Friday Night Lights V: late safety tips scales to the Irish (VIDEOS* UPDATES*)

Saturday morning update: sports blogging has been PAUSED for a good portion of today. Game updates from Friday Night Lights V will resume later in the day. Currently, I have been in contact with a Wayzata football mom as well as journalist Lou Raguse, who have been filling me in on multiple need-to-know matters on Eden Prairie football. This will be part of a story I'm writing regarding the Somali gang-related gun violence that erupted at the Eden Prairie Homecoming football game. This was located just FOURTY-FOUR MILES from the Maple Lake stadium. What on earth is happening in Minnesota?
Noteworthy: the Eden Prairie football stadium is perhaps the most fortified, heavily-armed high school stadium in the state. Also, last night was Eden Prairie's Homecoming game. Yet, with all that, gang violence still broke out.

B-B-E vs. Maple Lake, Friday Night Lights V: (game recap is being crafted; see below)

For a game that had just one lead change, it was not for the faint of heart. Punch after punch after punch, the B-B-E Jaguars football team took what was dished out and didn't back down from the fight on their hands at Maple Lake's Homecoming. 

Trailing 7-6 with inside 6 minutes left in the game, Maple Lake was held to 4th and 3 on B-B-E's 45 yard line. They elected to punt, and they got what was an absolutely perfect punt that rolled to the one-yard line.

On B-B-E's first play from scrimmage, Aiden Mueller corralled a high snap and attempted valiantly to bull his way out of the end zone.  He was tackled just inside the goal line, however, giving the Irish a safety to pull ahead 8-7.

Fast forward to the final minute of the game, the Jaguars made a defensive stop just outside the red zone to keep their chances alive. Maple Lake was attempting to put the game away, but they were stopped on 4th-and-15 at B-B-E's 26-yard line with 19 seconds to go.

On the first play from scrimmage, Noah DeRoo hauled in an incredible, deep pass for a 67-yard gain. Unfortunately, a Maple Lake player was able to tackle him just outside the endzone. With 4 seconds left, Aiden Mueller spiked the ball to stop the clock once the down marker was set up.

B-B-E's field goal unit lined up, and the kick had enough height and distance but fell wide right.

Final: Maple Lake 8, B-B-E 7.

Tear your heart out! That was a tough loss. One of the toughest losses to swallow. 

I don't know much, but I know this: you can search all over the state of Minnesota, and you will not find a team with bigger hearts than our Jaguars.

With 4:38 left in the first quarter, Austin Berge caught a 19-yard touchdown pass. A successful PAT kick made it a 7-0 lead.

With 3:40 left in the second quarter, Maple Lake scored on a 3-yard touchdown run. The Jaguars stuffed the two-point run and led 7-6 at halftime. 

Here's a video featuring the second-to-last play of the game:


The video begins right after the Jaguars made that big defensive stop in the final 30 seconds of the game. The video ends right after unrelenting pandemonium gripped the stadium with DeRoo's catch changing the complexion of the game.

Here's a video featuring the last play of the game:


The field goal attempt took place with 4 seconds on the clock.

Here's a video featuring an extended portion of the first quarter at Maple Lake:


More to come.

Tear your heart out! On B-B-E's second drive, the Jaguars ran the ball twice for a total gain of 21 yards. On first-and-10 at the Maple Lake 38 as the very first play of the second quarter, Lance Radermacher ran a post route. Aiden Mueller's pass was spot on perfect, and Radermacher had gotten well past his defender. Radermacher reached out and had the ball in his hands, but it was moving just the smallest fraction too fast. He couldn't bring it in, but had he caught it, it would have given the Jaguars a 13-0 lead to start the second quarter.

How the first half played out tonight in Maple Lake:
The Irish started with possession to open their Homecoming game, and a huge 32-yard kickoff return got them a start at their own 48. The Irish gained 23 yards on 5 plays before their sixth play ended in disaster. Their quarterback had a bead on a deep receiver near the endzone, but his pass was snared high in the air by a leaping Austin Berge just inside the 10-yard line. Berge returned the interception 26 yards.

