Top performers - Owatonna vs. Cretin-Derham Hall

In an absolute classic Minnesota state football tournament quarter-final game, the Owatonna Huskies used a do-or-die two-point conversion to knock off the Cinderella Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders to reach the 5A semi-finals. As fun as the game was to watch, some of the individual performances were exciting to watch as well.    Ginskey was the most explosive player on the field. Early, he made a pair of catches for ten yards each on the sidelines. He showed great concentration and athletic ability with a leaping, thirty-yard catch inside the five-yard line. The senior even drew a pass interference call on the play. He showed his athletic ability when he caught a short pass in the backfield. The senior should have been tackled for a two-yard loss, but he turned it into a five-yard gain. Then, he made a 15 yard catch even though the defender undercut the route to nearly pick off the pass. Another leaping catch on a deep out picked up ten yards. On defense, he jarred the ball loose on a deep post route, preventing a first down. Finally, he walked off the Raiders when he took a handoff and used his speed to get to the corner to convert on a two-point conversion for the win.     On defense, Thompson shot a gap and made a tackle at the line of scrimmage on fourth and short, causing a turnover on downs. On offense, the two-way player cut upfield while running an end-a-round for ten yards. He picked up another first down on the ground on a late fourth and short, breaking a tackle along the way. He opened overtime with a seven yard gain and then gave the Raiders the lead with a short touchdown run in overtime.     Theis moved well in the pocket all game. He completed a pass on the move early in the game. Then, on a straight drop back, he completed a pass down the sidelines for a first down. He showed a strong arm on a throw on the move for ten yards. After an accurate throw to the outside for twelve yards, Theis' good movement in the pocket led to a great throw on the sidelines for thirty yards. He showed off his arm strength again, getting the ball into his receiver just in front of the defender.      Harris came off the corner to make a tackle for no gain. He did it again on third and short to prevent a first down. Later, Harris stuffed a run between the tackles for a short gain. Coming off the edge again, he stuffed a run near the goal line. The senior then put pressure on the quarterback, forcing an early throw. After making a tackle for a short gain, he dropped into coverage and deflected a pass on a crossing route.     Haarstad put a hit on the running back to force him inside so his teammates could make a tackle. Later, he put pressure on the quarterback and brought him down for a sack. On offense, Haarstad caught a short pass and then caught a screen pass on third and eight, scoring a 19-yard touchdown.     Early, Johnson hit a slant route in stride. He put a ball right on the receiver deep down the field. On a 4th and four, he completed a crossing route for a fifteen-yard touchdown. Johnson then threw two great back shoulder fades for twenty yards and then for a 56-yard touchdown.     Webber impacted all three phases of the game. His good adjustment on a ball resulted in a first down. On defense, he picked off a pass by settling down in a zone right in front of the receiver. His cutting ability and excelleration on special teams set his offense up with excellent field position after a punt return.     Early, Dixon caught a slant and broke a tackle for twenty yards. Later, he caught a back shoulder throw for a 56-yard touchdown.     On the game's first play, Graham picked up six yards right up the middle. Then, he scored from one yard out. Graham picked up ten yards up the middle on third and two. He showed great footwork with a cut at the line of scrimmage, allowing him to pick up fifteen yards.     In the passing game, Sticha caught a screen for twenty yards. On the ground, he made a great cut on a counter and picked up 12 yards.     Dahnert was a big reason why the Raiders struggled to run the ball most of the game. The senior made two tackles on the inside for minimal yardage. Then, he made a tackle for loss on a cutback run. Late in the game, he put pressure on the quarterback, allowing a teammate to get a sack.     Davison made a tackle on the inside for a short loss. Then, he forced the runner inside so his teammates could make the tackle. He showed good instincts when he read a draw and made a tackle for a short gain. Finally, he stuffed an inside run late in the third quarter.     On defense, Fitcher made two tackles for short gains. On offense, he ripped off a ten-yard run. Then his critical nine-yard run got the Huskies off the goal line. He kept his team's hopes alive with a one-yard touchdown run in overtime - on fourth and goal.     Stransky came off the edge to make a tackle for loss and forced a fumble. Then, he stopped two runs off tackle for short gains. Finally, he got into the backfield and made a tackle, forcing a fourth down.

In an absolute classic Minnesota state football tournament quarter-final game, the Owatonna Huskies used a do-or-die two-point conversion to knock off the Cinderella Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders to reach the 5A semi-finals. As fun as the game was to watch, some of the individual performances were exciting to watch as well.