Back to winning for BP
Blooming Prairie rebounded from its first regular season loss since 2017 by lighting up the scoreboard against USC last Friday in a 53-20 win at home.
The Rebels attempted to keep the game close in the first half; however, the red-hot Blooming Prairie offense was too much for USC in the end.
The Blossoms kicked off the scoring late in the first quarter with an eight-yard rushing touchdown by running back Cole Wangen with 1:07 remaining to take a 7-0 lead after a successful extra point.
After a defensive stand to start the second quarter, Blooming Prairie’s offense promptly marched down the field again.
This time, wide receiver Cade Christianson found pay-dirt by hitting the edge with a burst of speed on a 21-yard jet sweep play at 11:13 remaining in the quarter.
Christianson’s touchdown made the lead 14-0 after another successful point-after attempt, but score would quickly change following the play.
On the ensuing kickoff, USC benefitted from a chaotic return that involved a plethora of missed tackles and running lanes, resulting in an 85-yard return touchdown.
The Rebels were unsuccessful on their two-point attempt, keeping Blooming Prairie's lead at 14-6.
On the next Blooming Prairie drive, the Blossoms kept their stride and marched down the field, with Wangen taking matters into his own hands and scoring on an eight-yard rushing attempt.
The extra-point attempt was successful, extending the Blossoms’ lead to 21-6.
USC managed to answer the Blooming Prairie touchdown with one of their own at the 5:21 mark of the second quarter on a 26-yard pass, but Blooming Prairie refused to allow the Rebels back into the game.
Quarterback Brady Kittelson connected with wide receiver Derek Kubicek on a 13-yard touchdown with just 21 seconds remaining in the half to put Blooming Prairie ahead at 27-14 following a missed extra point.
The game would go on into halftime with the score remaining 27-14.
Both sides found the end zone in the third quarter, however, Blooming Prairie gave its fans more reason to cheer as the team outscored the Rebels 14-6.
Wangen added to his touchdown tally by taking a 17-yard run to the house, while running back Bo Zwiener crossed the goal line on a one-yard rush to further extend the lead.
USC’s score came from an 80-yard pass completion, but was far too late in the game for the Rebels to manage a three-score deficit.
In the fourth, Blooming Prairie capped the scoring by tallying two more touchdowns.
Wangen hauled in his fourth touchdown on a 33-yard completion from Kittelson, while wide receiver Cannon Wacek scored on a 47-yard rush with 13 seconds remaining to cap the game at 53-20.
After facing an uncharacteristic early-season loss, head coach Chad Gimbel’s squad answered in a big way to build momentum going into a road matchup with WEM on Friday at 7 p.m.