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.
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