Friday Night Lights XI: a historic night!

Week Six of the 2017 season has become a very special night for the B-B-E Jaguars football team!

First, in their fifth Midstate Sub-District 3 game of the season, the Jaguars were firing all night long while coming away with a 51-13 win at New York Mills. The Jaguars improve to 5-1 overall for just the third time in the program's history dating back to 1988. In 2013, the Jaguars also started out 5-1 after losing the third game of the season and then took a 7-1 record into the playoffs where they finished as Section 4A runners-up for the second straight year and third time in four seasons.

Tonight the Jaguars led 23-0 with 3:12 remaining in the first quarter. All three starting backs for the Jaguars each scored a touchdown on their first three possessions. First, Adam Jaeger scored on a 49-yard run, then Isaiah Gilbert scored on an 11-yard run and Kyle Felling made it 22-0 with a 30-yard run. Scoring on two-point conversion attempts were Gilbert on a run and then Parker Schwinghammer on a catch in the right corner of the end zone that made it 16-0. Jackson Peter kicked the extra point after the third touchdown.

The halftime score was 29-0 at Ralph Henry Smith athletic field in New York Mills. After the third quarter was complete, the Jaguars had a 43-7 lead.

B-B-E amassed 380 yards of offense tonight, with 326 yards coming on the ground. The Eagles (1-5) were limited to 154 yards of offense with negative passing yards on two completions out of six attempts. Four Jaguars finished with 62 or more rushing yards! Adam Jaeger had 78 yards, Kyle Felling had 72 yards, Tyler Bents had 67 yards and Isaiah Gilbert had 62 yards of rushing. B-B-E's leading receiver was Jaden Pastian with one catch for 22 yards. Overall, quarterback Ryan Illies was good on four out of 11 pass attempts for 32 yards with one touchdown. Jackson Peter, quarterback for most of the second half, made one of two pass attempts - the good one going to Pastian for 22 yards that helped set up B-B-E's final touchdown.

Additional statistics and a game recap will be posted later.

Below, an impromptu post-game interview with senior Ben Schumann outside the New York Mills high school:


Thank you, Ben, for being gracious and giving the interview with no advance notice prior to loading the bus home! As a one-man newspaper sports department, everything is done shotgun-style with hardly a moment's notice. Luckily for me, our B-B-E student-athletes are always willing to offer their time when asked to provide sports material for print and online.

Once the fog started setting in and the game came to a close, coaches and players alike know that looming on the horizon is a very seasoned, talented and powerful Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg team that odds-makers had set at 5-1 as well after tonight. The Fighting Saints played at Parkers Prairie tonight against the 2-3 Panthers. What resulted was an impressive win for Parkers Prairie by a 19-6 score that put a chink in K-M-S's hopes for a district title.

Regardless of tonight's outcome at Parkers Prairie, the B-B-E Jaguars are expecting a tough battle on the road at the "Irish Dome" in Murdock next Friday. The Fighting Saints are 4-2 overall and 3-2 in the Midstate Sub-District 3. (More on K-M-S later)

Finally, the game that pinned everyone's ears back took place in Kimball tonight. First-place, undefeated and state-ranked Upsala-Swanville Area were big favorites to improve to 6-0 over last-place Kimball Area. Wouldn't you know it! The Cubs won 31-16!!! Kimball picked up their first win in football since the 2012 season. What a way to end a losing streak! The loss puts the Patriots at 5-1 overall and 4-1 in Sub-District 3.

While in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't mean too much. They haven't won anything yet to put in a trophy case - but for tonight and this week, the Jaguars can enjoy being in first place by themselves!!! It is a special night that has not happened since the 1988 season when the Jaguars finished 4-0 to win the Prairie Lakes Conference outright.

Below is video from the National Anthem and the start of the game tonight:

Mid-State, Sub-District 3 scores in Week Six on October 6:
Royalton 35, Browerville 12
B-B-E 51, New York Mills 13
Parkers Prairie 19, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 6
Kimball Area 31, Upsala-Swanville Area 16

The new standings have this for the top three teams:
1. B-B-E 5-0
2. (tie) USA 4-1
           Royalton 4-1
4. K-M-S 3-2
5. Parkers Prairie 2-3
6. (tie) Browerville 1-4
            Kimball Area 1-4
8. New York Mills 0-5

In Section 4A, Mayer Lutheran will almost certainly take over the top spot in the standings. The Crusaders improved to 6-0 with a 14-7 win in Faribault against a 3-2 Bethlehem Academy team. USA and B-B-E will tussle for second place once the QRF standings are calculated with the Week Six scores. Hot on the trail is Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity, who sits in fourth place through Week Five. LP/HT was at Kenyon-Wanamingo tonight, and no result has been posted.

Area football scores in Week Six on October 6:
United North Central 14, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 0
Paynesville Area 50, Eden Valley-Watkins 30
West Central Area/Ashby 40, Staples-Motley 7 (WCA/A pounds the Cardinals at Staples in a battle of two 2-3 teams)
St. Cloud Apollo 26, Willmar 24 (2 OT)
Renville County West 34, Westbrook-Walnut Grove 30 (RCW's quarterback passed for 306 yards!)
Minneota 64, Springfield 7
Pierz 52, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 7
Alexandria 59, Bemidji 42
MACCRAY 33, Heron Lake-Okabena 0 (MACCRAY's first win of the season)
Zimmerman 31, Albany 14
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 21, Osakis 20
Holdingford 26, Rockford Area 0
Ortonville 20, Lakeview 0
Sauk Centre 28, Minnewaska Area 27
Melrose Area 21, Maple Lake 13
New London-Spicer 41, Milaca 0
Dawson-Boyd 32, Canby 0
Hutchinson 54, Princeton 7
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 26, Benson 0 (the Falcons improve to 5-1 after holding the Braves to negative four yards of rushing total for the game; Benson did gain 71 yards of offense through the air; ACGC had 25 first downs overall)
BOLD 58, Montevideo 6
Lac qui Parle Valley 21, Yellow Medicine East 6