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)

Friday Night Lights IX: valiant effort falls short

What an incredible night at Swanville! In the second quarter, the B-B-E Jaguars football team is trailing 14-6 tonight to the once-beaten Upsala/Swanville Area Patriots.

Update: the Jaguars took a 20-14 lead early in the fourth quarter!

Later in the fourth quarter the No. 3-seeded Patriots took a 22-20 lead. The No. 6-seeded Jaguars battled furiously on their last drive of the game, but they stalled out on fourth down with 10 seconds to go.

FINAL: Upsala/Swanville Area 22, B-B-E 20. The Jaguars finish a truly roller-coaster style season with a final record of 2-7 overall. USA moves on to face Mayer Lutheran in Mayer on Saturday in the section semifinals.

Section 4A playoff quarterfinal scores on Oct. 25:
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 8, Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 6 (at Lester Prairie, No. 5 seed beats No. 4 seed in a cliffhanger)
Mayer Lutheran 38, Kimball Area 12

Area football playoff scores on October 25:
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 28, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 20
MACCRAY 50, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 6
Pillager 50, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 6
Parkers Prairie 26, New York Mills 6
Breckenridge 41, West Central Area/Ashby 6
Canby 21, Dawson-Boyd 7
Maple Lake 54, Minneapolis Edison 14    
Paynesville Area 42, Minnewaska Area 14      
Sauk Centre 28, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 20
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 38, St. Agnes 12    
BOLD 47, Cedar Mountain/Comfrey 0
Minneota 48, Ortonville 6
Albany 25, Montevideo 0
New London-Spicer 35, Melrose Area 12 (this game was tied 7-7 in the second quarter, but the No. 3-seeded Wildcats cruised from that point on)
Litchfield 27, Holdingford 13
Jordan 44, Rockford Area 15
Osakis 56, Benson 12  

Scouting Minneapolis North football

Not much to say beyond the fact that they are crazy good! The Polars (8-0) average 34.4 points per game on offense and give up just 2.5 points per game on defense. (Actually they score a lot more than that per game, but two of their games are marked as forfeit wins by scores of 2-0 and 1-0...in actual games played, they average 45.3 points per game of offense.)

Here's a recruiting page for one of their seniors and future U of M Gophers football player, Tyler Johnson:
http://www.thedailygopher.com/2015/10/11/9501463/minnesota-football-recruiting-tyler-johnson-commits Johnson is the quarterback and a defensive back for the Polars and is a fourth-year varsity player.

The Jaguars (5-4) and Polars will square off in the Section 4A semifinals next Tuesday, October 20 at 3 p.m. at the Minneapolis North high school football field.

Mpls. North was considered one of many state title contenders last year, but their hopes were dashed by Dawson-Boyd in the Class 1A state semifinals in a 28-12 loss at Hopkins High School; they finished 12-1. It was a stinging loss to say the least. From articles I've read, it took players awhile to get over it. (Reminds me of when our boys' basketball team went 1-1 in the sub-section playoffs in 2013.)

In 2012, the Polars went 2-7 with a first-round playoff loss at Murdock to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg by a 54-40 score. In 2013, Minneapolis North went 7-3 and was the top seed heading into the Section 4A playoffs. In the semifinals, a bigger and stronger Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity team came to North's football field and demolished them 54-26, ending the season with a 7-3 mark.

Fast forward a year, to the Section 4A championship game at Sauk Centre high school, and a vastly-improved Polars team demolished LP/HT 40-14 to go to state.

They were 0-9 in 2011. In 2010, Mpls. North was a Class 3A school before falling on hard times and nearly closing the following year. Their turnaround has been quite impressive, to say the least.

Fun fact:
The head football coach of Minneapolis North, Charlie Adams, is a Minneapolis cop and has been on that city's police force for over 10 years. His full-time job is as the school resource officer at North high school. This is his sixth year as head coach at Minneapolis North. I have conversed with him over text messaging and e-mails during the 2012 and 2013 playoffs. He's a great guy, and I know he will have his team ready to play next week.

Check this out:
http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/moments/2014/10/16/moment-hs-football/17343919/

Another fun fact:
North high school has a terrific, first-class weight-lifting facilities provided by the E.J. Henderson Youth Foundation. Three former NFL players are mentors to the team.

Friday Night Lights IX: it's a heart-stopper!

The helmets were held high following the game tonight.

An ending for the ages! Something we haven't seen at B-B-E on the gridiron in 28 years of B-B-E football. Straight outta crazy town! I may never see this at B-B-E as long as I live.

Trailing 19-14 as the final minutes approached in the fourth quarter, the B-B-E Jaguars football team got a badly-needed defensive stop right as it appeared as though Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity was about to put the game away. The Bulldogs had first down on the B-B-E 17-yard line. Here's how it played out: loss of two yards on run play, incomplete pass, a pass reception for five yards...on fourth-and-seven, Kyle Felling made a great defensive play to bring another incomplete pass.

*Here's a short video clip from the middle of the second quarter, where the Jaguars turned back an LP/HT drive; the Bulldogs had a fourth down play on the B-B-E four-yard line:


Even so, the odds were not in B-B-E's favor with possession of the ball on their own 15-yard line. Their offense had sputtered most of the night, and they had just five minutes and eight seconds on the clock to cover 85 yards. From the start of the game up to that point, the Jaguars had just 158 yards of offense. Here's what happened next:

1st-and-10: Tanner Heinsius reception for six yards
2nd-and-4: Heinsius run for six yards
1st-and-10 on the 27: Heinsius converts again with a 14-yard gain
1st-and-10 on the 41: Sidney Shacter got out ahead of the defense and caught a perfect pass from Ryan Illies to set up the Jaguars at the Bulldogs 28-yard line!! If you're keeping track, that catch was good for 31 yards.

