Owatonna advances to section final
Owatonna quarterback Jacob Ginskey (2) keeps his eyes downfield to determine whether to hand the ball off to running back Brennan Sletten (33) in a play against RJM last weekend. Sletten was the Huskies’ workhorse at the running back position, running for 89 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries. Staff photo by Johnnie Phillips
Owatonna football showed why it earned the No. 1 seed in the Section 1AAAAA playoffs last Saturday, beating No. 4 Rochester John Marshall (RJM) 33-7.
The Huskies started off slow in the first half but managed to turn up the heat in the second to put away the Rockets by a comfortable margin and advance to the section championship.
“I just think we felt like we left all kinds of points out on the field. It’s not necessarily our fault, the referees saw some things they didn’t like, and they called a couple big plays back. But outside of that, I think we should have been up by three scores at the half,” said Owatonna Head Coach Jeff Williams.
Owatonna received the opening kickoff and immediately went to work scoring a 74-yard passing touchdown on a brother-to-brother connection from Jacob Ginskey to Nolan Ginksey.
The Huskies’ point-after attempt was no good, holding Owatonna’s lead at 6-0 with 11:07 remaining in the first quarter.
RJM managed to move the ball effectively on its opening drive by getting into scoring position inside the Huskies’ 20-yard line; however, a crucial fourth-down sack by defensive end Jack Strom gave possession back to Owatonna before any damage could be done.
The Huskies capitalized on the play by marching down the field and scoring again, this time on a six-yard rush by running back Brennan Sletten with a successful extra point.
RJM’s lone score of the game came halfway through the second quarter when the Rockets benefited from a tipped ball in the secondary that managed to find its way into the waiting hands of a home-free Rockets wide receiver.
RJM tacked on the extra point to cut the lead to 13-7 with 7:56 remaining in the half.
Owatonna tried to answer on the ensuing drive but back-to-back touchdowns from Ginskey-to-Ginskey were called back due to penalties.
Unfortunately for Owatonna, the very next play after the second score was called back, Sletten fumbled the ball in the wet weather, and RJM recovered.
Neither side was able to score for the remainder of the half, keeping Owatonna ahead 13-7 at the break.
Returning from halftime, Owatonna’s offense began to pick apart the RJM defense at will.
The Huskies’ run game shined in the second half behind Sletten, who scored all three of Owatonna’s touchdowns from one, two, and eight yards out.
RJM was held scoreless in the second half, giving Owatonna the big win its fans expected to see at home.
The Huskies’ win will pit the team against Northfield in the Section 1AAAAA championship game on Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
|
Team |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
|
RJM |
0 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
Owatonna |
13 |
0 |
13 |
7 |
33 |
Player Stats
Passing
#2 Jacob Ginskey – 15/22 231 1 TD 1 Int.; #16 Noah Truelson – 0/2 0 yards 1 Int.
Rushing
#33 Brennan Sletten – 20 att. 89 yards 4 TD; #25 Tristan Graham – 1 att. 8 yards; #20 Mitch Seykora – 2 att. 4 yards; #3 Nolan Ginskey – 1 att. -6 yards; #2 Ginskey – 6 att. -8 yards
Receiving
#3 Ginskey – 7 rec. 158 yards 1 TD; #88 Jack Strom – 4 rec. 44 yards; #1 Owen Beyer – 3 rec. 26 yards; #4 Nathan Theis – 1 rec. 3 yards