Friday Night Lights IV: Huskers rule the turf

Multiple bad breaks going against the B-B-E Jaguars football team put them in a deep hole they couldn't recover from, and the result was a 47-6 loss. They take a 1-3 record to Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted next week.

The first few minutes gave a preview of how the game would develop. After starting the game with possession of the ball, the Jaguars got eight yards of offense from the 34-yard line and punted from their own 42. The Huskers came up with a blocked punt and returned it to the B-B-E 17-yard line with 10:08 on the clock. A three-yard run and and eight-yard run set up a six-yard touchdown with 9:04 left in the first quarter. A good PAT made it 7-0. The Huskers proceeded to go up 21-0 with a third touchdown scored at the 1:41 mark in the first quarter. That score came on a 20-yard touchdown run, the only play of the Holdingford drive. The Huskers got possession of the ball at the B-B-E 20 after the Jaguars fumbled a punt return.

At halftime it was 35-0. The JV Jaguars came up with a fumble recovery that was returned to the Holdingford one-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Ryan Illies ran in the touchdown to bust up the shut out.

No word yet on HLWW vs. Pierz. The Pioneers clobbered HL-W-W 33-0 to stay undefeated on the season at 4-0 and move to 3-0 in the Central Minnesota Conference. They are in first place by themselves after Eden Valley-Watkins lost to Maple Lake tonight.

Sauk Centre and Melrose Area both lost.

Section 4A standings through week four (incomplete) with my power rankings included:
1st - Minneapolis North (3-0, they played tonight)
2nd - Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity (3-1)
3rd - Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (2-2)
4th - B-B-E (1-3)
5th - Mayer Lutheran (0-4)
6th - Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart (1-3)
7th - Kimball Area (0-4)
8th - Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (0-4)

**Jaguar team members and their fans, this is important: if the playoffs began today, the Jaguars would be the fourth seed in Section 4A and would host a first-round playoff game against Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart or Mayer Lutheran. I believe Mayer Lutheran would be ranked higher than BL-H-S right now based on strength-of-schedule, even though BL-H-S has one win compared to Mayer Lutheran having none. Our 1-3 record would probably be ranked just a little bit above where Mayer Lutheran would come in on the power rankings. Mayer Lutheran will finish with at least two or three wins and most likely get into the top four in the final section rankings. If Mayer Lutheran ends up with three wins and the Jaguars end up with three wins before playoffs, I believe Mayer Lutheran would be power ranked above the Jaguars but not by much. A realistic look suggests, if the Jaguars end up with a 3-5 record in the regular season, they would come in ranked fifth or sixth with a possibility of being ranked fourth if Mayer Lutheran ends up 2-6.

The players have to believe that there is a great deal left to play for, because that's the way it is. I haven't analyzed statistics or interviewed any of the coaches after tonight's game, so I can't comment on whether or not tonight was a step backwards or simply a night where they treaded water. If the Jaguars can continue improving, I truly believe they can make a run in the section playoffs.

Stay tuned.

Central Minnesota Conference football scores on Sept. 19 in week four:
Pierz 33, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 0
Rockford Area 45, Kimball Area 0
Maple Lake 29, Eden Valley-Watkins 21

Area football scores on September 19:
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 33, Sauk Centre 28 (Mainstreeters led 28-27 but gave up a touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter)
Minnewaska Area 30, Melrose Area 12 (a successful Homecoming night for the Lakers)
Osakis 22, Wadena-Deer Creek 20
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 26, Prairie Valley 6
Martin County West 42, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 6
Albany Area 41, Milaca 14 
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 42, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 18
Willmar 37, Grand Rapids 7
New York Mills 39, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 23
Adrian 35, MACCRAY 14
Minneota 76, Canby 0 (.......................wow!)
Dawson-Boyd 41, Lac qui Parle Valley 16 (will the Eagles ever beat their smaller neighbors to the south?)
New London-Spicer 20, Glencoe-Silver Lake 7 (a signature win for Coach Dan Essler's Wildcats)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 32, Benson 22
Upsala/Swanville Area 46, Browerville 6
Royalton 34, West Central Area 0
Brandon/Evansville 8, Ortonville 6
BOLD 35, Montevideo 8
Paynesville Area 76, Yellow Medicine East 8
Watertown-Mayer 34, Norwood-Young America 13 (NYA's first loss of the season)