Friday Night Lights X: Jaguars put up a fight, simple physics said no (VIDEOS*)

Saturday note: this blog post is being updated today.

It had the makings of a David vs. Goliath-style fight, and at times there were glimmers of hope, but the B-B-E Jaguars football team suffered a 54-12 loss at the hands of Upsala/Swanville Area today and finish second in Section 5A. The Jaguars had 26 players suited up for the game, and they were warriors from start to finish. The Jaguars fell behind 8-0 in the first quarter before scoring one touchdown to make it 8-6. A Patriots scoring rampage of 22 unanswered points followed before halftime.

Beginning the game with one starting lineman on the injured reserve list, the Jaguars battled valiantly against a wave of pressure applied by a deep and supremely talented U/SA squad. The physics said No. It was not happening today.

A quick glance at the U/SA roster shows 53 players, including 19 juniors. From a central Minnesota football perspective, it is terrific to see a small school football program have over 50 players in grades 9-12. We need more of that.

For the Jaguars, the future is bright in coming years. The JV unit had a stellar 5-1 record this season. Their lone loss was by a 40-30 score to U/SA. The junior high football team had 19 players, and the grades 5-6 youth tackle team had 26 players.

Here's a video featuring the playing of the National Anthem today plus the kickoff and opening minutes of the game:


The first quarter...
B-B-E had a nice 20-yard kickoff return by Kameron Hiltner to set up good field position at their own 39-yard line to start the game. The Jaguars went 3-and-out, however, punting on 4th-and-5.

The Patriots mounted a 62-yard scoring drive that used 6 plays to get 1st-and-goal at the B-B-E one-yard line. Frankie Meagher then ran a quarterback sneak, and the 2-point was good for an 8-0 score with 8:13 left in the opening quarter.

The Jaguars struggled on their second drive and punted on 4th-and-12 with 5:54 left.

U/SA started on their 40 after the punt, and the Jaguars held strong to force a punt on 4th-and-9.

The Jaguars started their 3rd series from their 31 with 4:32 on the clock. They used just 2 plays to move 59 yards with back-to-back catches by Kameron Hiltner and Taylor Pieper. With goal-to-go at the U/SA 10, Jesse Niklaus and Aiden Mueller ran for 5 total yards. Kaden Kollman then caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Mueller deep in the left corner of the endzone. The extra-points throw had too much oats on it, so with 2:52 left, the Jaguars trailed 8-6.

Here's a video featuring the last few plays of that scoring drive:


It was at this point in the first half when the Jaguars needed a stop, but that did not happen. After a small kickoff return, U/SA started on their 35-yard line. B-B-E committed an offsides penalty, however, and the defensive series did not improve from there. The Patriots needed just 3 plays to get 1st-and-goal on the B-B-E 5-yard line. The Jaguars stuffed a run play for a one-yard gain, but U/SA scored and got the conversion to go ahead 16-6 with 1:17 left on the clock.

Taylor Pieper's 11-yard kickoff return put B-B-E at their 29 to begin the 4th series of the game. A facemask penalty against U/SA on the first play moved the Jaguars to their 44. They had a false start, however, and a 2nd-and-12 pass attempt was incomplete to bring third down. U/SA's Noah Ripplinger had a pass breakup on a nice Mueller throw to force a punt near the end of the first quarter.

As the second quarter got underway, the Jaguars came up with a stop with 2 run plays for 4 yards and then an incomplete pass. The punt with 11:10 left sailed high at midfield, and it took a huge B-B-E bounce after landing and rolled to the U/SA 39. The Jaguars had momentum and put it to use with 3 straight running plays, with 4 yards from Noah DeRoo followed by 2 by Radermacher and then 2 more by DeRoo. The 4th-and-2 conversion attempt was stopped for no gain, however, giving U/SA the ball with 9:15 left at their own 31.

