Football: Falcons Post 20-Point Rally, Fall One Point Short in State Semis

It is certainly not a game Fillmore Central football nation is going to forget. Minneota nation won’t forget it either. The state semifinal between the #2 Falcons (Section 1A Champ, 12-0) and #10 Vikings (Section 5A Champ, 10-2) had two complete opposite halves, the first controlled by one team, the second the other. It had a furious 20-point comeback including a fourth and 29 hook and ladder conversion in the final minute. It came down to the final seconds. A few plays will be talked about forever, as the game wasn’t anything short of absolutely memorable. The first half wasn’t FC’s best, save their first possession. Chris Mensink’s group came out and took the opening kick-off 69 yards. Set up by a 36-yard Dillon O’Connor to Chase Christianson pass, O’Connor hit Bryce Corson in the corner of the end zone for a 7-yard TD strike and a 7-0 lead. Minneota, who beat Section 1A representative Rushford-Peterson in the semis 28-8 (and lost 20-14 in last year’s Class A Prep Bowl), then posted a strong first half offensive performance. FC’s defense didn’t have an answer. The Vikings first drive was 10 consecutive run plays for positive yards ending in a 1-yard Isaac Pohlen TD plunge and a 7-7 game. After stopping FC on fourth down at the Minneota 34, the Vikings ran eight more positive yardage plays ending in an Anthony Rybinski 4-yard TD run and a 14-7 lead. Two plays into FC’s next drive, an O’Connor pass for Kyle Daniels quick deflected a couple times right into Destin Fier’s hands for an interception. Four plays later, on 3rd and 15, Pohlen slung a pass up the sideline. Falcon Bryce Corson had a bead for an interception. Viking Ryan Dalager had a bead for a reception. Dalager made the catch, and then walked in for a 35-yard TD, a critical play. All told, Minneota scored on three of four possessions in the first half, the only exception as time expired to end the stanza. They went to half up 21-7, having out-gained FC 159 to 16 in the second quarter. The Falcon defense then stiffened. The teams traded multiple three-and-outs to start the second half. Minneota then went 60 yards in seven plays late in the third, Ryan Meagher capping things with a 4-yard TD run. With 1:01 left in the third, FC trailed 28-7. But the Falcons didn’t quit. The rest of the game was wild. It took only a few minutes for FC to get right back into it. O’Connor started flinging the ball all over the place, often looking for speedsters Corson and Christianson. FC’s ensuing series went 70 yards in just four plays and took less than a minute. An O’Connor 18-yard TD run plus PAT made it 28-14, the score heading to the fourth. The Falcon defense held Minneota to another three-and-out. O’Connor and company went right back to work with a short field. On fourth and 4 from the 30, FC’s senior QB hit Christianson for a 30-yard TD pass down the middle. With PAT, FC was suddenly down 28-21 and had all the momentum (9:39). Another defensive three-and-out got the Falcons the

ball back. A 12-play series had key O’Connor pass hook-ups to Christianson (31 yards) and, on third and 10, to Corson (28 yards). The latter got FC to the Minneota one! O’Connor capped things with a 1-yard plunge. With 3:19, left FC trailed 28-27! They then elected to go for two, a decision Coach Chris Mensink said after the game had been made during the drive. But a pass play was stymied, and despite desperately hanging on, the Vikings were doing so up 28-27. But it wasn’t over. Minneota went three-and-out for a fifth time in the half. The Falcons got the ball back at their 26 with 1:26 left. FC got a O’Connor to Corson 31-yard completion to the Viking 33. A play later, reserve Falcon receiver Greg Kennedy almost caught a go-ahead TD. FC then suffered an intentional grounding that made it 3rd and 24 from the 47. An incompletion and a false start made it 4th and 29 from the FC 48. What were the chances of O’Connor hitting Christianson, and Christianson lateralling it to Corson, and Corson then tip-toeing the sidelines for a 34-yard hook-and-ladder first down conversion? Not good, but it happened! The crazy play gave the Falcons first down at the Viking 18 (0:22)! A play later, O’Connor found Corson in the back corner of the end zone. The senior briefly secured the catch and had a foot down, but the ball was dislodged by Viking defenders. A Hudson Scholten sack and a spike left FC down to its last play; fourth and 16 from the 24 (0:07). O’Connor went for Christianson, who was double-covered. The throw didn’t have a chance. The Falcons crazily came back from three TDs down, but fell one point short, losing 28-27. Minneota moved back to its second straight Prep Bowl. O’Connor (19 of 36, 323 yards, 2 TDs, INT, 12-62, 2 TDs rushing), Corson (9-168, TD receiving), and Christianson (6-117, TD receiving) put on an aerial clinic. Again, FC’s pass blocking was strong. O’Connor threw for 224 yards in the final 13 minutes. The Vikings, whose offense was impotent in the second half save one drive, leaned on their ground attack. Zack Fier (22-119) had over half of their 211 rushing yards. Meagher (7-50, TD rushing) helped. Pohlen (6 of 6, 83 yards, TD passing, 1-yard TD run) was perfect through the air. After 142 rushing yards in the first half, Minneota had 69 in the second. The Vikings, coached by Chad Johnston (195-39 record) came out strong and made just enough plays down the stretch to hold on. Johnston has now beat a “Journal 11” team in three straight seasons at the state level (Houston girls basketball in 2020, R-P football in 2021, FC football in 2022). FC finished with 388 yards offense to Minneota’s 294. FC ran for just 65 yards. Daniels had a team-high 13 tackles. Christianson had 11, Garrett Gossman nine (including two TFLs). It’s a stinger of a loss, as FC had three big chances (two-point conversion, Kennedy/Corson near TD receptions) to clinch a ridiculous comeback. The Falcons complete the best season in the school’s history (12-1), reaching the state semifinals. They played two epic state level contests. The Falcons have eight senior critical pieces: O’Connor, Corson, key lineman Gossman, Gunner Benson, and Will Parker plus Jake Fishbaugher, Samuel Springer, and Christian Ladd. Coach Mensink: “There’s so much fight in this group. They play every play for the next play. I just couldn’t be prouder of these guys. It’s been a great season and what a fun opportunity to coach these seniors… We have nothing to hang our heads about.”