PrepRedzoneMN Playoff Weekend Recap: State Quarters 9Man-3A

There's snow on the ground in Minnesota and that means it's nearly state championship time, and I could not be thrilled with the quarterfinal round of action this 2022 season produced last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. To begin with, my state championship predictions seem to be dead in the water with headlining upsets of St. Thomas Academy and Esko, and I was quite jealous of PRzMN scout Brian Jerzak for getting to see the Fillmore Central vs. Lester Prairie slugfest that ended in an 18-16 victory for the Falcons in a massive Class A clash with state title implications. Rochester Mayo and Mankato West also had a barn burning 20-17 battle with the Scarlet's coming out victorious, and before I get too excited and get too in-depth in the intro I should cut myself off and formally introduce this PrepRedzoneMN Playoff Weekend Recap: State Quarterfinals edition. We'll be recapping the action, highlighting the standout performers, and doing a little preview on the upcoming semifinal matchups set for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!   --   9man   Mountain Iron-Buhl = 42 vs. Kittson County Central = 28   In one of the more competitive contests from the 9man ranks last weekend, both MIB's and KCC's offenses were on full display as well as their star power, yet the Bearcats couldn't outgun or outlast the Ranger's big guns in RB [player_tooltip player_id='205273' first='Damian' last='Tapio'] and QB [player_tooltip player_id='201177' first='Asher' last='Zubich']. The former opened up the scoring with 7ish minutes left in the first quarter when he popped off a 98-yard TD run that MIB then used to covert another 2pts when Zubich found stud WR [player_tooltip player_id='415462' first='Riley' last='Busch']. The next five TDs - scored by both teams - all came on the ground with Tapio adding three and KCC answering with athletic senior RB Chisum Schmiedeberg and senior QB Braden Faken scoring in the second quarter. It was 22-14 at half in favor of the Rangers, but MIB came out of halftime swinging and scored 2 TDs in the third and another to open the fourth. It was a lot to overcome for KCC, who battled back with a Faken to 2023 breakout star Kaden Vig for a 48-yard TD reception as well as a Faken rushing TD, but time expired on the comeback attempt and Mountain Iron-Buhl is off to the semifinals. They'll take on Wheaton-Herman-Norcross in a Thursday morning showdown at the Bank.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/04/3-Damian-Tapio.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-327270" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='205273' first='Damian' last='Tapio']</figcaption></figure>   Fertile-Beltrami = 22 vs. Ogilvie = 6   It was junior QB Caiden Swenby's show in the Friday quarterfinal matchup at Grand Rapids High School in the 9man ranks. The 6'3, 175 lb. QB, S, and punter used his arms and legs to get on top of the Ogilvie defense early and stay there. Starting with a 40-yard TD pass to sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='502013' first='Isaiah' last='wright'], the Falcons then converted the 2pt conversion attempt and followed it up with another TD pass, this time in the red zone to junior 6'1, 200 lb. junior Derek Sorenson, and Fertile-Beltrami went into halftime up 16-0. Ogilvie did mount a comeback that ended in a short, 2-yard TD run by 2024 Hunter Kenyon, but the Lions failed to convert the 2pt conversion and Fertile-Beltrami used a Swenby TD run in the 4th to cement the victory. The victorious Falcons take on Spring Grove on Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium for a chance to play for the 9man state title.   Wheaton-Herman-Norcross = 37 vs. Red Rock Central = 0   The Warriors scored in four different ways to win their 9man state quarterfinal that took place last Thursday at Buffalo High School, using a fumble return for a TD, a passing TD, two rushing TDs, and an interception returned for six to take down the Falcons, spearheaded by an explosive 2nd quarter that saw three TDs go against Red Rock Central and deflating the Falcons, who were down 31-0 at the half. PRzMN Preseason All-State 9man DPOY Bryant Callenius scored a TD and posted 11 tackles in the contest, and senior Brayden Hofer left WHN's offense with a 19 carry for 102 yards and a TD showing. Grant Dawson was the defender who returned the fumble for a TD and big #99 Brody Morrow picked off the interception that he returned three yards for the final score of the game. The Warriors are set to play the explosive Mountain Iron-Buhl at U.S. Bank Stadium this Thursday at 10:30 AM.   