#2 Chatfield Runs Through #8 Cannon Falls to White Title
On paper, it was a match-up of two ranked Class AA schools, each fighting for a stake in the Southeast-White title. On the field, it was #2 Chatfield (5-0, 7-0) controlling Cannon Falls’ running game and running wild on offense in a match-up that was a one-sided. If there was one point where it all started to go downhill for the #8 in AA Bombers (4-1, 6-2), it was their first drive. Cannon, with its three short and tight running backs, methodically running mostly between the tackles, took the games first possession 55 yards in 13 plays. It was three yards and a cloud of dust, a series helped by a couple Chatfield penalties. The Bombers seemingly broke through with a 30-yard TD run by August Wagner on 4th and 2. But a personal foul penalty negated the run. And a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust was not going to work up again 4th and 15. Cannon turned the ball over on downs. Ben Carrier then took the Gophers’ first carry through a big void to the house from 48-yards out. The rout was on. The Gopher defense held CF to minimal gains. Cannon got behind the sticks and could not convert. And the Gopher offense was unstoppable. Carrier added a 61-yard TD run to start the second quarter for a 14-0 lead. After a Bomber three-and-out, Chatfield went 75 yards in nine plays. Carson Rowland scooted in from five yards out for a 20-0 lead. Another Bomber three-and-out gave Chatfield another chance just before halftime. Carrier ripped off a 32-yard run and the Rowland an 18-yard TD run. With 0:32 left in the half, it was 26-0. The Bombers finally got on the board in the third quarter with a Grady Meyers to Jack Meyers 68-yard TD pass. Cannon tried an onside-kick to keep up momentum, but Chatfield’s Thane Schild recovered. Rowland then took Chatfield’s first carry 47 yards. A trio of short Rowland runs, the last from 1-yard out, then covered the final five yards. With 4:27 left in the third quarter, it was 34-8 Chatfield. Carrier added a 54-yard TD run to start the fourth. Chatfield’s line did not just open holes. There was at times, no defenders in the equation until 10 to 15 yards downfield. It was both good blocking and game-planning with excellent athletes carrying the ball. The Gophers (6-0, 8-0) prevailed by a 40-8 final to grab the White title out-right over #8 Cannon (4-2, 6-2), #10 Caledonia (4-2, 6-2), and Triton (4-2, 6-2). It is Chatfield’s third such crown in four years. Carrier romped to 208 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries. He went over 1,000 yards rushing for the year. Rowland (9-114) also scored thrice. D’Andre Williams (5-48 rushing) also ripped out some chunks of yards. Chatfield ran for 406 yards on 30 carries. Cannon ran 46 times for 134 yards. The Gophers defense shut them down. Preston Schoenfelder was their top rusher and held to 48 yards on 10 carries. Chatfield is Section 1AA’s 1-seed. They will play either 4-seed Dover-Eyota (3-5) or 5-seed Cotter (3-5).
Football: #5 Cardinals Romp Over Burros, Share South-East Title
Their toughest game was their first. And 5th-ranked LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle/Pacelli will head to the post-season undefeated having thoroughly handled each of its last seven opponents. Trevor Carrier’s group finished off a perfect regular season by downing Lanesboro 58-8. A 23-point third quarter allowed L-O/L/P to turn an already large 28-0 halftime lead into a 51-8 edge. Camden Hungerholt (7-176, 3 TDs rushing; 11-12, 233 yards, 2 TDs passing) was again huge in accounting for five total TDs. He completed 10 straight passes. Brother Reid Hungerholt (4-144, TD receiving; 2-2, 61 yards, TD passing) accounted for three more including catching a 97-yard score (from Camden), hitting Talan Lewison for a 49-yard score, and returning a kick-off 87-yards to paydirt. Lewison caught four passes for 81 yards and the score. Carter Sweeney had two touchdowns, a 25-yard pass from Camden and 37-yard interception return touchdown. Ryder Stern kicked a 44-yard field goal while going 7 of 8 on PAT’s. Lanesboro’s sole score came on a third quarter 80-yard kick-off return touchdown by Cole Sass (25-86 rushing), their leading offensive yardage getter. L-O/L/P (7-0, 8-0) earned the 1-seed in the Section 1 9-Man and will host the 8-seed Burros (0-7, 0-8). C-Hungerholt finishes the regular season with 1,807 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground (14.8 yards per carry). He also has 1,374 yards passing and 17 touchdowns, one interception. The Cardinals are averaging over 500 yards of offense per game with 300-plus coming on the ground. They have averaged almost 50 points per game. They have scored under 46 just once, the season opening 35-26 win at Kingsland.
