State Football Champions Crowned

Bill Fischer – NSO

 

9-MAN

The Streak continues, and so does the gathering of state titles for Grand Meadow.

Grand Meadow won its 50th consecutive game, and along with it, a fourth consecutive Class Nine-Man championship following a 41-21 victory over Cleveland/Immanuel Lutheran in the Prep Bowl championship game Friday, Nov. 25 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Senior running back Christophor Bain rushed for 278 yards on 36 carries and scored four touchdowns to carry the Superlarks (14-0) to within one of tying the record for consecutive state championships in the Nine-Man Class. From 2003-07, Stephen-Argyle won five in a row.

Stephen-Argyle holds the state record for longest winning streak at 76 games, a spree that went from 2003-08. Minneapolis Washburn compiled a 60-game game streak (58-0-2) from 1966-73. Grand Meadow, which last lost on Oct. 5, 2013 to Lanesboro (47-36) is third at 50 in a row.

Grand Meadow stretched a six-point halftime advantage in the second half by continuing to pound the ball with a rushing attack that accumulated 353 yards on 61 carries. The Superlarks sprinkled in 115 yards of passing.

Bain scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to stretch the Superlarks’ lead to 34-14. He scored on a 78-yard run 20 seconds into the second half and added a 7-yard run shortly after.

Grand Meadow held a 20-14 halftime advantage behind two touchdowns from Bain and a 24-yard scoring toss to Wes Ojulu that opened the scoring. Bain rushed for 104 yards on 16 carries in the first half and scored on runs of 11- and 3-yards, respectively.

The Superlarks built a 14-0 lead with a minute left in the first quarter, but Cleveland-Immanuel fired back with a 59-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Austin Plonsky from junior quarterback Carter Kopet with no time left in the first quarter.

Grand Meadow stretched its lead to two touchdowns again with Bain scored on a 3-yard run with 4:22 left in the first half. But less than a minute later, the Clippers answered with a 61-yard scoring play to senior wide receiver Jaiden Zishka.

Kopet completed 13 of 20 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 39 yards on seven carries. Grand Meadow senior quarterback Brenn Olson completed 5 of 10 passes for 115 yards.

Kopet finished 22 of 34 for 238 yards and three touchdowns for the Clippers (13-1).

 

 

CLASS A

 

A football championship is coming back to the Minneapolis City Conference for the first time since 1977. Minneapolis North took care of that with a 30-14 victory over Rushford-Peterson in the Class A championship game on Saturday, Nov. 26 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Polars used a dominating second-half performance on both sides of the ball to win the school’s first-ever MSHSL football championship and first for the Minneapolis City Conference since Washburn won the second of two Class AA titles in 1977. Washburn also won the first Class AA title in 1972, the first year of a Minnesota State High School League-sponsored tournament.

North came close to climbing that final step in 2015, but was upended by Minneota in the Class A title game at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus.

This season, the Polars scored two second-half touchdowns while draining the clock, clamped down on Rushford-Peterson star senior running back Noah Campbell, and held the Tigers to just 10 total yards of offense in the final 24 minutes of play.

Senior quarterback Azerick Rodgers directed North’s attack, completing 10 of 13 passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore running back Nasir El-Amin led a balanced running attack with 70 yards on 11 carries. The Polars averaged 4.7 yards per carry in rushing for 245 yards.

Sophomore running back Kehyan Porter gave the Polars some separation from what had been a 16-14 halftime lead on an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:20 left in the third quarter. The Polars sealed the victory on a 13-yard pass from Rodgers to junior wide receiver Corleon Powell.

North held a 16-14 halftime advantage on the strength of two second-quarter touchdowns by junior wide receiver and safety Taylor Johnson, who scored from both sides of the ball.

The Polars took their first lead following a 13-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Johnson with 11:09 left in the second quarter. North than converted the two-point attempt on a pass from Rodgers to senior wide receiver Isaac Johnson. Just more than four minutes later, Johnson scooped up a fumble by Carlson and rumbled 56 yards for a touchdown. Another conversion pass from Rodgers to Johnson created a 16-7 advantage.

The Tigers closed to within 16-14 at the break when Carlson caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Landon Skalet. Carlson, who rushed for 140 yards in the first half, had opened the scoring in the first minute of play on a 74-yard touchdown run. Carlson finished with 161 yards on 27 carries.

 

 

CLASS AA

 

Caledonia continued its reign of recent Class AA dominance with a 61-12 victory over Eden Valley-Watkins in the Prep Bowl championship game on Friday, Nov. 25 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Junior quarterback Owen King had a near-record tying performance with five touchdown passes in leading the Warriors to a successful championship defense and their seventh Class AA championship since 2007. Caledonia also was the Class B champion in 1976.

King completed 17 of 25 passes for 328 yards to power an attack that rolled up more than 500 yards of offense. Senior running back Ben McCabe rushed for 99 yards on 22 carries and scored three touchdowns.

