Osseo Captures 6A Title on Last Minute Drive

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

Photos By: Raymond Moore

It took an opening scoring drive and a closing drive for Osseo win the school’s first Class 6A Prep Bowl championship on Friday night.

“It would have been nice if we had scored in between those,” Orioles coach Derrin Lamker remarked in the postgame press conference.

No scoring in between made things interesting as the Orioles edged East Ridge 14-13 for state title at TCF Bank Stadium in Prep Bowl XXXVI. The Raptors scored 13 unanswered points after Orioles quarterback found wide receiver Damario Armstrong for a 51-yard touchdown strike on the game’s opening drive.

Osseo could not answer with failed fourth down conversions, a forced fumble and an interception in the end zone. At least the Orioles didn’t punt, which indeed pleased an aggressive play calling coach such as Lamker. East Ridge had that distinction as the only team to do so in ground-and-pound type football game where both teams felt quite comfortable going for it on fourth down.

That Raptors punt came with around 3:30 left in the game on a three-and-out stop by the Orioles defense. Jack Kraemer and Omar Porte each made a tackle for the Orioles on the critical stop.

It set up a 16-play, 71-yard drive by the Orioles capped by Prince Kruah’s 4-yard TD with 24 seconds left on the clock to tie the game 13-13. Dean Lumb booted through the extra point to win the game a little over a year after missing a potential game-tying field goal in the playoffs at East Ridge of all places.

Lumb added to his big game in the Prep Bowl with an on-side kick following the PAT, and the Orioles recovered the kick to seal the game. The Orioles kicker hit both extra points and averaged 48 yards on his kick-offs.

Osseo won its second state football title. The Orioles won a mythical state title in 1970 before the institution of the Prep Bowl by a vote. This time, the Orioles won it on the field.

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