B-B-E's first possession began at their own 33 with 8:43 left. Utilizing 9 plays, the Jaguars drove downfield with a giant gain when Noah DeRoo caught a 39-yard pass before being tackled at Maple Lake's 13. An incomplete pass, a four-yard run by Lance Radermacher and a B-B-E holding penalty brought 3rd-and-16. Another incomplete pass followed, setting up fourth down. Austin Berge streaked to the right corner of the field, and he hauled in an Aiden Mueller pass just inside the right pylon for a touchdown. Mauricio Hernandez-Valdiviezo's PAT kick sailed straight through the uprights to make it a 7-0 score with 4:32 left in the first quarter

Maple Lake started their next series on their own 35. They faltered when Tyler Myers earned a solo tackle with a loss of 7 yards to bring 3rd-and-12. After a 5-yard catch, Maple Lake had a penalty on a punt attempt. The second punt attempt sailed high out of bounds.

With 48 seconds left in the first quarter, the Jaguars started on their 39 and ran two plays, a 10-yard run by Aiden Mueller and an 11-yard catch by Mason Douvier. After the quarter break, Douvier had two good runs for a total of 11 yards to set up 1st-and-10 at the Irish 27. The drive stalled out, however, on 4th-and-10. A high snap forced Mueller back about 10 yards to recover the loose pigskin. With 9:08 left, the Irish had the ball again on the turnover on downs.

The Irish benefited from a B-B-E personal foul on their third drive's first play. Moved to B-B-E's 37, the Irish lost 2 yards with Lance Radermacher and Tyler Myer earning assisted tackles. The second down pass attempt was tipped by Radermacher and fell incomplete. After another incomplete pass, the Irish punted and earned a touchback.

From their own 20, B-B-E quickly went three-and-out with no gain on 3 plays. This gave Maple Lake possession at their own 40 after the punt with 6:57 left. A 15-yard quarterback run was followed by a 14-yard run to get to B-B-E's 31 in just 2 plays. The Jaguar defense then held the Irish to 4th-and-4, but they got exactly a four-yard run to move the chains. An 18-yard run down the right sideline followed for first-and-goal. Maple Lake finished the 60-yard drive on the 8th play, which resulted in a 2-yard touchdown run. On the two-point try, Elliot Spanier and Noah DeRoo pushed the quarterback out of bounds 5 yards short. With 3:40 left, the Jaguars' lead was now 7-6.

Maple Lake then pulled off a successful onside kick that gave them possession at B-B-E's 48. On 3rd-and-6, they fumbled the ball but recovered it. With 1:52 left in the third, the Irish punted from midfield.

B-B-E started their fourth series of the game on their 24. They had a holding penalty on second down, but much of that was got back when Douvier ran a pitch for 14 yards. Radermacher's 10-yard reception moved the chains. Disaster followed with another holding penalty and an unsportsmanlike penalty to bring 1st-and-35. On that first down, Grayson Rooney caught a 15-yard pass. Back-to-back incomplete passes followed. Mueller's punt was good for 36 yards, which got Maple Lake back to their own 35 with just 32 seconds to go. They ran 2 plays before time expired.

FIRST HALF summaries: Maple Lake's offense had first half time of possession of 13 minutes, 22 seconds. They gained 101 yards from scrimmage, and their quarterback was 1-of-6 for 5 yards. For B-B-E, Aiden Mueller was 6-of-15 for 60 yards in the first half. B-B-E's offense gained 92 yards, and their time of possession was 10 minutes, 15 seconds.

Second half notes will be added here late on Saturday night. I'm also watching the University of Minnesota-Morris Cougars play in their Homecoming (via the internet)...I'll add that the Jaguars had a turnover on downs at Maple Lake's 37-yard line to start the third quarter. B-B-E's defense then forced Maple Lake to lose 5 yards on 3 plays on their first drive of the third quarter. The chess match was underway.