Spring Grove = 40 vs. Hancock = 22   The final 9man matchup was won by Spring Grove on many high-pressure, short-yardage situations that conjures up the term "big boy football" over and over in my MN prep football playoff headspace. QB Elijah Solum threw a 4-yard TD pass to open the game and followed it up with another 1st quarter score, this time on 9-yard run that he finished off with the successful 2pt conversion. Hancock answered to end the first with their own short-yardage TD run by QB [player_tooltip player_id='313047' first='Davin' last='Rose'], but Spring Grove kept up the pressure and scored two more TDs thanks to Solum to end the half up 26-6. It was too much for Hancock to fight back from despite their two, second half passing TDs by Rose, as Solum added two more TDs himself. Elijah, a junior, finished the game with three passing TDs and three rushing TDs. Senior Tysen Grinde caught two of those TD throws. His opposition, Hancock's QB Rose, finished with three TDs himself. The Lions take on Fertile-Beltrami at 1 PM on Thursday for a chance to compete for the 9man crown.   Class A   Filmore Central = 18 vs. Lester Prairie = 16   When talking state title implications and potential championship contenders, this Filmore Central vs. Lester Prairie matchup were one of the biggest from this past weekend and more than lived up to the hype in the 18-16 grudge match that finished with Filmore Central coming out on top. For a detailed recount of the game, check out Brian Jerzak's recent article, but I'm here to give you a quick synopsis. The top performer from the game, unfortunately, came from the losing side, with 195 lb. senior RB [player_tooltip player_id='300678' first='Tanner' last='Scheevel'] finishing the night with 32 carries for 229 yards and a TDs and a receiving TD for good measure, and his heroics couldn't overtake Filmore Central's passing attack. Led by senior Dillon O'Connor, who threw 20 times for 257 yards, and senior WR [player_tooltip player_id='407968' first='Bryce' last='Corson'], who caught 8 passes for 131 yards, the Falcons got one TD on the ground from Corson despite his productive receiving game, and senior QB O'Connor added the other two with his legs. The Bulldogs got their points from the aforementioned Scheevel, who caught his TD pass right before halftime and added the other right as the 3rd quarter was winding down. In what must have been a stressful 4th quarter for both teams, it seems the final fourth of the contest was scoreless and Filmore Central was able to narrowly cling onto that two-point victory margin. The Falcons will be playing at 11:30 on Saturday as they meet up with perennial heavyweight Minneota.   Springfield = 28 vs. Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg = 6   Springfield has developed some of the state's most explosive individual offensive weapons and stat-monsters the past two or three seasons of MN prep football and are seeing that firepower pay off in 2022 as they head to the state Class A semifinal after the past two years saw them failing to get out of their section. It wasn't easy getting there, though, as the Tigers saw one of their tightest contests of the fall come last weekend in a 22-point victory over Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg at Crown College last Friday. Interestingly, KMS got on the board first as their 2024 standout recruit and prospect [player_tooltip player_id='438724' first='Hunter' last='Kallstrom'] ran the rock in from 11-yards out to open the scoring and give his Fighting Saints the lead with four minutes left in the first. However, Springfield had an answer in store and scored the next TDs of the game. It begins and ends with QB stat monster Jakob Nachreiner, who threw three of the four to three different WRs. RB [player_tooltip player_id='313280' first='Ashtin' last='Johnson'] added the other TD, running the ball in for six from 40 yards out. Springfield will take on Deer River early Saturday morning at the Bank.   Nachreiner finished with a 20-28 for 294 yards and 3 TDs to 2 INT stat line.   [player_tooltip player_id='313280' first='Ashtin' last='Johnson'] rushed 22 times for 131 yards and a TD   WR Carter Olson caught 12 passes for 192 yards and a TD   State tackle leader [player_tooltip player_id='1149984' first='Ashton' last='Toll'] finished with 15 tackles and a FF   Deer River = 26 vs. Mahnomen-Waubun = 14   Down at the halftime mark, Deer River came out of the half hot and used a two-TD third quarter to pull away and eventually add to and finish with a 12-point victory over a talented Mahnomen-Waubun squad. Two TD runs by 2024 Jameson Donner and senior Dennis Ashley got the Thunderbirds out in front early but were victims of a momentum-shifting, ultra-important blocked kick that was returned for a TD by Deer River's Curtis Thompson, giving the Warriors some much-needed breath and facing only a 14-6 deficit at the half. The Warriors got back to their running game and picked up with a new sense of effort in the second half, with sophomore Ben Storlie adding a TD in the middle of the third and senior [player_tooltip player_id='312998' first='Sam' last='Rahier'] finishing the scoring off with the next two scores. All three second-half TDs concluded long, tough drives by Deer River, who earned the victory and will face a streaking Springfield squad this Saturday at 9 AM.   Minneota = 35 vs. Breckenridge = 7   Sadly, Breckenridge's exciting playoff run has ended at the hands of perennial Class A contender Minneota, and the Vikings were dominant on both sides of the ball, as Breck's lone TD came on a kickoff return that Paul Armitage took 93 yards to the house following Minneota's TD, a 20-yard run by Zack Fier. After that, it was all Vikings all the time, with Anthony Rybinski rushing for a TD to close out the first quarter. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1145278' first='Ryan' last='Meagher'] scored on runs in the second and fourth quarters, and stud Minneota QB Isaac Pohlen added the fifth TD on a 17-yard completion to senior Peyton Gillund. It was a balanced, team win for Minneota, and aforementioned Zack Fier led the offense with 26 rushes for 141 yards and a TD with sophomore Parker Bradley leading the defense with 11 tackles and a FF. Minneota will take on a hot and battle-tested Filmore Central squad for a chance to play for the state title. The Bank is going to be rockin'!   Class AA   Jackson County Central = 27 vs. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted = 0   A game of ups and downs, the first and third quarters of last Thursday's quarterfinal matchup of JCC and HLWW were scoreless, but in-between the minutes lacking in points came big explosions of Huskies offense with a 14-point second quarter and 13-point fourth quarter to take the lead, hold it, add to it, and finish with it 27-0. 6', 190 lb. senior Gabriel Wolff scored two of the TDs and finished with 17 carries for 182 yards and those two scores, monster freshman [player_tooltip player_id='212362' first='Roman' last='Voss'] added six through the air, and junior Noah Thompson added the finishing touches with his TD with 37 seconds remaining in the game. Dominant win by Jackson County Central, who are hungry for some state championship hardware and face off with Barnesville on Friday at 9AM at the one-and-only U.S. Bank Stadium.   Barnesville = 21 vs. Moose Lake-Willow River = 0   Another shutout victory in the Class AA quarters, Barnesville scored twice in the first and saw the game remain scoreless from both sides until deep in the fourth quarter, when junior Carlos Esteban put the finishing touches on the 21-0 victory over gritty Moose Lake-Willow River. Esteban also scored the second TD of the game, and before that senior Braeden Bredman opened the game with a 5-yard TD run in the first. Not a lot of action on the MLWR side of the ball. Barnesville plays JCC this Friday to continue their 2022 season.   Chatfield =35 vs. Blue Earth Area = 6   Despite the Gopher's ultra-tight 10-8 section championship win over rival Caledonia, Chatfield came ready to bounce back and get on the track of dominance once again in their Thursday contest with Blue Earth Area at Mayo High School in a Southern MN heavyweight matchup. It was all Chatfield, and to no one's surprise it was once again the [player_tooltip player_id='112047' first='Sam' last='Backer'] show, as the MSU-Mankato commit and potential MN POY passed for three TDs and rushed for two more, spread throughout the four quarters of the ball game. Blue Earth Area's monster senior [player_tooltip player_id='287255' first='Ashton' last='Lloyd'] got BEA on the board late in the fourth with his 12-yard TD run. [player_tooltip player_id='112047' first='Sam' last='Backer'] is something else and MN prep football fans should relish the final opportunities to see him in pads as a high schooler for the rest of this tourney. Chatfield will see Eden Valley-Watkins this Friday for the semifinal slugfest.