Football: #3 Falcons Complete Perfect Regular Season
Quinci Kaase had a career game and #3 in Class A Fillmore Central (7-0) was on a different level in toppling Class AA St. Clair/Mankato-Loyola (3-4) in a season finale. Kaase took six carries for 167 yards and 2 TDs while also catching a pair of passes for 60 yards and two more TDs. He scored on runs of 32 and 62 yards, receptions of 39 and 21 yards. Kane Larson (12-93 rushing, 2-38 receiving) scored in quota, two rushing TDs. Cody Serfling added a 1-yard TD run while catching two passes for 39 yards. Jackson Hildebrandt (3-70) also contributed to a ground attack that tallied 321 yards. FC had 478 yards of total offense and they scored on their first seven offensive series. St. Clair/Mankato-Loyola was the first to score. FC fumbled its opening kickoff leading to a Spartan touchdown. But FC then reeled off 50 unanswered points. They prevailed 50-7 to complete a perfect regular season (5-0, 8-0). SC/M-L had 121 yards passing and 84 yards rushing, but on 35 carries (2.4 yards per attempt). Chris Mensink’s group (5-0, 8-0) is 1A’s 1-seed, will play either 4-seed USC (4-4) or 5-seed NRHEG (2-6).
Football: #3 Cougars Complete Perfect Regular Season
Mabel-Canton football (7-0) took care of its regular season finale business on the road at Wabasha-Kellogg (3-4). Already the South-East sub-district champ, Paul Tollefsrud’s #3 Cougars grabbed four turnovers and scored on their first five drives (thrice in the second quarter). M-C built a 37-0 lead after three and prevailed 37-14. The Cougar offensive spread it around to backs Brevyn Tollefsrud (5-68, TD rushing; 22-yard reception), Kale Eiken (12-55, 2 TDs rushing, 30-yard reception), and Kale Tollefsrud (9-46, TD rushing). Quarterback Isaac Underbakke was 5-for-5 for 83 yards including a 13-yard scoring pass to Darian Hershberger. Defensively, K-Tollefsrud, Underbakke, and Carter Hershberger had interceptions of W-K QB Kevin Wiebusch (13 of 25, 147 yards, TD, 3 INTs). Milton Hutchinson recovered a fumble for the Cougars. Cody Walker caught nine passes for 87 yards for W-K. Gavyn Castagnaro (13-70 rushing) led the W-K ground attack. The Falcons started the game with a 14-play, 83-yard drive that came up empty at the M-C five. The Cougars then marched 95 yards in nine plays. They also had 10-play and 11-play scoring series. A pair of interceptions also set M-C up for two short fields. Posting its first perfect regular season since 2005, M-C (8-0, 8-0) is Section 1 9-Man’s top seed, and will host 8-seed Lanesboro (1-7, 1-7).
Football: Warriors Roll Past Lancers to Fifth Straight Win
Section 1AA foes beware. Caledonia football has won five straight games and they have given up a total of 22 points in said spree. Carl Fruechte’s group (5-2) ended the regular season by taking it to neighbor La Crescent/Hokah (1-6). Will Allen started the scoring with a 20-yard interception return TD. It is Caledonia’s third pick-six of the year with Allen having two of them. The senior was in on the Warriors first four scores, hitting Coby Hammell for a 67-yard scoring pass, catching a 27-yard strike from Grant King, then authoring a 6-yard TD run. Hunter Frank also had a 4-yard TD run in the first half. The Warriors built a 34-0 edge at the break and prevailed 40-7. Allen (4 of 7, 126 yards, TD passing; 6-yard TD run; 20-yard interception return TD; 27-yard TD reception) scored via four different methods, a rarity. Frank (13-88, TD rushing) and Chase Hauser (10-84, TD rushing) led the Warriors on the ground. King (2-59 receiving, 14-yard run, 27-yard TD pass) also was multi-dimensional. Cooper Allen (eight tackles) and Bodie Knutson (7 tackles) led the defense. The Warriors (4-2, 6-2), co-sub-district champions Chatfield (5-1, 6-2), and Triton (5-1, 6-2), all finish with identical overall records in the Southeast-Central “White” and atop Section 1AA. Chatfield beat Triton 24-23, Triton Caledonia 13-3, and Caledonia Chatfield 14-0. Rochester-Lourdes (3-3, 5-3) lurks in fourth place, Dover-Eyota (2-4, 4-4) in fifth. Caledonia is Section 1AA’s 3-seed, will host 6-seed St. Charles (2-6).