B-B-E's sixth overall series of the game and second of the third quarter started at midfield. On the second play of that drive, Radermacher ran 15 yards on an option pitch. DeRoo then hauled in a 32-yard catch to get first-and-goal at the Maple Lake three-yard line. Things did not work out, however, and B-B-E turned the ball over on downs at Maple Lake's three-yard line with 5:31 left in the third quarter.

The Jaguar defense gave outstanding resistance on six straight plays, with Maple Lake getting to 3rd-and-4 at their own 21 after 5 plays. They managed to convert that third down play by the narrowest of margins. On the next play, they got a 22-yard run to get near midfield as the third quarter went inside 2 minutes. Aiden Mueller earned a quarterback sack, and that was followed by an incomplete pass. On 3rd-and-14, the Irish got a 7-yard reception as the receiver made a move to evade McCoy Detloff and slipped on the sod. Maple Lake then punted on 4th-and-7 at the 50 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars started what was just their 7th possession of the game as the fourth quarter got rolling. They began with excellent field position at their own 42. Radermacher's 9-yard catch was followed two plays later by an 8-yard catch by Grayson Rooney. On second down, however, the Irish got a sack with a 10-yard loss. The Jaguars later punted on 4th-and-25 with 8:46 left.

Maple Lake started their 9th series of the game on their own 29. Their quarterback ran for 19 yards on the first play, but the Jaguar defense went on lockdown at that point and gave up 7 yards on 3 plays. Sitting at B-B-E's 45, the Irish elected to punt. That punt was the best you will see in high school football, as it landed perfectly and rolled down the sideline before stopping at B-B-E's one.

Maple Lake's defense came up with a safety on the next play for the game's only lead change with 5:30 on the clock.

Some light game statistics:
The Jaguars were in no way outplayed by the bigger, deeper Maple Lake team. By my count, the Maple Lake roster featured 44 players and 8 seniors. B-B-E gained 275 yards of offense against 189 by the Irish.

Defensively, the Jaguars had a season-high 7 tackles for a loss. Earning one quarterback sack each were Tyler Myers and Mason Douvier.

Ultimately, penalties may have been somewhat of a factor in the loss. Just like Browerville hurt themselves last week against our Jaguars, this week, the Jaguars did themselves no favors with a few key penalties. Penalties especially hurt them in the second half. You have to give credit to Maple Lake. They were outplayed at numerous junctions of the game, but they had players make the exact necessary plays needed to come out with a win.

What's next...
With no time to lick their wounds, the Jaguars (3-2, 2-2) now have to prepare for a loaded-for-bear Benson Braves team that trounced West Central Area tonight 36-8 in Barrett. It was somewhat of a statement win by Benson, who trampled Maple Lake last week at Benson's Homecoming 44-6. With tonight's win over WCA, Benson pulls second place alone in the Mid-Northwest Gold District. The Braves are on a three-game winning streak.

Currently, B-B-E sits in a four-way tie for third place in the district along with WCA, Maple Lake and Ashby/Brandon-Evansville. Incredibly, with just a 22-man roster (22 if everyone is healthy)...the Jaguars currently have the second-best rated defense in the district. Through 5 games, they are giving up just 15.2 points per game.

In another district game tonight, Upsala/Swanville Area ran roughshot over Browerville. Late in the game, the Patriots had a 42-8 lead.

