Sports Wrap: Several Section Championships Go Down To The Wire

(KNSI) –

High School Football

8AAAA

#1 ROCORI 22, #2 Becker 20: It was a classic championship matchup. Becker scored a touchdown with under three seconds to go but was unable to convert the two-point conversion and the ROCORI Spartans hung on by the skin of their teeth to advance to the state tournament. All of the scoring happened in the first and fourth quarters. Becker quarterback Ryan Bengtson found pay dirt from two yards out and the Bulldogs went up 6-0. Spartan QB Jack Spanier put ROCORI up 8-7 after a 29-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Nistler. Nistler ran one in from 17 yards out to make it 16-7. ROCORI extended their lead to 15 points early in the final frame thanks to a five-yard Mason Dahl run.

8AAAAA

#2 Moorhead 28, #4 Sartell-St. Stephen 26: The Sabres Cinderella run comes to an end at the hands of the Spuds. It was another game decided by a failed two-point conversion late. Sartell led for most of the game, but Moorhead came roaring back with three second-half touchdowns to go up 28-20. The Spud defense was called on one last time when it was 28-26 and they forced a turnover on downs with less than two minutes to go. Sabre quarterback Cole Hentges dazzled with three touchdown passes and he ran one in as well.

6AAA

#1 New London-Spicer 20, #2 Albany 14 (OT): The fans at Husky Stadium on the campus of Saint Cloud State University will remember this game for a long time (a theme of the sectional championship round). The Huskies led 6-0 at halftime after forcing two turnovers on downs by the Wildcats on the Albany side of the field. Husky quarterback Izaac Hutchinson called his own number from 11 yards out running right. The Wildcats clawed back and took a 7-6 lead in the third quarter as Hunter Downey found paydirt from four yards out. Albany and New London traded scores in the fourth and we headed to an extra frame tied at 14. Mason Delzer won it with a 10-yard TD run in overtime.

5AAA

#1 Milaca 42, #7 Foley 22: The Wolves didn’t need overtime this week. At one point they led 42-8 on the back of a dynamic running game and opportunistic defense. The game was put away in the third quarter. A 50-50 ball was thrown up on fourth and four from the Foley eight-yard line, landing softly in the hands of Milaca tight end Owen VanderPlaats. The 6’1″ senior used his length to reach over a crowd of players trying to knock it down. That made it 28-8. An interception on the very next play from the Wolves defense turned into Milaca points with a drive capped by a Jack Schoenborn run. Cue another interception, this time by safety Peyton Hunt, followed by a Schoenborn score to turn it into a 42-8 cushion. Milaca makes the state tournament for the first time since 1971.

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