King’s performance threatened to tie the longtime Prep Bowl record of six touchdown passes in a game set by Kirk Midthun of Triton in 1994. Coincidently, the Prep Bowl record holders were to be honored later in Day 1 of the Prep Bowl during halftime of the Class AAAAAA championship game.

The 61 points scored by the Warriors (14-0) was the most in a championship game since Hutchinson score 67 in a victory over Holy Family Catholic in the Class AAAA title game in 2012.

The Warriors were off and running in the first half rolling up 338 offensive yards. Most of those were from King, who completed 16 of 24 passes for 319 yards and five touchdowns in the first half. King spread the ball around to four different receivers, his favorite, junior fullback Andrew Goergen, wo had seven receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver Jordan Burg also had two touchdown passes among his four receptions for 90 yards. King ended a dazzling first-half performance with a 13-yard scoring pass to senior running back Alex Goergen with 1 minute, 41 seconds left. The only Warriors’ touchdown in the first half that wasn’t through the air was by McCabe on a 1-yard run with 4:27 left in the half. McCabe had two punt returns for 84 yards in the first half, the longest a 76-yard scamper.

Senior quarterback Reese Jansen was 8 of 22 for 61 yards in the first half for Eden Valley-Watkins (11-2). He also had a team-best 83 rushing yards in the first half.

 

 

 

CLASS AAA

 

Years from now in Rochester Lourdes in football lore, it likely will be remembered simply as “The Play.” It was zany play that not only made jaws drop, but also paved the way Rochester Lourdes’ 42-35 victory over top-ranked St. Croix Lutheran in the Class AAA championship game Saturday, Nov. 26 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

While sophomore running back Jake Groteboer scored on a 5-yard run with 25 seconds remaining in regulation snapped a back-and-forth thrill ride of offense, it was the preceding play that will be remembered most.

Using one last-ditch effort to end the game in regulation, the zaniness started with a 14-yard pass from senior quarterback Noah Hillman to senior wide receiver Ed Caples. At midfield, Caples lateraled the ball to sophomore receiver Pat Leary. He ran the ball to the 30 before lateraling to a streaking senior running back Carter Greguson, who extended the play to the 5-yard line.

It helped seal the Eagles’ quest for their fourth state championship. Rochester Lourdes was the Class AAA champion in 2010 and ’14, and the Class A champion in 1979.

Hillman completed 12 of 16 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Hillman rushed for 102 yards on seven carries and scored a TD. Groteboer had two touchdown runs.

Senior running back Daniel Rust rushed for 134 yards on 17 carries and scored two touchdowns for St. Croix Lutheran. Junior running back Mike Stern added 109 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown. Senior quarterback Isaac Tietz completed 6 of 18 passes for 119 yards and a TD.

St. Croix Lutheran was attempting to win the Class AAA crown for the third time since 2011.

An evenly-played first half by both sides was reflected on the scoreboard in a 21-all tie.

St. Croix Lutheran forced the deadlock when Tietz scored on a 1-yard run with no time remaining in the first half. Just 35 seconds earlier, Rochester Lourdes had snapped a 14-all tie when Greguson caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Hillman.

St. Croix Lutheran produced 212 yards of total offense and Rochester Lourdes had 161. Hillman led Rochester Lourdes by completing 6 of 9 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Stern had 61 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Tietz had 102 passing yards on four completions.

 

 

CLASS AAAA

 

One wait for a first championship ended and another continued following the conclusion of the Class AAAA title game Friday, Nov. 25 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Benilde-St. Margaret’s, making its fourth appearance in the state tournament, made this a memorable trip with a 31-28 victory over Winona for the Class AAAA crown.

Junior running back Liam Ford scored on a 24-yard run with 4 minutes, 50 seconds remaining in regulation time to lift the Red Knights (10-3), who won five consecutive postseason games en route to the championships. Ford, taking over the majority of the carries in the absence of rushing leader, senior running back Ricky Floyd, rushed for 81 yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns.

Floyd, the Red Knights’ leading rushing entering the game with 1,810 yards and 26 touchdowns, had two carries for nine yards in the first quarter before leaving the field for the locker room. He returned to the sideline in the second half with his left arm in a sling.

For Winona (11-2), the title wait drags on. The Winhawks were making a state tournament for the first time since losing to Moorhead 13-7 in the Class AA championship game in 1987, the first time that outstate schools met for a big-school championship.

The wait appeared to perhaps be over when the Winhawks scored six seconds into the fourth quarter when junior wide receiver Dakota Matthees caught a 37-yard TD pass from sophomore quarterback Terrell Hall.

The Red Knights compiled 188 rushing yards and senior quarterback Will Whitmore completed 9 of 17 passes for 153 yards and a TD.

Senior running back Alex Franzwa rushed for 105 yards on 10 carries to pace the Winhawks. Junior quarterback Riley Bosteter completed 6 of 16 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions, including two in the first half.