Football: Cardinals Take Advantage of Injuries and Turnovers, Top Houston
The halftime score saw LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle/Pacelli (3-4) lead visiting Houston (5-2) by 8-6 tally. But the Hurricanes, already down leading rusher Lee Klunder to injury, lost starting quarterback Hecter Steinfeldt too. They had a second half to forget. Houston turned the ball over five times and L-O/L/P took advantage. The most noteworthy was a ‘big guy’ touchdown by Landon Ritter, a 5’10” 260-pound defensive lineman. He returned a Houston fumble 18-yards to cap the third quarter scoring. L-O/L/P’s 8-6 halftime lead grew to 26-6. With Houston’s offense ineffective, Trevor Carrier’s Cardinals posted a 42-6 win. Junior QB Reid Hungerholt (12 of 21, 217 yards passing; 11-64 rushing) threw for three scores. He hit 6’3” Hunter Wollenberg (6-100 receiving) for two touchdowns and Logan Diemer on 20-yard strike. Grady Meyer (2-57 receiving) added a couple lengthy catches. L-O/L/P’s first rushing score came from Carson Roe (5-27 rushing; 2-31 receiving) late on a 1-yard run. Marek Leif added a 27-yard TD to cap the scoring. Diemer, Spencer Goodale and Joshua Bednar also recovered fumbles. Hungerholt had an interception. The Cardinals won turnovers 5 to 0. Axel Vix (17-127 rushing) was Houston’s effective most asset, but he got 58 of his yards on a punter scramble. Houston did not have a yard passing until Chamberlain Bergeson hit Atreyu Florin for a pair of 25-yard receptions very late. Logan Kinstler scored Houston’s lone TD on a first quarter 4-yard run. The Cardinals (4-4, 4-4) are Section 1 9-Man’s 4-seed and will host 5-seed Houston (5-3, 5-2) in the quarterfinals.
Football: Late Half First Half Score Propels Knights Over Burros
With 32-seconds left in the first half, on 4th and 12, Kingsland’s Collin Stuart dumped the ball off to running back Bently Wiersma. The junior trekked 23-yards to pay-dirt (while also running in the two-point conversion). In a South-East matchup of the Knights (5-2) and Lanesboro (1-6), it was the game’s only score. Kingsland played without standout quarterback Kaaleem Reiland (elbow). They fought field position all game, never starting in Lanesboro’s end. The Burros started on the Knights half six times. Included was taking over at the 23 and 39-yardline per Kingsland fumbles in the second and fourth quarters. Penalties set the first series back. Lanesboro’s only turnover ended the second. It was one of three occasions in the fourth where the Burros took over in plus-territory. One series prior, the Burros came up short on 4th and 3 at the Knight 24. A series after and on the Burros’ final drive, Lanesboro converted a 4th and 12 pass to set up a 1st and 10 at the Knight 14, but a play with both a sack and personal foul penalty, pushed Lanesboro way back. On 4th and 28 from the 33, a 26-yard pass came up a couple yards short, clinching the Knights’ win. Matt Kolling’s grouped prevailed 8-0. Lanesboro punted eight times, Kingsland seven. Neither team eclipsed 200 yards total offense. Wiersma (19-53 rushing; 23-yard TD reception), Stuart (6 of 12, 81 yards, TD passing), and KD Reiland (2-33 receiving) got Kingsland’s biggest chunks of yards. Reiland had the Knights’ longest offensive play, a 29-yard reception midway through their scoring drive. Mason Gilbertson (16-51 rushing), Teague Tessum (4 of 11, 52 yards passing), and Reid Olson (2-35 receiving) mustered the Burros’ biggest yardage. Kingsland (6-2, 6-2) is Section 1 9-Man’s 3-seed, will host 6-seed Wabasha-Kellogg (3-5, 3-5). Lanesboro (1-7, 1-7) is the 8-seed, plays at 1-seed #3 Mabel-Canton (8-0, 8-0).
Football: Spring Grove Defense Dominates AC/GE
In a duel between the sub-district’s two top defensive teams, the Spring Grove “D” prevailed for a 28-6 home win over Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons in a matchup of second place SEC teams. The Lion defenders had 13 tackles for loss, five and half by Noah Heppner, including three sacks. The Knights had only 19 yards rushing but gained 128 in the air, including a 2-yard TD pass from Jacob Dulitz (14 of 20, 117 yards, TD, passing) to Kaiden Farris (12-118, TD receiving). ACGE senior running back Darin Linn was held to 19 yards on 11 carries. He came in averaging 101 rushing yards per contest. Grove (182 yards rushing, 28 yards passing) never trailed, and with no turnovers, three fewer than AC/GE, scored three more touchdowns. The score was 22-6 at halftime. Ricardo Reynolds (15-119 rushing) had TD runs of 51 and 2 yards plus two PAT runs. Also, the league’s leading punter, Reynolds averaged 38.8 yards per boot and defended with a forced fumble and a sack. Dash Ranzenberger had an 11-yard TD run. Spring Grove completed only one pass, but it was a 28-yard TD pass and run from Dylan Halverson to Sam Klug. Both came in with identical records. The Knights left for home at 5-3. The Lions (6-2, 6-2) grabbed Section 1 9-Man’s two seed, will host 7-seed Grand Meadow (2-6, 2-6).