Undefeated #6 Lions Collar Cougars, Share 9-Player Crown
With explosive plays, #6 in 9-Man Spring Grove scorched Mabel-Canton 40-16 in the regular-season finale. The undefeated Lions (7-0, 8-0) share the South-East championship with #5 LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle/Pacelli (7-0, 8-0). Bryce Berns was back at quarterback, where he rushed for 133 yards and scored Grove’s first three touchdowns in addition to completing 8 of 12 passes (67%) for 95 yards plus a points-after pass. Sylas Flatin carried twice and scored both times, a 1-yard plunge plus a 43-yard burst. The Cougars (3-5, 3-5) had many more plays (60) than did the Lions (36). But seven 20-plus yardage plays (four runs, two passes, one special teams) propelled SG to prosperity. After Berns scored on 33 and 25-yard scampers, his 12 and 17-yard runs set up his one-yard TD sneak. The Cougars answered the first Lion TD with a 28-yard TD pass from Isaac Underbakke to Darian Hershberger (8 plays, 60-yards). Underbakke ran in the conversion and Mabel-Canton led 8-6. After scoring on their first three possessions and a 31-yard pass to Ben Udstuen (3-66 receiving), the Lions lost a fumble. But on their next possession, Berns found Udstuen again for 29 yards to the one yard-line. Flatin carried the final yard, making it 26-8 at halftime. Spring Grove did not snap the ball during the third quarter. The Cougars took the second-half kickoff and consumed more than eight minutes with a 15-play, 78-yard march. A 20-yard completion to Kale Tollefsrud set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Brevyn Tollefsrud to make it 26-16. But Zach Brumm took the ensuing kickoff 82 yards to the end zone, and SG led 33-16. Each team aired 12 passes; the Lions completing eight for 95 yards, the Cougars nine for 83 yards and a TD. With an 88-yard advantage on the ground (189-101), the Lions outgained M-C, 284 to 184. The Cougars had twice as many carries (48-24) but both of their two big plays were passes, the 28-yard TD toss and a 20-yarder that set up their second touchdown. Kale Tollefsrud led M-C rushing (14-43 yards) and receiving (5-47 yards). While scoring on five of seven possessions, the Lions faced only five third-downs. SG converted only 3 of 6 extra points, M-C was 2 for 2 with Underbakke keepers. Ricardo Reynolds sparked the Lion defense with 10 tackles (seven solo, including a forced fumble) while Noah Heppner was in on nine stops (six solo) including three solo sacks. Kody Moore’s Lions (8-0) received the 2-seed in the play-offs and will host 7-seed Grand Meadow (1-7). The 6-seeded Cougars (3-4, 3-5) will play at 3-seed Kingsland (6-2).
#9 Falcons Ride Kennedy to Third Straight MSE-Blue Title
Fillmore Central (6-1) clinched the Mid-Southeast-Blue title out-right with a win over Kenyon-Wanamingo (1-6) in a less intense re-match of last year’s 1A title game. The Knights fell to the Falcons 14-0 a year ago, but entered this year a much less competitive team. Falcon senior Greg Kennedy continued his massive season. The 6’6” wide receiver/safety had four long touchdowns via three different methods. Kennedy returned the opening kick 78-yards to get the ninth-ranked Falcons on the board. Still in the first, Bridon Bahl hit Kennedy for an 80-yard touchdown pass on a slant. FC went ahead 14-0. Kennedy then twice intercepted Knight QB Noah Wallaker, returning each for touchdowns of 85 and 79 yards! FC jumped out 27-0 at half, later led 33-0, and cruised to a 39-8 victory to wrap up the Mid-Southeast-Blue sub-district title, their third straight out-right championship. It was also the Falcons’ seventh straight win after a 42-34 overtime loss to Blooming Prairie in week two. Kennedy (4-97, TD receiving; 2-164, 2 TDs on interception returns; 78-yard kickoff return TD) continued his big play-making ways. Bahl (8-15, 138 yards, TD passing), Kane Larson (9-41, 2 TDs rushing; 13-yard reception), and Josh Haugerud (2-47 rushing) also aided the FC cause. Larson added a team-best 11 total tackles while Joey Ristau had a pair of sacks, a forced fumble, and a recovery. All told, FC reeled in five K-W turnovers (two interceptions, three fumbles) while not turning the ball over. Chris Mensink’s group (7-1, 7-1) is Section 1A’s 3-seed, will host 6-seed Hayfield (2-6).