The Jaguars gave up one first down before holding U/SA to a 3rd-and-2 play. On that play, their running back used a great spin move out of two tackles to advance the Patriots to B-B-E's 44. From there, they needed just 2 additional plays to find the endzone. Dalton Welinski ran for 14 yards with 6:28 left for a 22-6 lead. The conversion was good to make it 24-8.

The sixth series for B-B-E was rough, as they lost 5 yards on the first two plays. A third down pass was incomplete, and the Jaguars punted with 5:07 to go.

Starting on B-B-E's 41, U/SA met a fired-up B-B-E defense but ground out multiple plays on the ground for gains primarily between 2 and 5 yards each after they got 7 yards on the first play from scrimmage. After 7 plays, the Patriots ran for 8 yards to get 1st-and-goal at the 7. Ethan Barthel, U/SA's 5'10" 195-pound senior running back (who is also listed as a lineman), ran for 6 yards and then the last yard for paydirt. The conversion gave U/SA a 32-6 lead with 1:37 to go.

Pieper had another 11-yard kickoff return, and the Jaguars started the next series from their 33. Kaden Kollman's 8-yard catch brought excitement to the sidelines, but an incomplete pass and a false start penalty stunted that momentum. The Jaguars punted on 4th down with 1:18 left. The saving grace in the final 78 seconds was the Jaguar defense holding U/SA out of the endzone after they set up their 7th series of the game on B-B-E's 49.

Some light notes from the second half...
After the Patriots took a 32-6 lead into halftime, they added two more scores for a 48-6 lead in the third quarter. They started the third quarter with possession at the 50-yard line after the opening kickoff of the second half. U/SA needed 7 plays to advance to B-B-E's 26-yard line. The last 26 yards were covered in 2 plays, with Barthel running 17 yards wide right for a touchdown with 8:44 left. The conversion made it 40-6.

B-B-E's first series of the third quarter ended fast after they started at their 37. U/SA came up with an interception plus a return to give them possession at B-B-E's 31. Four plays later, they had first down and goal at the 7. With 6:49 left in the third quarter, they scored on the next play and made it a 48-6 lead.

After the next kickoff, the Jaguars started their 9th series of the game from their 36. Three straight running plays gained 18 yards on carries by Mueller, Lance Radermacher and Niklaus. On U/SA's 46, Mueller rolled out and launched a deep pass to Hiltner on the right sideline. Hiltner had an opening between his defender and the sideline and made a great catch for a 30-yard gain. U/SA had pass interference, and 2 plays later, Niklaus converted 2nd-and-2 with a three-yard gain to get goal-to-go at the U/SA five. Noah Kampsen took it from there, running 3 yards up the gut for second down. Kampsen ran again for a 2-yard touchdown with 4:22 left. U/SA 48, B-B-E 12.

More to come much later tonight. It's time to enjoy more of Halloween. Additional video is uploading. This blog post is mostly a wrap!

Light game statistics:
The Jaguars were outrun on the ground by a 329-to-73-yard margin. To be blunt: it was a brutal disparity. Overall, U/SA's offense ran 74 plays for 422 total yards. The Jaguars had some nice gains, and they totaled 186 yards with 113 coming in the air (108 yards by starter Aiden Mueller on 7-of-19 passing). The game was remarkably well played, with just one turnover each, and the penalties were not a factor. Kameron Hiltner was the leading receiver for B-B-E with 3 catches for 62 yards.

In his final game as a Jaguar football player, Kampsen left everything on the field and racked up 7 solo tackles and 5 assists. Noah DeRoo, a promising freshman, also had 7 solos plus one assist. Additional statistics are being reviewed.

Area football section championship results on October 31:
Minneota 42, Dawson-Boyd 16
Murray County Central 31, Springfield 20
Breckenridge 29, Parkers Prairie 14
Holdingford 48, Osakis 14
Eden Valley-Watkins 28, St. Cloud Cathedral 14
Litchfield 23, Albany 6
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 35, Border West 14