a Bucholz pass in the end zone with 9 seconds left in the half. The Yellowjackets have been able to move the ball, but have just six points. They also need to figure our how to stop the Fire's running game, which has gained 222 yards.
7:30 to go in third: Perham puts together a good drive, going 60 yards in 12 plays for 4:30 to cloose within 15 points. Schmitz caps the drive with a 1-yard plunge, but Bucholz was 6-for-6 passing on the drive for 32 yards.
5:33 to go in third: Perham recovers a Roane fumble and takes over on its own 18. This could change things in Perham's favor if it can put another drive together.
3:19 to go in third: The drive ends on a turnover on downs on the Holy Family 8-yard line. After a 56-yard pass from Bucholz to Ben Karsnia, the 'Jackets lose yardage on two runs, throw an incompletion, and Bucholz' scramble comes up short.
1:55 to go in third: Brenden Hamrick may have just sunk the 'Jackets. After the turnover on downs, Hamrick just scored on an 89-yard TD run down the right sideline. The huge turn of events has Perham deflated.
:56 to go in third: Perham charged down the field again, but Bucholz threw a pick to Tony Bauer on the HFC 1-yard line.
END THIRD: Perham's mistakes are keeping them behind, and Holy Family's running game is keeping the clock going. The Fire have 364 yards on the ground.
11:09 to go in fourth: The Yellowjackets force a punt, which the wind pushes backwards. The Fire punted from the 10, and Perham takes over on the HFC 9-yard line. Very strange.
10:57 to go in fourth: Despite the gift of great field position, Perham fails to take advantage. After an incompletion, Bucholz fumbles and the Fire take over at their own 3.
9:05 to go in fourth: The strange sequence continues. HFC just went for a fourth-and-1 on its own 11 after the debacle of its last punt. Perham stuffs it, and gets a first-and-goal from the Fire's 10.
7:39 to go in fourth: The 'Jackets finally convert, as Tim Herrmann blasts in from a yard out on a fourth-and-goal from the 1. The two-point try fails, and Perham still trails by 16.
5:01 to go in fourth: Hamrick may have ended any of Perham's dwindling hopes with his second TD run of the second half. The 5-11, 180-pound senior just carried three 'Jackets into the end zone on a 10-yard charge that put the Fire up 41-18 with five minutes left.
2:44 to go in fourth: Bucholz puts together an impressive drive, but it might be too late. Perham gets on the board on a 25-yard TD catch y Ben Waldon, and Karsnia hauls in the pass on the two-point try. Holy Family recovers the onside kick.
1:21 to go in fourth: Bucholz hooks up with Waldon again, this time from 7 yards out to make things interesting. The Jackets opt to go for two, but have three straight penalties to make the try from the 18. Bucholz hits Waldon, but he's tackled on the 3 to leave the lead at 9. HFC recovers the onside kick, and with no Perham timeouts, this one's over.
Posted by: Collins on 11/08/2008 at 3:01 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
STMA 32, Fergus Falls 14; final
Fergus Falls is taking on St. Michael-Albertville in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A football tournament.
The Knights are 9-2, with the losses coming to Becker and Rogers. STMA beat both of those teams in the section playoffs. They beat Becker 14-7 in the Section 5 title game. Fergus Falls is 10-0 and downed Sauk Rapids-Rice 21-7 for Section 8 championship.
7:27 to go in first: Fergus Falls fails on a fourth-down try, and STMA takes over on the Knights' 32-yard line. The Knights are getting a good rush off the edge in the early going.
5:17 to go in first: Jason Dehmer charges in from 23-yards out on a quarterback keeper to give STMA an early lead. The Otters looked like they had him tackled at the 10, but the senior shook free. The PAT kick hits the upright.
3:15 to go in first: The Otters have to punt from their own 49, but Kevin Nelson fumbles the punt return, and Devin Barker recovers. Fergus Falls ball at the STMA 28.
2:21 to go in first: Fergus Falls turns the ball over on downs again, but the Otters should've had a touchdown. Matt Mithaugen had Luke Wedll wide open on a halfback pass that would've been an easy TD, but Wedll slowed down on his route, and it wound up going over his head.
END FIRST: Fergus Falls has sustained a couple drives, but have bogged down around the STMA 30 twice. The Knights are blitzing nearly every down on the left side of the line. Josh Campion is good, but he can't block everybody.
11:51 to go in second: On the first play of the quarter, Dehmer connets with Jordan Scherber for a 39-yard TD pass despite great coverage by Fergus Falls' Will Rader. Dehmer hits Jared Dehmer for the two-point conversion. 14-0, STMA.
9:40 to go in second: The Otters were moving the ball well, but a Mithaugen fumble brings the drive to a screeching half. Hank Dalbec recovers for the Knights at the STMA 34. For whatever reason, getting around the STMA 30-yard line has been a curse.
6:40 to go in second: The Otters can't stop the Knights, and mistakes are killing Fergus Falls, too. Jason Dehmer scores on a 1-yard plunge. The kick fails, but the Otters are a 20-point hole.
3:16 to go in second: Derek Hansen gets the Otters on the board, finishing a drive with a 1-yard sneak for the score. The QB carried Fergus Falls on the drive, rushing for a first down on a fake punt, completing a key third-down pass to Mithaugen, and scrambling 14 yards on a busted play to the 1 to set up the score.
2:09 to go in second: Hansen does it on defense, too. The senior picks off a pass on the Otters' 10-yard line to give Fergus Falls its first stop of the game.
HALFTIME: The Otters put together a decent drive into STMA territory, but it ends after an intentional grounding penalty forces a punt. The Otters have been able to move the ball, amassing 116 rushing yards and 88 passing yards. Jason Dehmer is 6-for-8 for 101 yards through the air, and the Knights have 139 yards on the ground.
