Friday Night Lights IV: flying high in Ottertail County!

The B-B-E Jaguars football team just shocked the 10th-ranked and previously-undefeated Parkers Prairie Panthers on the road by a 27-20 score. They led 21-0 at halftime and withstood many challenges in the second half before pulling out the most exciting regular-season wins since the 2013 season. It's the first regular-season win for B-B-E over a state-ranked team since they beat Class 3A Pierz 20-13 on October 12 in the 2013 season in what I recall as the "Mud Bowl" on our home field.

Junior back Isaiah Gilbert, who ran for two of B-B-E's four touchdowns in the game, had a truly breakout night with 203 rushing yards on 26 carries. The Jaguars had a punishing ground game with 273 rushing yards to go with 17 passing yards. They had a terrific 50-percent efficiency mark on third downs (5-of-10) which will win a lot of high school football games. Parkers Prairie wasn't far off the mark either, as they converted four of 10 third down plays for first downs. Each team had one lost fumble, and the Panthers also gave up an interception that set up B-B-E's third touchdown of the game late in the second quarter.

The Panthers narrowed the 21-0 halftime deficit to 21-14 in the third quarter, but the Jaguars tacked on another touchdown midway through the fourth quarter when Ryan Illies ran it in from one yard out for a 27-14 lead.

Read all about the exciting win and see the full bevy of statistics in the next issue of the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper. The Section 4A standings will also be published - right now the Jaguars sit in sixth place out of seven teams.

Next for Week Four: the Jaguars travel up Highway 55 to West Central Area high school to face the WCA/A Knights. They lost tonight in Murdock by a 12-9 score and are very talented but have no wins to show for it. I still rate them a very quality team that will be tough to beat.

Mid-State, Sub-District 3 football scores in Week Four on Sept. 23:
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 12, West Central Area/Ashby 9 (the game, played in Murdock, was tied 6-6 at halftime)
Royalton 30, Kimball Area 0

Upsala/Swanville Area 21, Browerville/Eagle Valley 14

Area football scores on September 23:

Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 34, MACCRAY 12

Rothsay 36, Underwood 20

New London-Spicer 32, St. Cloud Cathedral 6

Alexandria 56, Willmar 12

Hancock 26, Renville County West 8

Brandon/Evansville 45, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 8

Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 24, Montevideo 0

Paynesville Aera 30, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 16 (Bulldogs get in the win column)

Holdingford 26, Maple Lake 22 (the Huskers trailed 22-6 at halftime, but by the start of the fourth quarter that deficit shrunk to 22-19)

Minneota 34, Dawson-Boyd 28 OT! (game played at Minneota)

Melrose Area 35, Rockford Area 14

Yellow Medicine East 16, Sauk Centre 7

Sibley East 53, Mayer Lutheran 30

Pierz 35, Eden Valley-Watkins 20

Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 34, Minnewaska Area 14

Albany 19, Little Falls 0

Ottertail Central 42, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0

Osakis 46, Wadena-Deer Creek 6

BOLD 26, Benson 0