Friday Night Lights X: stunned disbelief, hearts are torn in Fargo (VIDEOS added)

There are two things I am sure of with all of my heart: you could not have asked for a better game, and you could not have asked for more out of our team.

In their fourth straight appearance in a state-qualifying game, the Upsala/Swanville Area Patriots put their very best effort up against the very best effort of our B-B-E Jaguars football team for the toughest 48-minute battle you could ask for.

After the teams played to a 6-6 tie at halftime, the U/SA Patriots defeated the Jaguars by a 19-12 score and dashing B-B-E's season-long dream of earning back-to-back appearances in the state tournament. I billed it as one of the greatest high school football games I've ever seen. Unfortunately, we came up short. Season over! A difficult loss to process. It will take days.

Here's a video recorded just before the National Anthem was played at the FargoDome:


For the Patriots, this state tournament berth was in the making for 10 full seasons. Between 2015 and 2023, the Patriots had a record of 0-4 in section championship games.

Football can be a wild sport. Two years ago in this same game, U/SA lost to KMS by 7-6 score. The Patriots have now played in four straight section final games, and they came up with a win this time after losing the last three. And we came that close to sending them to 0-4. Hats off to their team for staying with it. As much as I hate losing, you have to admire what the Patriots have accomplished. Below is U/SA's Section 4A finals history in the last four years, which is now etched into my mind.
2021 section final: B-B-E 52, U/SA 44.
2022 section final: K-M-S 7, U/SA 6.
2023 section final: B-B-E 36, U/SA 12.
2024 section final: U/SA 19, B-B-E 12.

If you look at it cumulatively, across four section final appearances, U/SA was outscored 107-81 across four games where they have a 1-3 record. You can bet your bottom dollar they will make the most of this state tournament berth.

Prior to the COVID season, U/SA was upset by visiting teams in the playoff openers of 2018 and 2019. In 2017, they earned a giant upset of our Jaguars in Belgrade in the Section 4A semifinals by a 20-14 score...a loss that crushed me in so many ways. The Patriots went on to lose 28-0 to Mayer Lutheran in the finals that year. In 2016, U/SA lost 14-0 in the semifinals at Mayer Lutheran. In 2015, U/SA lost 35-6 on their field in Swanville to visiting Mayer Lutheran in the Section 4A semifinals. In 2014, U/SA played in Section 6A and defeated Royalton in the championship game to earn their last state berth. In the 2014 Class 1A state quarterfinals, Braham defeated U/SA in Brainerd. The 2013 season also featured a state tournament berth after U/SA defeated Browerville 35-8 in the FargoDome to win the Section 6A championship. At state in 2013, Mahnomen beat U/SA 28-12 at Bemidji.

In 2012, U/SA was in Class 2A, and they lost to Holdingford 34-0 in the Section 6AA finals in Fargo.

Here's a video featuring action in the later part of the first quarter today in Fargo:


A full review of the game will be posted much later tonight. Now it's time for the Belgrade Commercial Club Purse Bingo at the Belgrade V.F.W. Also, a deejay will be playing at the VFW tonight following purse bingo.

How the game started out...
The Jaguars won the first quarter of the game. Their defense was thoroughly dominant on the first series after U/SA started with great field position at their own 45. On first down, Carson Gilbert knocked down a pass attempt near the line of scrimmage. Second down brought a run for no gain. The third down play brought an overthrown pass. On 4th-and-12, U/SA chose not to punt and failed to convert fourth down. This gave the Jaguars terrific field position at the U/SA 40 with 10:52 left.

On B-B-E's first play from scrimmage, Luke Illies caught a halfback option pass for a 9-yard gain. Jack Lundberg converted on the next play on a reverse to the 20-yard line. He ran for 4 yards on the next play but was stopped for no gain on 2nd down. Brett DeRoo caught a 6-yard pass to bring 4th-and-2, but a fumbled ball was recovered on the next play for no gain.

On the turnover on downs, U/SA started back on their own 13-yard line, and they gained just 3 yards on 3 plays and punted with 7 minutes left.

B-B-E's second possession of the game started on U/SA's 49-yard line with 6:55 left. A 22-yard reception by Ethan Mueller was followed two plays later by a 9-yard catch by Brett DeRoo. On 3rd down, the Jaguars lost 7 yards on a fumble. The 4th-and-8 play had Kameron Hiltner streaking downfield, and he hauled in a perfect pass from Illies at the goal line just ahead of the defender. His 27-yard touchdown catch was followed by a 2-point conversion that was stopped a yard short. With 3:59 left in the opening quarter, the Jaguars held a 6-0 lead.

