Owatonna's walk off win keeps the Huskies undefeated

Some years, I can only pick a game that includes a fantastic finish. In other years – like this year – no matter what rationale I use when choosing a game to cover, I end up at a game that is all but over mid-way through the fourth quarter. I hit two games this weekend to kick off the state tournament, and that string of non-competitive games ended – in style. After watching Chatfield take a one-point lead late in their state quarter-final game and hold on to defeat Triton when they picked off a pass inside the red zone, the end-of-game drama ramped up when I took in Cretin-Derham Hall and Owatonna on Saturday afternoon.   It was a defensive battle for most of the afternoon, but the Raiders got an early break. After Owatonna forced a punt, the Huskies could not gather in the punt, and Cretin-Derham Hall linebacker Beau Bollinger forced a fumble and pounced on the ball, too - putting the underdog Raiders in an early scoring position.   Owatonna almost got off the field without giving up points, but a pass interference penalty on third and long kept their drive alive. Thanks to a penalty on the Raiders, despite the field position, CDH was behind the chains. On second and twenty-five, running back Tommy Sticha caught a screen pass and, with the help of a great downfield block by offensive lineman Gino Bieter, nearly picked up the first down. On fourth and two, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='592229' first='Izaak' last='Johnson'] used his arm to pick up the first down and get into the end zone when he found tight end Brady Stoeklen on a crossing route for a fifteen-yard touchdown.   Undefeated Owatonna threatened to tie the game on their next possession. Huskies' quarterback Hunter Theis threw deep to wide receiver Lucas Webber, and Webber made a great back shoulder catch to get inside the thirty-five-yard line. Owatonna would convert on a fourth and short to keep the drive going before the Raiders' Ja'Dale Thompson shot a gap and made a tackle at the line of scrimmage on a fourth and short.   Owatonna would get the ball right back when Webber dropped into zone coverage and had the pass hit him right in the numbers for the turnover. Mr. Football candidate [player_tooltip player_id='1120567' first='Nolan' last='Ginskey'] caught a ball on the sidelines for a first down. Then, on third and eight, the Huskies threw a screen pass to tight end Zachary Haarstad, and he got up the field for a 19-yard touchdown catch. The Huskies would miss the extra point but cut the deficit to one point.   After forcing a three-and-out – Owatonna took the lead. A fifteen-yard punt return by Webber and a fifteen-yard penalty on the Raiders gave the Huskies great field position. Theis then found Ginskey down the sidelines for thirty yards, setting up first and goal. Ginskey made a leaping catch despite also drawing an interference penalty. Three plays later, running back [player_tooltip player_id='493343' first='Tristan' last='Graham'] plunged into the end zone with a one-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion gave Owatonna a 14-7 lead.   They would hold that lead into the second half. An early turnover – a fumble forced by Darian Stransky - gave the Huskies an excellent opportunity to expand their lead. However, the Raiders – who started the season 1-4 and had won five games in a row to get to this point – stepped up and forced a three-and-out.   The Raiders offense got moving after the three-and-out. A great back-shoulder throw from CDH's Johnson to wide receiver Owen Prestegaard picked up 42 yards. A few plays later, Johnson threw another nice back shoulder pass to [player_tooltip player_id='1191533' first='Monteff' last='Dixon'], who found some open space and sprinted into the end zone from 56 yards out.   The score was tied at 14, and the weather began to turn ugly, but the Huskies' offense, behind Theis's arm and Ginskey's hands, was on the move. Ginskey made a tough catch on the sidelines to pick up a first down, and then a few plays later, he made a leaping catch on a deep out for another first down. The drive would stall near mid-field.   Both teams moved the ball, but the defenses didn't allow either of the offenses to get into a realistic scoring position. Tied at 14, this game would go into overtime.   Cretin-Derham Hall would get the ball first in overtime. Thompson immediately found space up the middle for seven yards. After being unable to run the ball through the first three quarters, Thompson had found success running in the fourth quarter and into overtime. Two plays later, he was in the end zone. The extra point put the underdog Raiders up 21-14, needing one stop to keep their season alive.   The Huskies needed one yard on fourth and goal to keep their season alive. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='1581595' first='Blake' last='Fitcher'] would burrow his way into the end zone for the short touchdown. Instead of playing for a second overtime, the Huskies decided to end the game – one way or another – with a two-point conversion. They put the ball in the hands of their best player. Ginskey took a handoff and raced for the corner of the end zone. He was hit near the goal line but had enough momentum and power to get across the goal line for the walk-off 22-21 overtime victory.

Some years, I can only pick a game that includes a fantastic finish. In other years – like this year – no matter what rationale I use when choosing a game to cover, I end up at a game that is all but over mid-way through the fourth quarter. I hit two games this weekend to kick off the state tournament, and that string of non-competitive games ended – in style. After watching Chatfield take a one-point lead late in their state quarter-final game and hold on to defeat Triton when they picked off a pass inside the red zone, the end-of-game drama ramped up when I took in Cretin-Derham Hall and Owatonna on Saturday afternoon.