Turnabout occurred with 6:59 left in the second quarter. Just one play after Bosteter threw an interception to Ford, the Winhawks took advantage of a Red Knights’ turnover.

After a fumbled exchange off a handoff, Winona junior linebacker Dan Jonsgaard scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 37 yards for a touchdown. Suddenly, instead of being down three points and having to play defense, the Winhawks catapulted into a 14-10 advantage.

 

 

 

CLASS AAAAA

 

Team 125 now holds an extra special place in Elk River football history. During the 2016 season, the program has been celebrating its 125th season of playing the game. One tribute to the legacy is a decal on their helmets.

Another will be in their trophy case.

The top-ranked Elks completed a season of dominance with a 42-14 victory over Spring Lake Park in the Class AAAAA championship game on Saturday, Nov. 26 at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Elks’ deceptive running attack that faked out defenses all season put on one last show in compiling 446 yards, six rushing touchdowns and an average of 11.7 yards per carry.

It is the first football state championship for the Elks in two title-game appearances. In 1990, Elk River was the Class AA runner-up to Anoka, its then-longtime rival.

Senior running back Nicholas Rice rushed for 242 yards on 13 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead the Elks’ lethal ground game. Senior backfield mate Sam Gibas chipped in 105 yards on 11 carries and a 60-yard TD run that opened the scoring in the early minutes.

Spring Lake Park, also known for its running game, rushed for 275 yards, but couldn’t spring the long touchdown runs like the Elks. The shortest scoring run for the Elks? Thirty yards. Senior running back Mark Buley led the Panthers with 114 yards on 11 carries.

Elk River held the ball for almost half as long as Spring Lake Park in the first half. That mattered little, though, because of the Elks’ big-play scoring capability. Elk River built a 27-0 lead on the strength of four long touchdown runs in the first half.
Rice rushed for 130 yards on seven carries and scored two touchdowns in the first half and Gibas chipped in 95 yards with another TD. Junior running back Sherrod Kpahn rushed for 56 yards on three carries, including a 50-yard scoring dash.

The Elks rushed for 285 yards on 21 carries in the first half.

Elk River struck relatively quickly on each of its four scoring drives. The longest was an 8-play, 74-yard drive that was capped by Kpahn’s scoring run. Gibas’ TD capped a 2-play, 63-yard drive and Rice scored after drives of six and five plays, respectively.

Spring Lake Park generated 109 yards on 31 plays in the first half.

 

 

 

 

CLASS AAAAAA

 

Two years after losing to Eden Prairie in the Class AAAAAA championship game in heartbreaking fashion, Totino-Grace reversed course in the biggest game of the season with fourth quarter heroics that paved the way to a 28-20 victory over Eden Prairie in the big-school title game on Friday, Nov. 25 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Senior backfield mates Gayflor Flomo and Ivan Burlak scored late touchdowns in a 21-point fourth quarter blitz, and senior linebacker Charlie Waters recovered a key fumble that stopped Eden Prairie from mounting any comeback hopes in what they hoped would be its Minnesota-best 11th state championship.

Instead, it is the first Class AAAAAA championship for Totino-Grace, the only Minnesota school that opts to play up two enrollment classes. It is the 10th football state championship for Totino-Grace. They won a Class AAAAA title in 2012, and a run of Class AAAA championships in 2003, ’04, ’06, ‘7, ’09, and ’10. In 1977 and ’78, Fridley Grace was the Class A champion.

Perhaps fittingly, Eden Prairie and Totino-Grace, programs that have been synonymous with dominance in recent years, share the state record with 10 football championships each. But the edge lately has gone to Totino-Grace, which has won the last three matchups, including a 17-14 victory in the season opener at Eden Prairie.

Totino-Grace took the lead for good on Flomo’s 1-yard run with 5:28 left in the fourth quarter. Four minutes later, Burlak plowed in from two yards out.
Eden Prairie took its second lead at 14-7 when senior wide receiver Kyle Connelly stretched, and fully extended, hauled in a 41-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Cole Kramer in the third quarter. Later, Totino-Grace was pushed backward and forced to punt. But Eden Prairie gave it right back on the muffed catch and ensuing fumble.

Totino-Grace used that opportunity to tie the score again on a 4-yard touchdown pass to 6-foot-8 senior tight end Rocky Kreuser from senior quarterback Kyle Halverson on 4th-and-2 in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter.

A tense first half of give-and-take ended, predictably, in a 7-all tie.

Totino-Grace knotted the score with 11 seconds remaining in the second quarter on a 1-yard run by senior halfback Gayflor Flomo. That ended an 11-play, 55-yard drive over the final 2 ½ minutes of the first half.

Eden Prairie grabbed a 7-0 lead with 7:45 left in the first quarter on an 86-yard punt return by senior wide receiver/defensive back Kyle Connelly. On the play, instead of letting the ball bounce by him to be downed by Totino-Grace, he waited slightly for a defender to pass him before deciding to field the punt on the first bounce before weaving through traffic for the game’s first touchdown.

 

 

 

 

 

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