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/174-Ashton-Lloyd-1024x811.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-330793" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='287255' first='Ashton' last='Lloyd']</figcaption></figure>   Eden Valley-Watkins = 14 vs. Sauk Centre = 7   The most competitive and most exciting of the Class AA quarterfinal round, Eden Valley-Watkins has made good on honoring their class of 2022 seniors but avenged last year's loss in the quarterfinals and moving onto the state semis and another step towards a championship ring. Last season's quarterfinal loss came to Barnesville, and although the Trojans are still thriving on the other side of the bracket the EVW squad has a lot to be excited about after their one-TD victory over Sauk Centre last Thursday at Monticello High School. The Mainstreeters opened up the scoring after QB Matthew Warring plunged in from a yard out to give his squad a 7 point lead, but the Eagles answered in the second with a Sam Nistler 15-yard scamper for six and a cherry-on-top solidifying TD in the third when junior QB Nolan Geislinger found a streaking Landon Neiman - also a junior - for 23-yard TD reception to put the game away. Eagles vs. Gophers this Friday at the Bank!   Class AAA   Watertown-Mayer = 34 vs. Cannon Falls = 30   In one of the best games, all weekend, Watertown-Mayer and Cannon Falls squared off at Hastings High School last Thursday and got busy in a back-and-forth, grind-it-out, last-second victory that saw tougher, short-yardage TDs than splash plays through four quarters. To begin the fourth quarter, Cannon Falls held a 30-20 victory, but couldn't halt the onslaught of the Royals offense led by stud QB [player_tooltip player_id='112131' first='Albert' last='Rundell']. The 6'1, 200 lber. scored a one-yard TD rush that, when added to the made PAT, put Watertown-Mayer down 30-27. In what must have been one of the last drives of the game, if not the last, Rundell found an open [player_tooltip player_id='313332' first='Wyatt' last='McCabe'] for a massive 51-yard TD reception that ultimately won the game and sent the Royals to the state semifinals. For the opposition, the Bombers rushing attack was no joke, as Colton Otto finished with 11-59-1 TD, [player_tooltip player_id='242396' first='Preston' last='Schoenfelder'] ended 19-141-1 TD, and fellow RB [player_tooltip player_id='348669' first='Dylan' last='Banks'] was 8-58-2 TDs in Cannon Falls' four-TD showing. Sadly, it wasn't enough, but both teams need to be proud of their outstanding 2022 seasons. Watertown-Mayer is set to face New London-Spicer this Saturday at 4:30 PM to advance to the finals.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/04/109-Albert-Rundell.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-327299" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='112131' first='Albert' last='Rundell'] </figcaption></figure>   New London-Spicer = 18 vs. Milaca = 14   Class AAA undoubtedly had the best slate of games and outcomes from this past weekend, and New London-Spicer vs. Milaca was another banger of a showdown with the Wildcats finishing on top in the 18-14 final score. I've been smitten with both teams this season and was sad to see one of their seasons conclude, but this is how things go, and the game sounded fantastic and dramatic and must have been a rollercoaster to watch in person. Milaca's stud senior [player_tooltip player_id='313132' first='Jack' last='Schoenborn'] opened up the scoring with 3:51 left in the first quarter after his 68-yard run found paydirt, and he answered with another TD early into the second quarter on a 2-yard run into the endzone. However, NLS had an answer in store, as they rallied off the next three scores that culminated in their go-ahead, 60-yard completion from sophomore QB Blake Schultz to Grant Paffrath, cemented by a successful 2pt conversion from Schultz to stud WR [player_tooltip player_id='382842' first='Brycen' last='Christensen']. 