BP’s homecoming cut short by lightning

Blooming Prairie’s homecoming football game ended prematurely as a 38-12 loss to Maple River last Friday night when lightning and heavy rain called for the stoppage of action at halftime.

The first half saw the opening minutes go entirely in Blooming Prairie’s favor before the Eagles’ offense and mother nature began to team up against the Awesome Blossoms.

Blooming Prairie received the opening kickoff and immediately went to work putting together its best drive of the game.

Quarterback Gabe Staloch led his team 84 yards down the field in 12 plays to secure the opening touchdown, eventually scoring on a 24-yard pass to wide receiver Bradley Boyd on a post route deep across the middle of the field.

The Awesome Blossoms failed to add the extra point and took a 6-0 lead halfway through the first quarter.

Maple River fielded the ensuing kickoff but quickly gave the ball back to Blooming Prairie by fumbling on its first play of the game.

The turnover set the Awesome Blossoms up in plus territory at the Eagles’ 32-yard line.

Blooming Prairie’s offense began to march toward the goal line and looked primed to take a two-possession lead until the team’s first blunder of the game came on an interception at the Eagles’ 11-yard line.

An attempt by Staloch to find a wide receiver on a slant across the middle was placed right into the hands of a waiting Maple River linebacker who was sitting in the quarterback’s blind spot.

Maple River returned the ball to its own 20-yard line and began its second possession with bang.

The Eagles got loose on a 74-yard rush to begin the drive and capped it just one play later with a six-yard rush and a successful two-point attempt to take the lead at 8-6.

Undeterred, Blooming Prairie’s Staloch shook off his initial mistake and answered with a play that gave Blooming Prairie fans flashbacks of Drew and Brady Kittelson’s big-play abilities.

After receiving the kickoff and losing three yards on two plays to face a third-and-long from its own 22-yard line, Blooming Prairie’s Staloch punished the Eagles’ for playing man coverage by bursting through the middle of the field for a 78-yard rushing touchdown to regain the lead.

Blooming Prairie’s two-point attempt fell incomplete to keep the team’s lead at 12-8 late in the first quarter.

Unbeknownst to the Awesome Blossoms fans, it would be the last excitement of the night for the home team.

The Eagles’ offense wasted no time exposing the Awesome Blossoms’ defense by scoring on another two-play drive that ended with a 48-yard passing touchdown just before the end of the first quarter.

Maple River tacked on the two-point conversion to lead 16-12 heading into the second quarter.

The next 12 minutes would see Blooming Prairie’s offense go cold, punting the ball twice and turning it over once.

Maple River capitalized on every change of possession by scoring three straight touchdowns and adding two more two-point conversions to outscore the Awesome Blossoms 22-0 in the second quarter.

With severe weather moving into the area, Blooming Prairie Activities Director Ali Mach came over the loudspeakers advising everyone in attendance to head to their cars to wait out the storm.

Unfortunately for the home crowd, the game was ruled over at halftime, dashing the Awesome Blossoms’ chance for a homecoming comeback.

The loss moves Blooming Prairie to 0-4 overall as it heads into a road matchup against St. Clair/Loyola on Friday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.

Player Stats

Passing

#5 Gabe Staloch – 17/24 99 yards 1 TD 1 Int.

Rushing

#5 Staloch – 4 att. 71 yards 1 TD 1 Fum.; #4 David Clennon – 3 att. 9 yards

Receiving

#2 Bradley Boyd – 6 rec. 36 yards 1 TD; #19 Max Sorensen – 3 rec. 31 yards; #4 Clennon – 5 rec. 18 yards; #16 Kelvin McCarthy – 1 rec. 15 yards; #7 Eliot Gimbel – 2 rec. 7 yards