10:36 to go in third: Otters force a three-and-out on STMA's first possession, and will take over on their own 39. A score here, and things get interesting.
6:51 to go in third: Scherber picks off a Hansen pass at the STMA 39, and runs it back to the Otters 3. Nicholas Zachman takes it the final three yards on first down, and the Otters are in a deep hole again.
4:46 to go in third: Three and out for Fergus Falls, and STMA takes over on its own 45.
1:43 to go in third: The Knights have proven to be unstoppable, and this one looks over. Kwaku Amoah darts in from 20 yards out, and the lead is now 32-7 after the PAT kick missed again.
:59 to go in third: Nick Risbrudt fumbles and the Knights recover, but Barker picks off a pass to give the Otters the ball back on their own 45.
END THIRD: Too many mistakes are stinging the Otters, but their on the move at the end of the third quarter. To start the fourth, Fergus Falls will have second-and-3 on the STMA 28-yard line. This is probably too big of a hole for the Otters to climb out of, though.
11:07 to go in fourth: Another Risbrudt fumble at the STMA 9, and the Knights recover. Too many mistakes, and now too little time.
9:37 to go in fourth: STMA punts for just the second time in the game, and the Otters take over on the Knights 36.
8:23 to go in fourth: Mithaugen slashes in from the 3, and the extra point cuts it to 18. The Otters recover the onside kick at the STMA 43.
6:48 to go in fourth: The Otters can't get a first down, and lost Hansen on the first play of the series. He was injured while being hit as he threw the ball out of bounds -- which drew a flag for intentional grounding. Risbrudt completed two passes after Hansen left, but not far enough to move the chains.
4:31 to go in fourth: STMA is content to punt after three running plays, and Fergus Falls gets the ball on its own 32.
1:22 to go in fourth: Another lost fumble by Fergus Falls, and this one's likely over after a few kneel downs.
Posted by: Collins on 11/08/2008 at 11:43 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
MLWR 46, Breckenridge 0; final
Breckenridge is taking on Moose Lake-Willow River in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A football tournament at Husky Stadium on the campus of St. Cloud State University.
The Rebels are 11-0, and are the Section 7 champs. They beat Deer River 42-7 to claim the section title, which they won three years in a row.
The Cowboys are 8-3, and are coming off the a 45-21 victory in the Section 6 title game over Pierz.
11:10 to go in first: It took less than a minute, and the Rebels have the lead. Austin Jacoson runs in from 57 yards out on the second play of the game for a 7-0 lead.
8:28 to go in first: Breckenridge punts, but manages one first down on the drive. MLWR takes over on their own 37.
5:08 to go in first: Jordan Blaufuss stuffs Nate Zuk on a fourth-and-5, and Breckenridge gets the ball back on their own 26. For the most part, the Rebels offensive line is pushing the Cowboys around.
4:11 to go in first: Breckenridge goes backwards, but gets to punt from its own 27, thanks to a penalty for running into the kicker by MLWR, who takes over on the Rebels' 47.
2:21 to go in first: Joe Bohaty hits Dan Anderson from 32 yards out to push the lead to 13-0 for MLWR.
:54 to go in first: Another three-and-out for Breckenridge, and MLWR takes over at their own 33.
END FIRST: The Rebels are running all over the place, piling up 145 rushing yards in the first quarter. Breckenridge had just 10 offensive yards in the first 12 minutes.
11:51 to go in second: Zuk dashes in from 56 yards out on the first play of the second quarter, and the pass fails on the two-point try. It's 19-zip, and the rout is on. MLWR is just too fast, and is getting too much push up front.
9:30 to go in second: Yet another three-and-out, and the Cowboys are punting. A decent return by Jacobson, and the Rebels start at the 38 of Breckenridge.
7:50 to go in second: The Cowboys finally force a MLWR punt, which barely goes for a touchback. First-and-10 for Breckenridge at its own 20-yard line.
5:17 to go in second: An incomplete pass on fourth down ends things for the Cowboys, but hey, at least they didn't punt. MLWR ball at the 50.
5:04 to go in second: Zach Thomas runs in from 16 yards out to cap a two-play, 50-yard drive that took all of 13 seconds. Zuk ran for the first 34 yards. Zuk has 138 yards on the ground already.
2:18 to go in second: Breckenridge manages to get on first down, but that's it, and another punt comes. MLWR takes over on its own 22.
:46 to go in second: Zuk cannot be stopped. He just rushed for his second touchdown of the game, this time dragging two Cowboys into the end zone from 14 yards out. Zuk has 202 yards and two scores on 12 carries.
HALFTIME: The Cowboys are a little overmatched in this one. Breckenridge has just 75 yards of offense, while the Rebels have rushed for 332 yards and four scores. MLWR has one completion, and that went for a 32-yard score.
9:51 to go in third: No shock. Three-and-out for Breckenridge to start the third.
5:19 to go in third: Breckenridge forces a punt, thanks to a holding penalty that negated a 37-yard run by Bohaty that would've been a TD. Cowboys take over at their own 12.
3:30 to go in third: Another punt, and MLWR takes over on its own 49.
2:46 to go in third: Jordan Blaufuss recovers a Jacobson fumble, and the Cowboys get the ball back on its own 47. Could this be where Breckenridge actually crosses midfield?
1:45 to go in third: The Cowboys bust into Rebels territory for the first time -- and take a penalty and throw a pick. MLWR ball at its own 32.
END THIRD: No scoring in the third, but at least the clock is moving.
7:50 to go in fourth: Zuk scores again, this time a 6-yarder. That throws this lopsided contest into running time.
4:44 to go in fourth: Jacobson adds on another one for good measure, blasting off a 39-yard TD scamper.
Posted by: Collins on 11/07/2008 at 4:31 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink