Mankato West Scarlets Get the Gold

 The final game of the 2021 Prep Bowl featured Alex Dittbenner throwing two touchdown passes to lead the Mankato West Cougars to a 21-10 win over the Mahtomedi Zephyrs Saturday afternoon in the Class AAAAA Football Championship Game at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.  

It was the fifth state title for Mankato West in the 13th state tournament appearance and their first Class AAAAA championship since 2014.  

Many red and black clad Scarlet fans (as well as The Blogger) who were stuck in line waiting to enter the US Bank Stadium's purple seats missed the Mankato West defense coming up big when Mahtomedi's Gunnar Woods fumbled and Ryan Haley recovered and went 34 yards into the woods for the touchdown.  The Scarlets would go up by 14 as Dittbenner would rush for 37 yards on three plays and fire a nine yard pass to Brady Haugum on first and goal with :20 left in the quarter.  

Mankato West, the top ranked team in Class AAAAA most of the season had trouble hanging on to the ball, losing three fumbles.  The first was recovered by the Zephyrs Dominic Rohrer and it gave Mahtomedi an opportunity to cut the lead to seven.  But they would only gain one yard on three plays thanks to the Scarlet defense and Joseph Heinsch would put the Zephyrs on the board with a 31 yard field goal.  Mankato West led 14-3 at the half.  

The Zephyrs would inch closer to the Scarlets in the third quarter when Charles Brandt completed a 34 yard pass to Woods but he fumbled and this time he recovered the ball at the Mankato West four yard line.  They would cash in on Jordan Hull's one yard touchdown run.  However, the Scarlets would widen their lead to 11 when Dittbenner threw a 13 yard touchdown pass to Gibson Blackstad.  

Mankato West would conclude the scoring in the fourth quarter on Drew Smook's 35 yard field goal with 4:17 to go.  Mahtomedi had a chance to narrow the lead to seven on their final drive but once again the Scarlet defense came through on Haley's sack or Brandt and on fourth and 16, Brandt's pass to Quinn Walek was deflected by Damian Riewe and the Scarlets got the ball and ran out the clock to send the fans down Highway 169 home happy.  

Dittbenner led Mankato West completing 11 of 18 passes for 121 yards and rushing for 48 yards.  Mahtomedi was led by Ethan Loss who gained 130 yards on seven completions.  

The Scarlets ended their season with a 13-0 record and Mahtomedi finished with a record of 10-3.  

Long Drives Help Dassel-Cokato Chargers Win Class AAA Title

 Fans from five communities got to see Eli Gillman rush for 150 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Dassel-Cokato Chargers to a 28-21 victory over the Plainview-Elgin-Millville Bulldogs in the Class AAA Football Championship Game Saturday afternoon at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.  

It was the first state title for Dassel-Cokato in their fourth trip to state.  The Chargers returned to the Class AAA final after losing to the Pierz Pioneers 28-27 in 2019.  

The Charger defense would prevail in the early going when Kyan Lynk intercepted Bulldog quarterback Connor McGuire's pass.  It would begin a drive would culminate with Eli Gillman's eight yard touchdown run.  But the replay review ruled that Eli Gillman came short of the goal line.  so he got the ball again and this time he scored the touchdown, capping a 14 play drive that lasted 5:49.  

In the second quarter, P-E-M, aided by a D-C encroachment penalty got a one yard keeper touchdown from McGuire to tie the game at seven.  Then it would be D-C's turn and they kept the Bulldog defense on the field for a long long time.  They went 3 for 3 on fourth down conversions and it would culminate in 20 plays lasting (;30 with Eli Gillman's two yard touchdown run.  P-E-M would go into the locker room at halftime with a deficit.  They used a bit of trickery.  McGuire completed a pass to Kaiden Peters, he lateraled the ball to Jason Felis and he scampered down the left sideline like the fan buses heading down I-90 for a 44 yard touchdown to tie the game at 14.  

Heading into the third quarter, the Chargers methodical offense would strike again as they used 18 plays and 8:45 that would result in Eli Gillman's third touchdown of the game, his second from two yards.  

D-C would extend their lead to 14 in the fourth quarter when Keyton Johnson bulged through the Bulldog defense and scored from 10 yards.  P-E-M would cut the margin to seven on McGuire's nine yard touchdown pass to Hunter Tentis.  The Bulldogs would get the ball back, thanks to an onside kick that was recovered Peyton Schumacher.  Could they send the game into overtime or pull off the win?  The answer would be no as McGuire would misfire on all four downs and turn the ball over to the Chargers.  Two kneels later, the game ended.  

Statistics worth noting.  D-C ran 71 plays, P-E-M 34.  The Chargers had the ball 32:44, the Bulldogs 15:16.  

D-C finished the season with a 14-0 record and P-E-M ended their campaign with a record of 11-3.  

LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals Win First State Nine Man Title

 Saturday morning was the season finale of the football reality show The Chase, starring Chase Johnson who threw four touchdown passes and ran for two more to lead the LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals to a 58-8 rout of the Fertile-Beltrami Falcons in the Nine Man Football Championship Game at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.  

It was the first state title for the Cardinals in their 13th trip to state.  

Johnson would be a factor in L-O's two first quarter touchdowns.  The first was a 29 yard left side pass to Tristan Lewison and Johnson keep the ball, break through three tackles and reach the end zone to put the Cardinals ahead 14-0.  

Things would get even futile for F-B in the second quarter.  Rylin Petry's pass was intercepted by Tanner Olson and the Cardinals would cash in on Lewison's second receiving touchdown, a 38 pass from Johnson.  Lewison would also shine on defense as he picked up another Petry interception that resulted in Olson's one yard touchdown run.  It looked like Isaiah Wright would score the Falcons first touchdown.  But it was called back due to an illegal block in the back. L-O would get a third touchdown pass from Johnson with a 10 yard strike to Gavin Sweeney.  Lo and behold.  F-B would get the zero of their portion of the scoreboard on a one yard run from Everett Balstad.  The Cardinals would wrap up the first half scoring on Johnson's fourth touchdown pass, a 55 yard pass that soared toward the end zone and caught by Layne Bird to put L-O ahead at halftime 41-8.  

The Cardinals would add two more touchdowns from Tanner Olson in the third quarter, giving him three for the game.  He would score on a three yard run and go to the left side 36 yards into the end zone.  

With the large lead in the fourth quarter, running time was utilized.  Most of the L-O reserves got an opportunity to play in the Nine Man final but there was one more addition to the Cardinals score total.  It came on a 23 yard field goal from Sweeney with 4:39 left to play.  

Johnson would enter the Prep Bowl record book with 412 total yards.  He rushed for 272 yards and completed five of seven passes for 140 yards.  

L-O finished the regular season with a record of 12-2 and F-B- ended their season 13-1.  

Twenty Straight Wins Equals Class AAAAAA Title for Lakeville South Cougars

 Former Viking Ben Birk is in his second year as head coach of the Lakeville South Cougars and has won 19 straight games.  Make that 20 on two keeper touchdowns from Camden Dean that led them to a 13-7 win over the Maple Grove Crimson in the Class AAAAAA Football Championship Game Friday night at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.  

It was the first state title for Lakeville South since 2006 in their seventh trip to state.  

Both teams did not erase the zeros from the gigantic US Bank Stadium scoreboard in the first half.  In the first quarter, the Crimson had a 15 play drive that consumed 6:49 but it would go for naught as Cayden Vogel was hit with a 10 yard loss.  There were also field goal attempts that were missed or blocked, including a chance for Maple Grove to take the lead at halftime.  But Connor Fournier's try was blocked by Lakeville South's Delainey Suraju.  

There would be good news for Crimson fans in the third quarter when Tanner Albeck hauled in a 24 yard pass from Jacob Kilzer.  The Cougars would even the score as Dean kept the ball, broke through two tackles and went down the right sideline into the end zone.

Dean would score the eventual game winning touchdown on a 48 yard keeper run with 3:05 left in regulation.  Maple Grove would have a chance to tie or even win the game.  The Crimson would go 2 for 2 on fourth down conversions.  Could they get a third?  Facing fourth and 10 at the Cougar 35 yard line, Kilzer kept the ball, headed toward the left sideline but came up one yard short and lost the ball to Lakeville South.  A couple of kneels later, they would take home the championship trophy.  

Dean would lead the Cougars with eight carries for 109 yards.  

Lakeville South concluded their season at 13-0 and Maple Grove ended their campaign with a record of 11-2.  

Six State titles for Hutchinson Tigers

 The Hutchinson Tigers were on their A Game Friday afternoon as Alex Elliot and Andrew Ladwig scored two touchdowns apiece to lead them to a 42-14 win over the Kasson-Mantorville KoMets 42-14 in the Class AAAA Football Championship Game at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.  

It was the sixth state championship for Hutchinson in their 24th tournament appearance.  

Elliot would account for the Tigers only first quarter touchdown when he broke a tackle and headed 40 yards into the end zone.  

Hutchinson would start the second quarter with Ladwig scoring a two yard touchdown run following Elliot's 20 yard run that ended the first quarter. It looked like the Komets would be in striking distance of the Tigers on Brooks Buchanan's 72 yard kickoff return.  A sideline interference penalty on the Tigers would move the ball to the Hutchinson six yard line.  However, on the next play, K-M quarterback Matthew Donovan fumbled and Logan Hoppe recovered the ball for the Tigers.  Two plays later, Mitchell Piehl peeled down the left sideline like the team bus heading down Highway 7 and he scored a 90 yard touchdown to give Hutchinson a 20-0 lead.  There would be no shutout for the Tigers as Donovan kept the ball and ran 30 yards to the end zone.  Elliot would score his second touchdown of the game on the pitch from quarterback Colin Nagel and he scored from 12 yards to give the Tigers a 28-7 halftime lead.  

Both teams would tally in the third quarter.  Ladwig reached the end zone for the second time on a two yard run for the Tigers and the KoMets got a 14 yard run from Anthony Moe-Tucker.  

K-M had a chance to score their third touchdown in the fourth quarter but they lost the ball on downs to Hutchinson.  Nagel would keep the ball for runs of five and four yards before concluding the scoring on a two yard run.  

The Tigers ran for 423 yards with Piehl the leading rusher at 128 and Elliot with 127.  

Hutchinson ends their season with a record of 12-1 and K-M finishes with a record of 9-4.  

2021 Prep Bowl Preview Part Two

 If there was plenty of excitement from the first day of the 2021 Minnesota Prep Bowl, the second day could add even more.  Here's a preview of Day Two's championship games.  

10:00:  Nine Man:  LeRoy Ostrander vs. Fertile-Beltrami.  It's the "Battle of the Birds" to open the Prep Bowl's second day as the LeRoy Ostrander Cardinals face the unbeaten Fertile-Beltrami Falcons.  The Cardinals, in their 13th state tournament trip, have been keeping the scoreboard operators busy in the state tournament as they routed Wheaton-Herman-Norcross in the quarterfinals 57-26 and shutout Kittson County Central in semifinal action 49-0.  Leroy-Ostrander has more Chase scenes than a Monkees episode as running back Chase Johnson ran for 229 yards and three touchdowns against Kittson County Central.  The Falcons, making their sixth trip to state, have a high powered offense that has had three straight shutouts in the regular season, outscoring their opponents 175-6.  Anchoring the Fertile-Beltrami offense is running back Everett Balstad, who reached the end zone three times in the semifinals against Hills-Beaver Creek.  Will the first state title be in the Cards or will the Falcons head north with their first state championship?  

1:00:  Class AAA:  Plainview-Elgin-Millville vs. Dassel-Cokato.  Five towns.  Two teams.  One goal to aim for and that's the state Class AAA title.  The Bulldogs are in their fifth state tournament and looking for their first state title since 2011.  They are on a roll with a six game winning streak. But look out fans.  Eli's coming but unlike the Three Dog Night song you don't need to hide your heart unless you're a P-E-M fan because the Eli in this post is the Chargers top running back Eli Gillman.  Gillman has been the key to Dassel-Cokato's success, rushing for 2,066 yards and 39 touchdowns.  He will be playing next season at Montana.  The Chargers, in their fourth trip to state utilize an offense that resembles the successful Elk River teams coached by Steve Hamilton, they run run run.  In their semifinal game against the Esko Eskomos, quarterback Gregory Clark did not throw a single pass.  Dassel-Cokato is 0-2 in state title games.  Will the third time be the charm for the Chargers or will the Bulldogs end their 10 year drought?  

4:00:  Class AAAAA:  Mahtomedi vs. Mankato West.  The Prep Bowl comes to a close as the Mahtomedi Zephyrs battle the top ranked and unbeaten Mankato West Scarlets.  The Zephyrs, in their 15th state tournament are on a quest for their first state title since 2005.  They clobbered the Cooper Hawks in the semifinals 34-7 as the Hawks were without quarterback Joe Russell who was sidelined due to an injury.  It will be a tough task for the Zephyrs as they go against the Scarlets, who have been atop the Class AAAAA rankings most of the 2021 season.  Mankato West routed the Rogers Royals 42-7 in the semifinals.  Ryan Haley ran for two touchdowns and also recovered a fumble he took to the end zone.  The Scarlets, in their 13th state tournament appearance have outscored their opponents in a six game stretch 246-6.  Mankato West have headed down Highway 169 with four state title trophies.  Can they make it five?  

Blogger's Note:  Research for this preview has come from mnfootballhub.com and mshsl.org.  

2021 Prep Bowl Preview Part One

 The morning after Minnesotans wake up from their Thanksgiving feast is the start of the 2021 Minnesota Prep Bowl November 26 and 27 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.  Here's a preview of the four games played on November 26.  

10:00:  Class A:  Minneota vs. Mayer Lutheran.  The Minneota Vikings are in their 15th state tournament as they head into their 11th state title game as they try to bring home their eight championship trophy to southwestern Minnesota.  The Vikings beat Mahnomen/Waubun and Rushford-Peterson to head into the championship.  Conner Sik has been making opposing defenses sick with five touchdowns in two state tournament games.  He reached the end zone twice against Mahnomen/Waubun and three times against Rushford Peterson.  What a successful fall season it has been for Mayer Lutheran.  The girls volleyball team took home the Class A title trophy and now the Crusaders in their seventh trip to state have a shot at their first state football title.  Mayer Lutheran has won 12 straight games since losing their season opener to Gibbon-Fairfax Winthrop and has cruised through the Class A bracket with wins over Murray County Central and New York Mills.  Can the Crusader fans head home happy down Highway 7 if they beat Minneota?  

1:00:  Class AA: Chatfield vs. West Central Area.  Yes sir folks.  There's a changing of the guard in this year's Class AA final as the Caledonia Warriors reign is over.  The two new combatants are the Chatfield Gophers, in their eight trip to state and vying for their fifth state title and the West Central Area Knights from Ashby who are in their first state tournament since 2017 and looking to win their first state title.  The Gophers gobbled up the Minneapolis North Polars in the quarterfinals and in the semifinal game against the Barnesville Trojans, they were trailing 18-14 until Parker Delaney threw a 46 yard touchdown pass to Luke Carrier with 2:21 left to clinch the championship berth.  The Knights, losing their only game by two points to Osakis, beat Moose Lake-Willow River 14-6 in the quarterfinals and got a third quarter safety from Hunter Norby that held up for the win against the Maple River Eagles.  Who will be the new kings of the Class AA hill?  

4:00:  Class AAAA: Kasson-Mantorville vs. Hutchinson.  The Kasson-Mantorville KoMets are playing in their 11th state tournament but have never headed home down Highway 52 with a championship trophy.  They earned the opportunity to win their first after pulling the upset of the tournament in the semifinals with a 24-20 win over the unbeaten Becker Bulldogs.  They used solid defense and came through on Matthew Donovan's touchdown pass to Brooks Buchanan with :09 remaining to clinch their first Prep Bowl trip.  But things are getting tougher for the KoMets as they face the perennial power Hutchinson Tigers, in their 24th trip to state and playing for their sixth state title.  The Tigers only loss this season was to Becker 21-12 but K-M ended any possibility of a rematch.  Hutchinson has scored more than 40 points in for of their last five games.  Can the Tigers make it five of six or will the KoMets play the role of giant killers again?  

7:00: Class AAAAAA:  Maple Grove vs. Lakeville South.  If you can only make it to one Prep Bowl game over the two days, head to downtown Minneapolis for the Class AAAAAA final.  Keep an eye on the Crimson's top running back Derrick Jameson.  He scored a 77 yard touchdown in the semifinals against the Eden Prairie Eagles and has made 23 trips to the end zone this season.  The unbeaten Lakeville South Cougars have been the top ranked team most of the season in Class AAAAAA thanks to junior running back Carter Hansen who also has 23 touchdowns and 1,959 yards.  Memo to PJ Fleck.  HSGN hopes you are in attendance for this game before you face Wisconsin Saturday.  You'll be seeing two possible additions to your backfield.  Both teams are playing for their first state championship.  Can the Crimson stay hot or will the Cougars cruise to the title trophy?  

