#5 Cardinals Use Fourth Quarter to Down Kingsland, Make State
Looking to defend their Section 1 9-Man crown, Kingsland (3-seed, 8-2) never trailed versus #5 in 9-Man LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle/Pacelli (1-seed, 10-0) until the fourth quarter. It took a long fourth down touchdown pass to finally put the Cardinals ahead, as L-O/L/P won its second Section 1 9-Man title in four years. Matt Kolling’s Knights had the Cardinals looking up scoreboard deficits from the start though. Kingsland’s third offensive play was a Zach Reiland 52-yard TD run. After stopping L-O/L/P in the red zone, the Knights went 89 yards in 12 plays. Kaaleem Reiland hooked up with Parker Johnson for a 57-yard TD pass. After one period, team double-K led 13-0. L-O/L/P then matriculated the ball 67 yards in seven plays. A Camden Hungerholt to Reid Hungerholt 29-yard TD pass made it 13-6. But a couple series’ later, after a K-Reiland interception, the Knights used a short field to again go ahead by two scores. K-Reiland’s 5-yard TD made it 19-6. L-O/L/P then pulled the two-for around halftime. Going 70 yards in 10 plays, C-Hungerholt hit Carter Sweeney for an 18-yard TD pass with 0:16 left in the half (on 2nd and 17). Kingsland went to intermission up 19-12. The Cardinals then got the opening second half kickoff. Hungerholt burst 66-yards to pay dirt on the third play. The conversion failed, leaving the Knights up 19-18. But they answered right back. Z-Reiland ripped off a 49-yard TD run while adding a conversion run. Kingsland again moved ahead by two scores, 27-18. But it was their last score. L-O/L/P responded by going 66 yards in 15 plays. They twice converted on fourth down, including a 6-yard TD pass from a scrambling C-Hungerholt to Sweeney. L-O/L/P again failed to convert, leaving it 27-24 Knights. The score stayed that way until the final five minutes. After a couple mishandled potential TD passes, L-O/L/P faced a critical 4th and 13 at midfield. C-Hungerholt then tossed out a jump-ball for Tyson Stevens, who made the reception and then trekked into the end zone for the huge 50-yard pitch and catch! With 4:23 left, Trevor Carrier’s group led for a first time, 32-27. And the fourth quarter was not good for Kingsland. They ran 10 offensive plays for zero yards and two turnovers, including a botched-snap fumble right after L-O/L/P went ahead. C-Hungerholt then iced the game with a 7-yard TD run (0:46). The Cardinals (11-0) won the section via a 38-27 final. C-Hungerholt (14-29, 223 yards, 4 TDs, INT passing; 32-162, 2 TDs rushing) accounted for all six L-O/L/P scores. The Knights did hold him to 42 yards rushing in the first half. Sweeney (6-63, 2 TDs receiving), R-Hungerholt (3-66, TD receiving), and Stevens (50-yarder) caught scores. The Knights kept their attack on the ground with Z-Reiland (17-168, 2 TDs rushing) and K-Reiland (17-65, TD rushing; 3-10, 76 yards, TD, INT passing) doing work. Parker Johnson (2-41 rushing, 2-64, TD receiving) tallied over 100 yards total offense. State play-off brackets are seeded 1-4 by north and south. L-O/L/P (11-0) is the South’s 1-seed, will play Renville County West (8-3) in the quarters. Kingsland finishes at 8-3. But the Knights’ seniors have gone 21-4 the last two years, a tremendous span of football Kingsland has not seen in two decades.
#2 Chatfield Tops #8 Caledonia 24-14 for 1AA Title
One of the state’s best Class AA, and overall, football rivalries renewed itself. Second-ranked Chatfield (1-seed, 9-0) took on #8 Caledonia (2-seed, 7-2) for the 1AA title. Nobody but the Warriors or Gophers have won the section in over a decade. It marked the sixth time since 2012 the teams played each other to go to state. A few big plays were huge in determining the outcome. Chatfield scored on its first drive with Carson Rowland hitting Tobin McMahon on a 56-yard TD pass. They succeeded on the two-point conversion. Caledonia also scored with its first possession, as a 38-yard Ethan Stendel to Ben Stemper pass play put the Warriors in the red zone. Stendel capped the series with an 8-yard TD run, then added the PAT. Those were the only two scores of the first half, albeit, Chatfield was stopped on the Warrior one-yard line in the second quarter. The Gophers led 8-7 at halftime. In the second half, after a defensive stop, Chatfield’s Ben Carrier ripped a 61-yard run to the Warrior eight. Three plays later, it was fourth and goal from the four. Via a misdirection flanker hand-off sweep, the unlikely duo of Ethan Eickhoff and Thane Schild hooked up for a huge 4-yard TD pass. The Warriors had Eickhoff’s run stopped, but he passed late for the wide-open TD! Rowland added the two-point run. Jeff Johnson’s Gophers went ahead 16-7. A series later, Chatfield was again in the Warriors’ end, but Stendel made a leaping interception. But it was good news, bad news for Cal. Stendel, the starting QB, and guy almost everything runs through offensively, had to sit out a couple plays due to a hard landing on the pick. The third play he was out, Carrier sacked Warrior backup QB Will Allen, causing a fumble. Living the defensive lineman’s dream, 6’3” 240-pound Ethan Cole recorded the 9-yard scoop and score! D’Andre Williams added the two-point run. Chatfield led 24-7 just into the fourth quarter. Caledonia scored later in the stanza following a 14-play, 75-yard drive. A Stendel 1-yard plunge plus kick made it 24-14 (5:27). But Chatfield’s Carter Ask recovered the onside kick. The rest of the game was quiet except the end for Gopher fans, as they rejoiced at their third 1AA title the past four years via a 24-14 victory. Carrier (11-113 rushing) topped 100 yards on the ground and he also had two forced fumbles. Rowland (4-9, 72 yards, TD, INT passing; 22-59 rushing) was the busiest Gopher. He added an interception. Stendel (13-27, 135 yards, INT passing; 22-62, 2 TDs rushing) shouldered a heavy load for the Warriors. Caledonia for just 85 yards including just 15 in the first half. Stemper (2-45 receiving), Fischer Wait (2-45 receiving), and Tristan Meyer (4-35 receiving) were their top receivers. The Gophers (10-0) head back to state a team with mojo. Many of the key players were on last year’s title winning wrestling team. State playoff brackets are seeded 1-4 by north and south. Chatfield is the South’s 1-seed and will play Southeast-White rival 4-seed Triton (8-2). Caledonia’s season finishes at 7-3.
Football Playoffs (11/1)
1A Final > 3-seed #9 Fillmore Central (9-1) 7, 1-seed #4 Goodhue (10-0) 52 (FC: Josh Haugerud 60-yard TD reception; Bridon Bahl 8-16, 145 yards, TD, 4 INTs passing. G: Nathan Beck 17-164, 2 TDs rushing; Jack Carlson 16-92, 3 TDs rushing; Luke Roschen 7-8, 78 yards, TD passing. Goodhue scored on seven of eight drives, had a pick six, and kicked a field goal, with 395 total yards offense. They led 35-0 at halftime. FC had five total turnovers.)