Here's action early in the 2nd quarter with the Jaguars forcing a turnover on downs:


How U/SA scored their first touchdown...
U/SA came up empty on their first 6 possessions of the game. Their tenacity came on strong, however, on their seventh possession late in the second quarter. With 2:14 left, the Patriots started on their 29, and they gained 17 yards on a catch-and-run reception. The following first down play got just 2 yards, and the next play brought a five-yard catch by Jack Primus. On third down, U/SA converted to the B-B-E 36. U/SA quarterback Frankie Meagher was hurried and threw an incomplete pass on first down. On 2nd-and-10 with under a minute to go, Primus bolted down the right sideline and caught a perfect, on-the-money pass in stride just as he sped past the right pylon. The touchdown reception was good from 36 yards out with 43 seconds to go. B-B-E's defense came up with a huge block on the PAT kick to keep it a 6-6 tie that stood into halftime.

Here's a video featuring that touchdown catch by Primus just before halftime:


I'm not a football expert - obviously - but it does appear that Primus pushed off on Brett DeRoo just before reaching out to catch the touchdown pass from Meagher. What do you see in the video? I have replayed it about 12 times so far to see just how that all went down.

Late Friday night, I have a pile of game notes to review from the second half before I fill out more of this Section 4A championship game review.

Some notes from the second half today...
For U/SA's first five possessions of the second half, they were held to 38 net yards while punting the ball three times and turning it over on downs twice.

A pivotal turnover on downs occurred with just under 6 minutes left in the third quarter, when the Jaguars stalled out at the U/SA 24-yard line after gaining 34 yards on their 9th overall possession of the game.

With the third quarter winding down, the Jaguar defense had to step up in a big way, and they did, while forcing a turnover on downs and holding U/SA to just 4 yards on 3 plays after they started on B-B-E's 40-yard line with 1 minute to go.

U/SA caught a huge, huge break when they earned a fumble recovery during B-B-E's 12th possession of the game. The lost fumble was returned for a touchdown with 8:20 left in the game. Hiltner came up with a huge interception on the 2-point conversion attempt. This made for a 12-6 deficit.

The Jaguars erased the 12-6 deficit on their 14th possession of the game when Hiltner caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Aiden Mueller with 4:46 remaining in the game. Illies made a valiant effort for a two-point conversion on a broken play, but he was stopped one yard short of the goal line to keep the score at 12-12.

In the closing minute, Primus caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Meagher in the endzone with just 12 seconds to go. The PAT kick sailed straight through the uprights to put their team ahead 19-12. This game-winning touchdown closed out a 50-yard drive that used just 49 seconds of game clock. It was U/SA's 14th possession of the game.

A light web article from this game, with a video from the second quarter, has been added to the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://shorturl.at/PNbJx. This web article contains some key plays from the fourth quarter.

Saturday is another busy day for the newspaper. The big event is the funeral in Swift Falls for Harold Jacobson. The Rolling Forks Township dairy farmer served on the Brooten school board from 1974 to 1989. He was one of a kind! Many of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren are either on the B-B-E school staff or are students in the system.

Let's talk musical!!
Here's the link to purchase musical tickets! Musical dates are November 15, 16 and 17: https://our.show/bbeluckystiff. You can see that link and read other information on the musical by clicking over to the "BBE" section at the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper website: https://www.bonanzavalleyvoice.com/section/bbe.

Other Class 1A state-qualifying games:
Section 5A championship in Marshall: Minneota 34, BOLD 28.
Section 8A championship: Mahnomen/Waubun 36, Red Lake County 8.
Section 6A championship: Parkers Prairie 42, West Central Area 12.
Section 3A championship: Springfield 20, Murray County Central 10.
Section 1A championship: Goodhue 52, Fillmore Central 7.
Section 2A championship: Lester Prairie 14, United South Central 6.
Section 7A championship: Deer River 8, Mille Lacs 6.

Area Class 2A and higher section championship final scores on November 1:
Staples-Motley 36, Osakis 30
Barnesville 46, Hawley 22
Albany 29, Minnewaska Area 21
Kimball Area 26, Holdingford 20
Annandale 44, St. Cloud Cathedral 0
Marshall 35, Hutchinson 13
Renville County West 12, New Ulm Cathedral 0 (a 9-man result)
Dassel-Cokato 33, Litchfield 18
Border West 22, Hancock 20 (a 9-man result played on Thursday morning in Fargo)