Thirty unanswered points send the Tigers to the Prep Bowl

In a rematch of last season's Class 1A semi-final, Mahnomen/Waubun and Springfield kicked off the final day of the state semi-finals. Although the game played out much differently this season - a Springfield 36-12 win in which the Tigers were in control most of the game. This season, Springfield needed a furious second-half rally to advance to their third straight Prep Bowl.   The offenses could not have been more different. The Thunderbirds used a read-option offense to move into Springfield territory on the game's first drive but were stopped short of the sticks short of the red zone.   The Thunderbirds' defense forced a three and out, and a bad snap on the Springfield punt resulted in a short punt and excellent field position for Mahnomen/Waubun. They would take advantage of the short field. They relied on the running and reads of quarterback Blake McMullen for most of the first half but would go to the air for the first time to convert on a third and eight. McMullen threw a strike on the sidelines to [player_tooltip player_id='1255896' first='Tanner' last='Stech'] for twelve yards and a first down. McMullen used his legs to get into the red zone and finished the drive with a touchdown run. The two-point conversion gave the Thunderbirds an 8-0.   The Tigers would move the ball across midfield, but the Thunderbirds stuffed an inside run, and Stech deflected a slant pass. On fourth down, the Tigers' pass into the end zone fell harmlessly to the ground.   The Thunderbirds' offense would take control of the game with a nine-minute drive. The Tigers' defense was routinely stopping the inside dive, but when McMullen pulled the ball and ran it himself, Springfield had few answers. McMullen would convert on a pair of third downs – one with his legs and one with his arm to get into the red zone. However, Springfield's defense made a series of plays – including [player_tooltip player_id='1288305' first='Aiden' last='Moriarty'] getting his hand in the passing lane to knock down a fourth-down pass.   The Springfield offense could not give the defense any rest as they quickly went three and out. This time, Mahnomen/Waubun would cash in. McMullen completed his third pass of the half to Stech for thirty yards. The play down the sidelines would set up McMullen to finish the drive with a five-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion would extend the lead to 16-0. The Thunderbirds would not threaten to score again.   Although they didn't score, Springfield's offense came to life late in the first half. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1633417' first='Parker' last='Kuehn'] started to connect with Moriarty with some throws to the outside. The plays moved the chains and allowed the offense to stop the clock. Kuehn then found Moriarty down the middle of the field for another first down to get into the red zone. On the next play, Moriarty found a receiver inside the five-yard line, but Mahnomen/Waubun's Lex McDougall forced a fumble, and Easton Bevins recovered, keeping the 16-0 lead into halftime.   Although stopped on their first drive of the second half, the Tigers completely flipped the script coming out of halftime.   The Thunderbirds continued to move the ball, but the Tigers' defense was starting to figure out how to stop the read option that killed them in the first half. Grady Korkemeier stuffed a run on the inside, forcing a fourth down. Springfield avoided disaster on fourth down. Korkemeier deflected the fourth down pass, but Mahnomen/Waubun's Brody Lhotka caught the deflection in the backfield and nearly picked up the first down.   With less than two minutes to play in the third quarter, Springfield was still down 16-0, but they had the ball.   The Tigers didn't get anything out of the running game in the first half, but their first touchdown drive started with [player_tooltip player_id='1582808' first='Gavin' last='Vanderwerf'] running the ball between the tackles for fifteen yards. Kuehn continued to wear out the perimeter of the Thunderbirds' defense with short throws to the outside, mainly to Moriarty and Brayden Sturm. Kuehn looked to the middle of the field and found [player_tooltip player_id='1666356' first='Isaac' last='Fredin'] for eighteen yards to get near the red zone. With two straight runs, Vanderwerf got inside the ten, and a play-action pass from Kuehn to Fredin got Springfield on the board. The two-point conversion cut the Mahnomen/Waubun lead in half.   Near mid-field, Mahnomen/Waubun faced a fourth and three. Instead of punting, they tried a pitch to the outside – something they had not done yet the entire game. Springfield was not fooled. Aidel Trevino and Russell Beers were all over it for the Tigers – dropping the runner for a loss.   With great field position, the Tigers' offense went back to work. Under pressure, Kuehn found his favorite receiver, Moriarty, on the outside, and then a screen pass to Sturm picked up a first down. A fifteen-yard completion to Moriarty put the Tigers in the red zone. Vanderwerf found room up the middle to set up first and goal. Moriarty pounded the ball into the end zone from four yards out three plays later. However, McMullen stuffed the two-point conversion run.   Needing one of the time-consuming drives from the first half to salt the game away, the Thunderbirds could not move the chains. After a three-and-out, Springfield had the ball near mid-field with over three minutes to play down two points. Vanderwerf continued his solid second half, using two runs to pick up a first down. A huge fifteen-yard penalty on the Thunderbirds' defense gave Springfield a first down and set up a go-ahead touchdown pass from Kuehn to [player_tooltip player_id='1655354' first='Madden' last='Lendt'].   The comeback was complete, but Springfield still needed a stop. Three plays later, they got it with an interception by Fredin. The long interception return put the Tigers in scoring range again, and even though they didn't need it, Vanderwerf salted away the win with a touchdown run to give Springfield a 30-16 victory.

In a rematch of last season's Class 1A semi-final, Mahnomen/Waubun and Springfield kicked off the final day of the state semi-finals. Although the game played out much differently this season - a Springfield 36-12 win in which the Tigers were in control most of the game. This season, Springfield needed a furious second-half rally to advance to their third straight Prep Bowl.