Mid-Northwest Gold District football Week 5 football scores on October 2:
Ashby/Brandon-Evansville 50, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 16 (this game was played in Brandon)
Upsala/Swanville Area 42, Browerville 8 (at Swanville)
Benson 36, West Central Area 8 (at Barrett)

Area Week 5 football scores on October 2:
Paynesville Area 35, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 6 (the Bulldogs win on Homecoming night in a border battle with the Falcons)
Albany 28, Milaca 12
Osakis 34, Sauk Centre 13
New London-Spicer 35, Montevideo 6
Kimball Area 30, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0
Minneota 57, MACCRAY 0
Willmar 28, Hutchinson 7
Hancock 34, Underwood 6
Parkers Prairie 33, Frazee 6
Dassel-Cokato 40, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 25
Holdingford 24, Minnewaska Area 7

GAME NIGHT! In Wright County (VIDEO)

The B-B-E Jaguars football team prepared all week for a brawny, run-happy Maple Lake Irish squad. The Irish are smarting, and they are hosting Homecoming against our Jaguars. Last week's 46-6 loss at Benson did not sit right for Maple Lake, so they have something to prove tonight. The Jaguars have a tall task ahead of them!

After an 0-2 start to their season, Maple Lake won 40-0 at Long Prairie-Grey Eagle. In their Mid-Northwest Gold District opener in Week Two, the Irish lost a wild battle 36-28 in overtime to visiting Ashby/Brandon-Evansville.

Last season! Maple Lake spoiled our Homecoming with a 14-12 win. The Jaguars are looking for payback.

Kickoff at Irish Stadium is at 7 p.m. tonight.

Here, you can take in the final minutes of the second quarter at Browerville last week:


Updates will follow on this blog post. Hopefully by halftime! Stay tuned.

**HALFTIME: B-B-E 7, Maple Lake 6. This game is a battle royale. The Jaguars scored first with 4:38 left in the first quarter. 

The second half is starting at 20:25.

*The Jaguars took that 7-6 lead into the 4th quarter. 

Refresh to see a new blog post with the final score...Friday Night Lights V.

The Jaguars played their hearts out like I have never seen. 

I will never forget this game.

This blog post has concluded.

Tennis Jaguars fall in terrific match at MACCRAY (VIDEOS); Volleyball stung in 5th set at EV-W

I'm a little late in finally posting here after making the trek south to MACCRAY high school in Clara City tonight. Finally, after 9 p.m., I'm back in the saddle at the home office. Earlier today, I made the choice to pass on the drive east to Eden Valley-Watkins for volleyball. I took the easier path by driving to Subway in Clara City for supper with the tennis team and then an easy country drive home through Sunburg. When I got the volleyball box score, my heart sank! (More on that below.)

In a non-conference match to conclude the regular season, the B-B-E Jaguars girls' tennis team faced MACCRAY/Renville County West on the road in Clara City. The Wolverines have a varsity lineup that includes 4 seniors and 4 juniors. This compares to B-B-E's varsity lineup that has just one senior and one junior. Knowing they had a battle on their hands, the Jaguars fought with a mighty hand and pushed MACCRAY/RCW at numerous points at both singles and doubles play. With No. 1 doubles and No. 4 singles both going into third-set tiebreakers, everything broke towards the home team down the stretch as MACCRAY/RCW earned a 7-0 win.

Here's a video featuring action at No. 1 doubles today:


I'm not sure why, but I started the video saying it was No. 1 singles. That's a pretty wild mistake to make when you're watching a doubles match of tennis. Yikes!

I don't have the full set of scores from all 7 points tonight. I have notes from some of the matches from each of their sets. Losing in third-set tiebreakers were Jena Borgerding at 4-singles and Olive Olson/Kwynn Quade at 1-doubles.

Here's another video featuring action at one doubles and also two doubles tonight:


It was exciting to see Layla Tensen playing at No. 3 doubles in her second varsity action of the fall. She is one of three seventh graders who joined the team and basically saved them from ruin. The team will dramatically increase recruiting efforts in the offseason with a major goal of surpassing a turnout of 15+ for the 2027 season.

Playoffs begin for the girls' tennis team next week. That schedule won't be posted until Monday morning.

