Still in the hunt

Huskies defeat Northfield, 33-7 
The Owatonna Huskies beat the Northfield Raiders 33-7 in the semifinal round of the Section 1AAAAA playoffs to advance to the championship game.
Owatonna will face Rochester Mayo at Mayo High School on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
The Huskies have already traveled to Mayo once this year to face the Spartans, losing 58-31 in the team’s first game of the season.
“With nine games under our belt, I think we have improved in many facets of our game and are a much different team than we were week one. We are running the ball more consistently and protecting the quarterback,” said Owatonna head coach Jeff Williams.
Owatonna earned a first-round bye in the playoffs and went on to beat Northfield 33-7, improving its record to 6-3 overall and 5-3 in-conference.
The Huskies marched their way into the section final behind dominant performances by both the offense and defense in the game against Northfield.
Big plays came early for Owatonna, as junior defensive back Colling Vick made a diving interception on the first Northfield drive of the game to give Owatonna possession.
The interception by Vick led to a sustained Huskies drive and a four-yard rushing score by senior running back Dylan Maas.
The Huskies tacked on an extra point to lead 7-0 with 3:17 remaining in the first quarter.
Northfield answered Owatonna’s touchdown with one of its own, scoring on a 54-yard passing touchdown with 9:13 remaining in the second quarter. A successful point-after try tied the game at 7-7.
On the ensuing drive, the Huskies scored again. This time,  sophomore quarterback Jacob Ginskey found senior wide receiver Nick Williams across the middle for a 19-yard passing touchdown.
The big play came on third and goal from the 19-yard line, as penalties and plays for losses pushed the Huskies nearly out of the red zone.
Junior kicker Drew Henson’s extra point was good to make the game 14-7 and that’s where the score stayed through halftime.
After the half, it was all Huskies the rest of the way.
Ginskey scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 7:58 remaining in the third, before the defense scored points of its own on a safety near the end of the quarter to make the score 23-7.
One more passing touchdown from Ginskey to Williams along with a successful 25-yard field goal by Henson ended the scoring in the fourth quarter to give Owatonna a 33-7 victory.
Owatonna’s run game against Northfield was the catalyst for the offense with 259 total yards on 48 rushing attempts, averaging 5.4 yards-per-carry.
Maas was the main workhorse for the Huskies, carrying the ball 33 times for 152 yards and a touchdown.
Ginskey also found success through the air with five completions on 10 attempts for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Williams caught both touchdowns from Ginskey, finishing with three receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns.
The Huskies’ defense also kept the scoring margin wide in favor of Owatonna by holding Northfield to only 134 yards of total offense and adding a safety.
All of Northfield’s yards came via passes, as Owatonna held the Raiders to minus 2 rushing yards on 14 attempts.
Vick was all over the field for the Huskies totaling 6.5 tackles with one pass deflection and one interception.
Senior defensive lineman Ryley Glassmaker had Owatonna’s only sack of the game, dragging down Northfield’s quarterback late in the second quarter.
“Our tackling has improved substantially and we’re more disciplined in carrying out our assignments and doing our jobs. Mayo is explosive. Containing the Holcomb in the air and Smith on the ground will be a tall order. No one has shut them down completely. We’re happy for the opportunity,” said Williams.
Mayo enters the game against Owatonna as the No. 1 seed in the section.
 
The Spartans finished the season with a near-perfect 8-1 overall record and a 6-1 in-conference record, only losing to Mankato West.
 
 
BP extends win streak to 30
The No. 1 Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms got the job done at home again on Saturday, defeating No. 4 St. Clair,  47-19.
The Awesome Blossoms eclipsed the 40-point mark for the seventh time this season and extended the team’s winning streak to 30 games. They were last beaten by BOLD High School (the Bird Island-Olivia-Lake Lillian School District) on Nov. 11, 2018.
St. Clair jumped out to a 6-0 lead over Blooming Prairie early in the first quarter with a 12-yard passing touchdown and missed extra point.
However, Blooming Prairie answered the score in a big way.
On the very first play of Blooming Prairie’s drive after the St. Clair score, senior quarterback Drew Kittelson connected with senior wide receiver Carson Brennecke for a 65-yard passing touchdown, with Brennecke scoring the extra point attempt after to make the score 7-6.
In the team’s next drive, Kittelson found Brennecke once again, this time on a five-yard passing touchdown.
Brennecke’s point after attempt was blocked and the score remained 13-6 at the end of the first quarter.
Blooming Prairie’s momentum continued in the second quarter as Kittelson found junior wide receiver Cade Christianson on a six-yard passing touchdown.
Brennecke tacked on the point after to make the score 20-6.
The Kittelson-to-Brennecke connection could not be stopped in the first half, as the two connected again with 1:04 left in the first half for a 16-yard passing touchdown.
Another blocked point-after attempt kept the score at 26-6.
St. Clair answered before halftime with a quick 67-yard drive for a touchdown, moving the score to 26-13 at halftime.
The Awesome Blossoms came out from halftime firing, finishing a four-play, 80-yard drive with a 62-yard rushing touchdown by Kittelson.
The extra point attempt was good, making the score 33-13.
Shortly after the touchdown, Blooming Prairie regained possession at the St. Clair 17-yard line where a two-play drive ended with a one-yard Brennecke rushing touchdown.
Brennecke’s extra point was good to make the score 40-13.
Brennecke’s four-touchdown performance was a season-high for the senior athlete.
A 62-yard rushing touchdown and missed extra point in the third quarter were St. Clair’s last points of the game.
The touchdown made the game 40-19.
One more third-quarter touchdown by senior running back Tyler Archer and an extra point by Brennecke capped the scoring for the night at 47-19.
Archer’s touchdown came from five yards out and capped an 11-play, 82-yard drive at the end of the third quarter.
Blooming Prairie’s win moves them into the Section 2AA championship game against No. 2 Maple River on Friday  at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School at 7 p.m.
 
Maple River beat No. 3 Blue Earth Area, 8-7 in overtime, to advance to the championship game.