#10 Warriors Have Way With #9 Panthers
On paper, #10 in AA Caledonia (5-2) hosting #9 in AAA Pine Island (6-1) was a good match-up. But the Warriors came in reeling from a tough 21-20 loss at Triton. A motivated group dominated the Panthers. The Warrior defense held Pine Island to negative yards rushing and two completed passes. Caledonia’s defense had more interceptions, and as many touchdowns. Will Allen had a third quarter 28-yard pick-six and Ben Stemper a fourth quarter 16-yard pick-six. That score put the Warriors ahead 27-0. Senior quarterback Ethan Stendel accounted for the Warriors first two scores with TD runs of nine and 13-yards in the first and second quarters. Caledonia added a couple more fourth quarter scores to post a 40-0 shut-out win. It was their fifth shut-out. In their six wins, they have out-scored foes 192-20. On the flipside, the most points Pine Island entered giving up was a 19-0 loss to #1 in AAA Stewartville. They had only surrendered 53 total points on the season before the Warriors 40-spot. Stendel (13-97, 2 TDs rushing; 9-17, 99 yards passing) led Cal’s offense. But four other Warrior ball-carriers, Noah Schroeder (7-59 rushing), Stemper (9-52 rushing), Jack Schmitz (6-41 rushing), and Hunter Frank (5-44 rushing) topped 40 yards rushing. Schroeder and Frank had fourth quarter scoring runs. Caledonia ran for 319 yards on 43 carries (7.4 per). Tristan Meyer caught three passes for 50 yards to lead the receivers. Jacob Klug joined Allen and Stemper in notching interceptions. Stemper, Cooper Allen, and Max Schmitz notched sacks. Both Allen and Schmitz have four sacks on the year. The Warriors (4-2, 6-2) tie with #8 Cannon Falls (4-2, 6-2) and Triton (4-2, 6-2) for second in the Southeast-White behind #2 Chatfield (6-0, 8-0). Caledonia is 1AA’s 2-seed. They get a bye and will host either 3-seed L-A (6-2) or 6-seed St. Charles (1-7) in the semis.
Z-Reiland and Knights Have Big Fourth, Top Houston
For three quarters, Kingsland (5-2) and Houston (4-3) were even on the scoreboard, 20-20. The Hurricanes were even knocking on the door early in the fourth to take their third lead of the game. But a second and one from the two yard-line only went backwards and the Knight defense held. Kingsland’s man of the night, Zach Reiland, then ripped off a 90-yard TD run to put Matt Kolling’s group ahead for good at 26-20. On Houston’s next possession, Knight Caden Reiter grabbed his second interception of the game. Z-Reiland scored a few plays later on a 10-yard TD run to put the Knights up 32-20. Houston then went on a 16-play drive, one capped when Morgan Rohweder hit Alex Vix for a 20-yard TD pass. The Hurricanes closed to down 32-28 late. But Kingsland’s next offensive play saw Z-Reiland continue his monster game. The senior, who missed all last year with an injury, zipped 76-yard to paydirt to seal it. Kingsland ran past the game Hurricanes by a 38-28 final. Each team scored one touchdown in the first quarter, with Kingsland leading 7-6. Each team scored once in the second quarter with Kingsland leading 13-12. Each team scored in the third quarter with Houston converting a two-point conversion and Kingsland getting a Reiter extra point for a 20-20 tie. Z-Reiland ran for a ridiculous 366 yards and 5 TDs on 20 carries. His second half (9-266, 4 TDs rushing) and fourth quarter stats (4-176 yards, 3 TDs) were massive. Reiland also caught a 45-yard TD reception from Kaaleem Reiland in the first half for a six-touchdown game. Houston was led by Maddox Rodriguez (28-127, TD rushing; 2-30 receiving), Axel Vix (4-104, 2 TDs receiving), and Rohweder (8-22, 143 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs passing). Lee Klunder chipped in 66 yards and a TD on 17 carries. Kingsland tallied around 450 yards total offense, most of it coming on the ground. Houston tallied 350 yards of offense with a more even split. Defensively, Logan Kinstler had an interception and two sacks for Houston. Parker Johnson had two more sacks for the Knights. He now has 13 on the season. Kingsland (5-2, 6-2) is Section 1 9-Man’s 3-seed and will host 6-seed Mabel-Canton (3-5, 3-5). Houston (3-4, 4-4) is the 5-seed and will play at 4-seed Southland (3-4, 4-4), as a week one Rebel win over the Hurricanes decides home field in that game.
Mid-Southeast District Football (10/16)
Rushford-Peterson 12, Wabasha-Kellogg 14 (RP: Caden Lea 19-27, 238 yards, TD, INT passing; Jonah Bunke 18-87, TD rushing, 5-44 receiving; Jaxson Meldahl 4-92, TD receiving; Domanick Corcoran 4-62 receiving. W-K led 7-6 at halftime, then expanded their lead to 14-6 in the fourth quarter with a 14-play, 82-yard drive. R-P responded by driving 82 yards in 14 plays late, getting a Bunke 4-yard TD run in the final minute to make it 14-12 W-K. But R-P’s ensuing, game-tying, two-point run was stopped. R-P won total yards 339 to 256 but had five drives end on downs at the W-K 30 or closer. Included was a drive out of halftime that stalled inside the 10 yard-line. W-K ended a five-game losing streak.)
South-East District Football (10/16)
Southland 48, Grand Meadow 6 (GM: Blake Hubbard 14-93 rushing; Parker Armagost 6-42 rushing; Dallton Pischke 16-41, TD rushing. The Rebels led 27-0 at half. GM (1-6, 1-7) is Section 1 9-Man’s 7-seed, will play at 2-seed Spring Grove (7-0, 8-0))