Regardless of how this fall's tennis season ends up with playoffs next week, this year's team has been far and away the youngest girls' tennis team to exist since the program was founded by the late Kay Mohr in the fall of 1992. Of the varsity line up, 9 of the 10 players will return next year. In fact, the team is so young that 8 of the existing 10 varsity players will be back two seasons from now! There's a bright future ahead for the team.

And for volleyball news...a tough night...
In a key Central Minnesota Conference match at Eden Valley-Watkins tonight, the B-B-E Jaguars volleyball team put their 3-0 CMC record on the line but came up just short in the end while losing to the Eagles 3-2. This loss sends the Jaguars (8-7) into a tie for first place with EV-W (11-6) and perhaps other teams depending on how their matches went tonight.

In the loss, the Jaguars blew a 2-1 set lead. After winning easily 25-14 in game three, the Jaguars suffered a 25-19 game four loss. In the fifth set, the Eagles won 15-13.

Some light match statistics at EV-W:
Macey Roering had 20 kills to lead the Jaguars. Adding 17 kills was Laken Anderson, and Jaylee Jensen had 11 kills. McKinley Haider was 22-of-22 at the service line with 3 ace serves. B-B-E had outstanding 96 percent serving with 10 service aces. As a team, they had 19.7 percent hitting. In looking at the statistics, it's hard to see where the Jaguars faltered. However, on this night, EV-W got the breaks they needed to pull into a first-place tie.

Update: the tie in first place includes 3 teams. Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City was in a tie for second place with a 2-1 record, but they lost 3-2 tonight at Maple Lake to fall into fourth place.

More to come. I have to hit the archives for some volleyball research. It has been a long time since B-B-E lost a CMC volleyball match. My recollection is that this occurred in the 2022 season against EV-W in a home match, when the Eagles won 3-1. I have to check the archives to see if I'm right.

One of the biggest problems with losing tonight to EV-W is that it hurts the Jaguars in their quest to earn the No. 1 seed in Section 6A. That very well could still take place, but the Jaguars are going to have to rattle off a crazy hot winning streak in order to pull that off.

Lo and behold! I was right. On September 22, 2022, the EV-W Eagles came to our house and won by a 3-1 margin. The Jaguars ultimately won a share of the CMC title with a 6-1 record and shared the title with EV-W. Paynesville Area and Kimball Area both finished in a tie for third place with 5-2 records. This decade, the Jaguars have lost just 2 matches in CMC play. Besides the 2022 loss to EV-W, the Jaguars also lost to Maple Lake during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

In a CMC match for their Homecoming week, the Paynesville Area Bulldogs defeated Kimball Area to put themselves in the first-place tie. As I see it, the first-place tie now includes B-B-E, EV-W and Paynesville. What this sets up is a huge, huge CMC showdown next Tuesday, October 6 in Paynesville. On that night, our Jaguars will have to fight with everything they have in order to stay in that first-place tie.

This was a RARE night where three of the four CMC matches all went the full distance of five sets. That is crazy! See the scoreboard below.

On Friday, October 2: the Belgrade Lions will host their fall fish fry fundraiser starting at 4:30 p.m. at The Spot on main street. They serve all-you-can-eat fish until 7:30 p.m.

Central Minnesota Conference volleyball scores on October 1:
Eden Valley-Watkins 3, B-B-E 2
Maple Lake 3, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 2 (Maple Lake won game five 15-11)
Royalton 3, Holdingford 2
Paynesville Area 3, Kimball Area 0

Area volleyball scores on October 1:
Minneota 3, MACCRAY 0
Marshall Area 3, Mayer Lutheran 1
Hancock 3, Ashby 0
Osakis 3, Upsala 0
Montevideo 3, West Central Area 2
Sauk Centre 3, BOLD 0
Jackson County Central 3, New London-Spicer 1 (game scores were 19-25, 19-25, 25-23, 23-25; this was the first loss of the season for the No. 3-ranked Class 2A Wildcats)