2025 gunslinger Schultz was fantastic in the showing, with three passing TDs and that can't-teach clutch gene all helping NLS get the victory. Also, props to the Wildcats defense for holding a tough Milaca offense scoreless for the second half of the biggest game of their season so far. New London-Spicer and Watertown-Mayer are set to meet this Saturday in a game I am very much looking forward to. Big week of practice for the Wildcats!   Fairmont = 49 vs. St. Croix Lutheran = 7   St. Croix Lutheran's streaking sectional-winning, playoff run has sadly come to an end at the hands of a tough Fairmont Cardinals squad hungry to improve on their 2021-22 campaign that saw them lose to the eventual champs Dassel-Cokato in the state quarterfinals. Their hard work paid off, as they are rolling into the semis with a massive offensive output that saw five Fairmont players score on passes and runs of varying degrees of yardage. It was too much for SCL to handle, and although Evan Valleau banged out a 66-yard TD run in the middle of the first quarter to knot the game at 7, Fairmont continued the onslaught and answered with six new TDs of their own. 10th grade QB Brenden Schmidtke was outstanding, tossing 5 TD passes, and the running game added two more with [player_tooltip player_id='234777' first='Elijah' last='Johnson'] and James Johnson finding paydirt for rushing TDs. Fairmont takes on Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton next Saturday at 2 PM. Where? At the Bank, of course!   Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton = 21 vs. Esko = 17   I'm honestly still in shock that this happened! I'm not saying DGF isn't talented or tough, as I named them one of only two teams to watch in Class AAA in my preseason state championship predictions, but I simply did not think any squad or derail the runaway, points-scoring, shutdown-defensive train that was the Esko Eskomos, yet here we are. Things got going with Esko taking a 1st quarter lead when Ty Christensen saw recent Minnesota Gopher 2024 offeree [player_tooltip player_id='323504' first='Makoi' last='Perich'] for a 35-yard TD pass and catch, and that TD reception remained as the only points of the first half. Halftime adjustments and some hyped-up speeches must have lit a fire under DGF's butt, as they came out of the half and scored two TDs back-to-back on a [player_tooltip player_id='313003' first='Jordan' last='Summers'] 1-yard TD run and [player_tooltip player_id='295962' first='Owen' last='Leach'] to Brody O'Keefe 23-yard go-ahead TD connection through the air. Speaking of Leach, the 6'6, 200 lb. UMD basketball commit and fantastic two-way football player, the senior stud was unfazed by Esko's TD run by Perich right at the end of the 3rd quarter to tie the game at 14 and then eventual FG to gain the lead in the 4th. The athletic QB and DB answered 20 seconds after that FG for an 85-yard TD pass to Nicholas Waale, giving the Rebels a 21-17 lead, where he aided his defense in shutting down Esko for the reminder of the game and dramatically finishing with their four-point lead intact. What a win and what a season for both squads. Still can't believe this happened but congratulations x100 to the Rebels. They take on Fairmont in the Class AAA semifinal this Saturday at 2PM.

There's snow on the ground in Minnesota and that means it's nearly state championship time, and I could not be thrilled with the quarterfinal round of action this 2022 season produced last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. To begin with, my state championship predictions seem to be dead in the water with headlining upsets of St. Thomas Academy and Esko, and I was quite jealous of PRzMN scout Brian Jerzak for getting to see the Fillmore Central vs. Lester Prairie slugfest that ended in an 18-16 victory for the Falcons in a massive Class A clash with state title implications. Rochester Mayo and Mankato West also had a barn burning 20-17 battle with the Scarlet's coming out victorious, and before I get too excited and get too in-depth in the intro I should cut myself off and formally introduce this PrepRedzoneMN Playoff Weekend Recap: State Quarterfinals edition. We'll be recapping the action, highlighting the standout performers, and doing a little preview on the upcoming semifinal matchups set for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!