Friday Night Lights VIII: Jaguars run the table!!!

Quarterback Ryan Illies in action readying a handoff against Upsala/Swanville Area tonight.

The B-B-E Jaguars football team is sole champions of the Midstate District, Sub-District III! Tonight against Upsala/Swanville Area, the Jaguars won 14-6. At halftime, the Jaguars were in front 6-0 thanks to an eight-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Gilbert in the first quarter.

A truly incredible, near-nine minute long drive in the fourth quarter won the game. The Jaguars received possession at the 10:35 mark in the fourth quarter on their own 26-yard line. Almost nine minutes later, with 1:48 left, Adam Jaeger punched in a 10-yard touchdown to break a 6-6 tie. Jaeger then ran in the two-point conversion virtually untouched to salt the lead.

Here's Coach Moscho with a light post-game interview. Even with his voice failing him, he was gracious enough to offer a few of his thoughts. Thank you, Coach Moscho, you are one CLASS ACT. Bravo to you, your coaching staff and your players!


Tonight's win completed a perfect 7-0 run through Sub-District III for the Jaguars. It marks the first undefeated conference or district championship for B-B-E since 1988. In 30 seasons of B-B-E football, the Jaguars have now won two conference/district titles. As stated in the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper: the 29-year drought is over!!

The Jaguars outgained the Patriots 280 yards to 228 yards in a truly knock-down, drag-'em-out battle on the gridiron. A huge factor in the win was a sizeable advantage in rushing yardage: 243 for B-B-E compared to 144 for USA.

Another big factor in B-B-E's win was being Plus-One in the turnover category. The Jaguars suffered one interception and no lost fumbles. USA had two lost fumbles in the game, and both were costly to their cause. Tyler Bents recovered the first one, while Cody Lewis grabbed the second one.

With this win, the B-B-E Jaguars will be the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Section 4A playoffs. They will host the No. 8-seeded team next Tuesday, October 24 with a 7 p.m. kickoff for the quarterfinal round. PLEASE spread the word starting now and on Thursday and get everyone you know to the game!

The other two Section 4A playoff dates are October 28 and November 4. However, I will not be saying much, if anything at all, about what comes after Tuesday. Right now next Tuesday is all that matters for our Jaguars!!

*And here are the predictions for seeding! 
1. B-B-E (7-1)
2. Mayer Lutheran (7-1)
3. Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity (5-3)
4. Upsala/Swanville Area (5-3)
5. Parkers Prairie (4-4)
6. Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (4-4)
7. Browerville (3-5)
8. Kimball Area (2-6)

Final scores from games involving Section 4A teams in Week Eight, October 18:
Royalton 35, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0
Browerville 41, Parkers Prairie 22
Kimball Area 33, New York Mills 14
Mayer Lutheran 27, Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 15

Below, video from pregame and the opening stages of the first quarter. The clip begins (with very poor videography as I was still getting set up) with B-B-E junior Kaylee Torgerson singing the National Anthem in her usual SPLENDID and FLAWLESS acapella style!


And here's some celebration video, with the coaching staff getting the Jaguars set up for a team photo taken by Cheryl Kampsen. It was high time to soak up the huge accomplishment!


Later tonight I will post my predictions for the Section 4A seedings!

Area football scores in Week Eight on October 18:
Ottertail Central 43, West Central Area/Ashby 14
Minnewaska Area 35, Benson 14
Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 28, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 13
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 27, Sauk Centre 24 (ACGC goes 6-2 in the regular season)
Montevideo 27, Osakis 7
Brandon/Evansville 50, Hancock 28
Edgerton/Ellsworth 64, MACCRAY 41
Albany 38, New London-Spicer 36
Wadena-Deer Creek 31, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 14