Football: Larks Pull Away From B.A. in Fourth
In the final two minutes of the third quarter, Faribault B.A. (0-7, 0-7) blocked a Grand Meadow (1-6, 1-6) punt and had the ball in the Lark’s end trailing 12-6. But roughly half a quarter later, GM bolstered its lead to 28-6 with 5:46 left in the game. Josh Bain’s Larks spurted enough, winning by a 28-12 final tally. B.A.’s late third quarter drive ended on a 4th and five fumble. Keyed by a 36-yard Carter Glynn run, GM went 57 yards in seven plays. Blake Hubbard’s 5-yard yard run on 4th and 1, plus Glynn two-point conversion, made it 20-6 GM early in the fourth (9:44). Parker Armagost then intercepted a B.A. pass. A 46-yard Glynn run on 3rd and 21 keyed a 7-play, 50-yard drive. Glynn capped the series with a 1-yard plunge (and conversion) to make it 28-6. B.A. scored with 3:24 left. GM then ran out the final ticks. The Larks also got a key score just before halftime, going 86 yards in 11 plays, taking just 2:37. Glynn hit Hubbard on a 7-yard scoring strike late (0:06) in the first half, giving GM its 12-6 lead. Glynn was 5 of 6 for 66 yards on the drive. Team Purple converted short fourth downs on each of its first three scoring drives. Glynn (6 of 7, 72 yards, TD passing; 23-140, TD rushing), a cross-country runner up until this year, led the Larks. Hubbard (7-58, 2 TDs rushing; 5-48, TD receiving) scored three times. Brady Hrykas had two sacks and a fumble recovery defensively, while taking two carries for 37 yards on offense. Armagost added a recovery to his defensive interception. GM’s defense grabbed four turnovers while the Larks only had a punt blocked. Thomas Kunze (14 of 25, 165 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs passing) hit Hayden Dillon (6-87 receiving) for both B.A. scores. The Superlarks (2-6 in the South-East/overall) are Section 1 9-Man’s 7-seed, play at 2-seed Spring Grove (6-2, 6-2).
Football: Trojans Score Season High in Ending Three-Game Skid
Rushford-Peterson (2-5) ended a three-game losing streak with a get-right game versus winless Kenyon-Wanamingo (0-7). The Trojans scored five first half touchdowns and converted all five scores with two points. Two big highlights were Carson Johnson blocking a punt and recovering it in the end zone for six and Creighton Hoiness hitting Cole Thompson for a 35-yard TD strike with the clock reading 0:00 to end the first half. Said play was set up when Ryken Anderson intercepted a Knight pass and returned it 33-yards into K-W territory with 0:04 left. Hoiness added a 16-yard TD pass to Jaxson Meldahl in the stanza while Jaxon Johnson (32-yards) and Caden Mattson (2-yards) had touchdown runs. Meldahl had three two-point runs, Zach Baker two. R-P led 40-0 at the half and cruised to a 54-12 victory. Johnson (9-117, TD rushing), Hoiness (3 of 4, 60 yards, 2 TDs passing), Mattson (12-72, TD rushing), and Meldahl (5-40 rushing, 2-25, TD receiving) did the biggest work. Hoiness added a 9-yard TD run in the second half while Ayden Garrett hit Johnson for a 53-yard TD pass. K-W got a 56-yard TD run by Jayden Carroll and a 57-yard kick-off return fumble recovery TD from Noel Hernandez (advancing his own team’s fumble). The Trojans (1-5, 3-5) are 1AA’s seed, play at 2-seed Triton (6-2).
Southeast Central District Football (10/15)
#8 in AA Chatfield 0, #6 in AAA Pine Island 30 (Panther running back Nick Thein ran for 208 yards and 3 TDs on 22 carries. Chatfield, down multiple players to injury including RB D’Andre Williams and WR Kaisen Johnson, managed less than 50 yards total offense. The Panthers had 331 total yards.)
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