Football: Cougars Upend State-Ranked Lions

Mabel-Canton ended 14 years and 18 games of frustration with a 2023 Homecoming football upset of state-ranked rival Spring Grove, 20-12. After an 0-3 start, it was the second straight win for the Cougars (2-3, 2-3), while the Lions (4-1, 5-1) suffered their first setback since last year’s state championship game. M-C leads the all-time series, 37 to 28. Spring Grove had prevailed in each of the last 18 meetings.

Some statistics were close. Each team had 11 first downs. M-C averaged 3.2 yards per play, SG 3.0. However, some key numbers were not similar. The Lions fumbled seven times, lost two, and had three total turnovers. The Cougars never fumbled and had no turnovers. Mabel-Canton sustained a 13-play, 65-yard scoring drive and took advantage of Lion miscues and favorable field position to score with 25 and 32-yard possessions. The Cougars never presented the visitors with any short-field opportunities.

The #2 in 9-Man Lions scored on 58 and 70-yard possessions, but they never led. Cougar Cayden Tollefsrud, who came in ranked first in the league for rushing touchdowns and second in rushing yardage, rushed 29 times for 106 yards, including a 4-yard TD run for a 6-0 lead. Tyler Larson (18-68 rushing) had 2-yard and 1-yard TD carries. The longest M-C gain was a 14-yard run by Larson. Isaac Underbakke completed 1 of only 4 passes for four yards. But his two-point conversion toss to Darian Hershberger was the difference when the Cougars clung to a 14-12 lead until scoring again with only 1:47 to play. Blocking up front were Hershberger, Nate Nordsving, Kenny Hutchinson, Teddy Torgerson, Milton Hutchinson and Colton Tollefsrud. Cayden Tollefsrud, with 16 tackles, also spearheaded the Cougar defense which limited the Lions to 162 yards of offense, the fewest for SG in two years.

The double-tight end, M-C ground-pounding offense outgained the Lions’ three wide-out, spread-formation attack by 18 yards. With 58 negative yards, the Lions gained only 28 yards rushing. The longest gain of the night was a 21-yard SG pass from Bryce Berns to Jaxon Strinmoen that set up the Lions’ second touchdown. Berns, the league’s passing-yardage leader, completed 12 of 28 for 134 yards, but both touchdowns came on the ground – an 18-yard scamper by Berns (9-29 rushing) tied it at 6-6 (Triston Hunsaker blocked the Lions’ extra-point kick). Down 14-6 at halftime, SG threatened to pull even again after a two-yard TD run by Jacob Olerud (12-43 rushing). But Underbakke broke up the two-point pass to keep the Cougars in front, 14-12.

Trailing 20-12, the Lions’ last-gasp opportunity ended with Underbakke picking off a pass, Berns’ first interception this season after 59 completions. The defensive standouts for SG were Olerud (23 tackles) and Dash Ranzenberger (16 stops). The Lions, despite the turnovers, were in contention until the final 107 seconds, but they could not come up with their usual big-yardage pass plays. Considering the early Cougar losses, it seemed like a major upset. But during the previous two weeks, both the Lions and Cougars had hard-fought, single-digit wins against the same opponent. SG downed Lanesboro by five points (13-8) a week before M-C defeated the Burros by nine (35-26). The Cougars are now cats with newly sharpened claws.