Friday Night Lights Part X: INCREDIBLE! Jaguars stifle Bulldogs in section semis

After quarterback Brian Goodwin (#5) took a knee for the final time of the game with under 10 seconds on the clock, members of the Jaguars offense are shown congratulating one another on the biggest upset playoff win since 1993 by a B-B-E football team. That year the 4-4 Jaguars shocked undefeated and state-ranked Browerville 22-20 in their playoff opener. The 1993 team joined the 1988 and 1997 teams as the only three B-B-E football teams from 1988 to 2002 who won a playoff opener. Yes, they've been that rare. The Jaguars have won playoff openers since that era in 2003, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Final score: B-B-E 15, LP/HT 3

The B-B-E Jaguars football team gave up three points on the Bulldogs' first series of the game, when LP/HT kicked a field goal to go up 3-0. B-B-E started the game with the ball and didn't get much before going three-and-out.

At halftime, the Jaguars led 7-3. Both teams traded punch after punch throughout the first half, and that didn't change in the second half either.

Junior fullback Austin Kollman crossed the 1,000-yard season rushing mark early in the first quarter. He is the first B-B-E athlete to earn over 1,000 rushing yards in a season since 2007, when then-senior Austin Kampsen earned that feat in the second half of the playoff opener. The Jaguars lost that contest 32-27 at Minneota in a heck of a battle.

LP/HT, who averaged 39.1 points per game coming into this contest, finishes the season 8-2 overall; they were co-champions (5-1 record) of the Gopher Valley 'A' Conference with Blooming Prairie. Coincidentally, Blooming Prairie and Bethlehem Academy meet next weekend in the Section 1A championship. Bethlehem Academy was the only team to beat LP/HT in the regular season, when they won 18-10 in Week 3.

I still can't get over this: LP/HT scored an eye-popping total of 352 points this season through their first nine games. Against the Jaguars, they got three points. In 2011, when they beat the Jaguars 22-21 in this same game (section semi), they were averaging 29 points per game.

Speaking of LP/HT's offense, here is a video clip showing the only point of the game where the Bulldogs scored points tonight. It happened to be the first video clip I recorded in the game, and little did I know at the time that LP/HT would fail to score again!
 

Now 6-4 overall, having the most wins in a season of any B-B-E football team in the past 14 seasons, the Jaguars play at 1:00pm on Saturday afternoon, November 3 at Husky Stadium in St. Cloud. They face a red-hot Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City team in the Section 4A championship. The Falcons are 7-2 and absolutely demolished Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (4-6) in the other section semifinal game. Their QRF ranking is number two in the state in Class A, and they have a resume that makes them state champion contenders.

Two years ago in Grove City the Jaguars lost 15-6 in the section championship to A-C-GC.

Fifteen years ago in Eden Valley the Jaguars lost 14-12 in the Section 5AA championship to then-10th-ranked Eden Valley-Watkins. I could write a small novel about that game and will never forget it. A couple items from that game: the Jaguars trailed 14-0 at halftime and their defense gave up five net yards through the entire second half. It just wasn't meant to be.

Time to bust down that door, Jaguars! Let's do this!!!

After the game as players walked off the field, Julius Evenson ("Evy") walked between them giving out numerous pats on the back for the team's performance. He was impressed with the execution and clock management throughout the second half and especially as the final minutes wore down. Evy was on the coaching staff of the Belgrade Redmen football team in 1982 when they went 12-1 and played in the Prep Bowl. He's now a junior high football coach at B-B-E as well as one of a handful of stats takers who help out the varsity coaches.

Props to other Central Minnesota Conference teams who picked up wins tonight, including Maple Lake and Holdingford. In the same breath, it is unfortunate that those two teams had to play a fellow CMC member. (See scoreboard below) Six of the 8 CMC teams won playoff openers earlier this week, and now three of those six will play in different section championships across central Minnesota. Maple Lake gets a tough draw, getting #5 (QRF rankings) Mayer Lutheran (9-1) in the Section 4AA championship.

Holdingford faces neighboring Upsala-Swanville Area in the Section 6AA championship. They travel all the !*%*#*%#* way to Fargo for that game next Friday at 3:00pm. Don't even get me started on that one. (FYI, there's no reason they couldn't make the drive to Sauk Centre and play on their new FieldTurf...talk about saving some driving! WOW.)

Area football playoff final scores on October 27:
Hutchinson 42, Dassel-Cokato 6
Minnewaska Area 28, Paynesville Area 14
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 33, Albany 14
A-C-GC 54, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 14
Holdingford 42, Pierz 21! 
Browerville 28, Ottertail Central 18
Upsala/Swanville Area 45, Crosby-Ironton 14
BOLD 23, Benson 20
Providence Academy 34, Rockford Area 28
New London-Spicer 19, Litchfield 6 
Dawson-Boyd 23, Canby 7 (Blackjacks had multiple injuries and 6 turnovers but managed to win)

More will follow on Sunday.