Friday Night Lights VIII: so long to the CMC

In the last-ever game played in the Central Minnesota Conference by our B-B-E Jaguars football team, the Pierz Pioneers did just about anything they wanted in a 46-0 win to end the regular season undefeated for the first time since 2006. The Pioneers, ranked fourth in Class 3A, had a total of 525 rushing yards compared to 112 by B-B-E. They also held a 21 to six edge in first downs while clinching the 2014 CMC title by themselves. Maple Lake finished in second place (6-1) after they beat up Holdingford tonight.

In the third quarter, the Jaguars had all starters pulled after they fell behind 21-0 at halftime. They came out of the game injury-free, which to me is a huge win in itself.

In spite of tonight's loss, the future is extremely bright for the Jaguars! I am terribly excited for the scheduling changes that are coming our way. That bright future starts with the playoff opener next Tuesday night. Basically, we'll never have to knock heads with Class 3A schools and likely will rarely, if ever, play a Class 2A school in football. I can confirm that the 2015 and 2016 football seasons include only Class 1A schools. The list of teams we'll play in football in the regular season, not in any particular order, is: Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, Royalton, West Central Area, Prairie Valley (Parkers Prairie/Eagle Valley coop), Browerville, Upsala/Swanville Area and Kimball Area.

Read more below on the playoff outlook.

Here's my Section 4A watch:
Mayer Lutheran lost their game tonight 20-19 to visiting LeSueur-Henderson to finish 1-7. However, they likely will remain at the number-four spot in the section standings unless Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart manages to win their last regular season game.

*Updates: BL-H-S got shredded by visiting (#7 ranked) Sleepy Eye St. Mary's 56-0. Osakis had a late 29-6 lead against Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg. It appears that the Jaguars will hold at number six in the section standings and start the playoffs at Grove City next Tuesday night. The Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City Falcons blew a 12-point lead against Class 3A Montevideo tonight in a 28-26 loss.

Osakis beat visiting K-M-S 29-14. Eden Valley-Watkins had a 34-0 lead against Kimball Area late in the third quarter, sending the Cubs on their way to an 0-8 record. (The Eagles actually led 27-0 at the end of the first quarter.)

Section 4A rankings (incomplete):
1st Minneapolis North (7-1)
2nd Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity (4-3)
3rd Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (3-5)
4th Mayer Lutheran (1-7)
5th Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart (2-6)
6th B-B-E (1-7)
7th Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (1-7)
8th Kimball Area (0-8)

Central Minnesota Conference football scores in week eight, Oct. 15:
Maple Lake 35, Holdingford 8
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 20, Rockford Area 6

Area football week eight scores, Oct. 15:
BOLD 28, Sauk Centre 7 (Mainstreeters finish the regular season 1-7)
Melrose Area 29, Benson 15
Paynesville Area 52, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 34
New London-Spicer 20, Dassel-Cokato 13 (the Dan Essler-coached Wildcats win the Wright County West Conference title and earn the top seed in Section 6AAA with a first-round bye)
Browerville 42, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 7
Alexandria 33, Fergus Falls 6 
Montevideo 28, A-C-GC 26 
Minnewaska Area 54, Yellow Medicine East 17
Lac qui Parle Valley 19, Canby 12