Next up.  Saturday's games in Part Two.  

Kasson-Mantorville KoMets Stun Becker Bulldogs

 Matthew Donovan was a sunshine superman in the fourth quarter as he ran for two touchdowns and threw the game winning touchdown pass to Brooks Buchanan with :09 left to lead the Kasson-Mantorville KoMets to a 24-20 shocker over the top ranked Becker Bulldogs Thursday in the Class AAAA semifinals at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.  

Neither team would score in the first quarter but the Bulldogs had a golden opportunity to take the lead after a run by Carter Callahan spotted the ball first and goal at the KoMet seven yard line.  But Becker couldn't get the ball in the end zone.  They would forge ahead with 10 straight points in the second quarter as Ryan Bengston threw a seven yard touchdown pass to Logan Eisley.  Zach Bengston would wrap up the first half scoring on a 36 yard field goal with :03 remaining.  

Both teams would tally in the third quarter.  K-M would erase the zero from the giant US Bank Stadium scoreboard on a 21 yard field goal from Andrew Donovan.  Becker would reach the end zone on Ryan Bengston's second touchdown pass of the game, a 34 strike to Alexander Weiss and the Bulldogs increased their lead to 17-3.  Time was expiring in the third quarter and Becker was on the move toward a three touchdown lead.  However, Gavin Giesler came right in front of Ryan Bengston and intercepted his pass that started the KoMets next drive at the Bulldogs three yard line.  But K-M fans would have to wait a couple of minutes because the third quarter came to an end.  

Now on to the fourth quarter.  The KoMets would cash in on Giesler's pick when Matthew Donovan scored on a one yard keeper.  K-M would tie the game as Matthew Donovan made another trip to the end zone on a three yard run.  But Becker still had some life and a chance to advance to next Friday's Class AAAA final when Dailen Adu-Gyamfi intercepted Matthew Donovan.  It would pay off on a 26 yard field goal from Zach Bengston with 1:30 left in regulation time.  The KoMets would get the ball for the potential game winning drive.  Matthew Donovan would advance the ball on a 14 yard keeper but a facemask penalty on Becker would move the ball to the Bulldog 13 yard line.  On third down and five from the the Becker seven yard line, Matthew Donovan would throw a left side pass to Buchanan and he hauled it in for the game winner.  

Matthew Donovan led the KoMets with 25 rushes for 134 yards.  Callahan led the Bulldogs with 18 carries for 106 yards.  

K-M improved their record to 9-3 and will play the winner of the Orono-Hutchinson game for the Class AAAA title Friday, November 26 at 4 PM at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.  Becker concluded their season with a record of 11-1.  

2021 State Football Semifinal Schedule

 Minnesota high school football fans won't have to worry about sitting through rain and snow that dampened a number of quarterfinal games throughout the state last weekend as the scene shifts inside to US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis this weekend for 14 semifinal games over three days

Here is the semifinal schedule for the three fun filled football days in Minneapolis.  

                                      THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18

11:30:  Nine Man:  Kittson County Central vs. LeRoy-Ostrander

 2:00:  Class AA:  Barnesville vs. Chatfield

 4:30:  Class AAAA:  Becker vs. Kasson-Mantorville

 7:00:  Class AAAAAA:  Eden Prairie vs. Maple Grove

                                       FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19

9:00;  Nine Man:  Fertile-Beltrami vs. Hills-Beaver Creek

11:30:  Class AA:  West Central Area vs. Maple River

2:00:  Class AAAAA:  Cooper vs. Mahtomedi

4:30:  Class AAAA:  Orono vs. Hutchinson

7:00:  Class AAAAAA:  St. Michael-Albertville vs. Lakeville South

                                    SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20

9:00:  Class A:  Minneota vs. Rushford-Peterson

11:30:  Class A:  New York Mills vs. Mayer Lutheran

2:00:  Class AAA:  Annandale vs. Plainview-Elgin-Millville

4:30:  Class AAA:  Esko vs. Dassel-Cokato

7:00:  Class AAAAA:  Rogers vs. Mankato West

There's plenty of exciting high school football action this weekend.