From the 28-yard line, the Jaguars converted again to get a first down on the LP/HT 12-yard line. Things were looking GREAT with just over three minutes of game left.

At that point, the unthinkable happened: a lost fumble recovered by LP/HT at their own 10-yard line. The clock had just 3:11 on it. Not good!

LP/HT proceeded to convert one first down on third-and-seven, and from there they burnt three seconds shy of two minutes of game time. The Bulldogs were held to fourth down and 13 yards to go. At that point they punted from their own 22-yard line with 44 seconds on the clock after gaining just 12 net yards of offense on six plays.

The Jaguars got a nice punt return from Heinsius of about 20 yards and had the ball on the LP/HT 42-yard line. That was the good part. The bad part: just 34 seconds were on the clock.

Fast forward to under 10 seconds to go, and Kyle Felling ran in a 13-yard touchdown reception with 4.4 seconds left! The two-point conversion was caught by Heinsius in the left flats for a final score of 22-19. Felling's historic catch came on third-and-10, on which the ball was snapped with 10.0 seconds to go. Felling ran a route to the right and evaded numerous Bulldogs before leaping across the goal line just inside the right pylon. LET ME TELL YOU! NFL players have nothing on Felling for his dramatic catch, run and score.

Making it even crazier: Ryan Illies threw the game-winning pass under duress, right as he was getting knocked to the ground.

Coach Langer reminding his kickoff team that "the game is not over yet" following the game-winning touchdown.

On the final play of the game, LP/HT's quarterback rolled out to pass, but he was chased down and sacked as the clock expired. It was an incredible and stunning turnaround in the final minute after the Jaguars trailed 12-7 at halftime and then fell behind 19-7 with seven minutes left in the third quarter. When the dust settled, they added 114 yards of offense to their stats in the final five minutes of the game. When all was said and done, the Jaguars had 272 yards of total offense compared to 229 by LP/HT. The passing stats were nearly identical (just one yard different), but the Jaguars out-rushed the Bulldogs by a 162-to-118 margin.

**Posted on Thursday morning...I couldn't keep this one wrapped any longer. Please share this link through e-mail and social media and allow others to watch the exciting ending. The first minute of this clip is quite a thrill to watch!!!!
http://bbejaguars.blogspot.com/2015/10/friday-night-lights-ix-its-heart-stopper.html



Next is a game at undefeated Minneapolis North on Tuesday, October 20 in the section semifinals. They had a first-round bye. From the information I've read, the game has a 3 p.m. kickoff. I do know we are making an effort to move the kickoff time to 1 o'clock or 2 o'clock.

In the other two quarterfinal games of Section 4A:
Mayer Lutheran 28, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 6
Upsala/Swanville Area 52, Kimball Area 7

Area football playoff scores on October 14:
Holdingford 21, Melrose Area 20 (quite the border battle! Section 6AAA)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 25, Eden Valley-Watkins 20 (Section 5AA; nice job, Falcons!)
Sauk Centre 37, Osakis 16 (Section 5AA)
Paynesville Area 64, Benson 35 (Section 5AA)
Maple Lake 31, Norwood-Young America 6 (Section 4AA)
Montevideo 21, Litchfield 17 (Section 6AAA)
New London-Spicer 32, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 14 (Section 6AAA, Wildcats win at Big Cat Stadium in Morris)

(Video) What a start!

What a terrific way to start a football game! The B-B-E Jaguars football team stopped A-C-GC on fourth down at the B-B-E 17-yard line on the first possession of the first quarter. They turned around and drove 83 yards to score. Shown below is video from that first touchdown:


It was very difficult to see the game go so well for the Jaguars up to the last half of the fourth quarter. I have personally said to team members to keep their heads up and be proud of their effort last night.

Here's a photo gallery from the game:
http://saukherald.smugmug.com/2014-Sports/2014-BelgradeBrootenElrosa-fal/BBE-Jaguars-football-vs-ACGC

Friday Night Lights IX: stunned disbelief

Coach Moscho talks to his defensive unit with 49.5 seconds left in the game. A-C-GC just gained a first down, goal-to-go at the nine-yard line.

I don't even know what to say. I can't even bring myself to type the final score. I haven't decided how much I want to say about the game's ending. It was not right that time expired after our ball carrier was tackled but the game was ruled complete! It hurts. But even if we ran one final play from the 20-yard line, we still had to move the ball 20 yards to get the win.

How's this for irony? The B-B-E Jaguars football team lost tonight to A-C-GC by the same score that A-C-GC lost to the Jaguars in last year's section semifinal game.

The Jaguars got an impressive 241 rushing yards on 34 carries, but the Falcons were better yet with 369 rushing yards on 60 carries. A-C-GC had two turnovers compared to none for the Jaguars.

One thought quickly comes to mind: bring on the Prairie Conference! The Jaguars are coming guns blazing!

I just noticed this, which illustrates the immense strength of the schedule the Jaguars played this fall. In our lone non-conference game, against Class 2A Norwood-Young America, the Jaguars lost to a team that would eventually finish 7-1 and earn the number one playoff seed in Section 2AAA. NYA won their playoff opener 24-6 tonight over Medford.

Here's video of the last play of the game, with the Jaguars at the 50-yard line on third-down and eight. Just eight seconds were on the clock. I shifted just a bit off of Tanner Heinsius, who carried the ball for about 30 yards.


It's not worth whining about, but it does leave a bad taste in your mouth. No matter what, the Jaguars have to pick themselves up and look ahead to the 2015 season. Who's our first opponent? None other than Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City!

Section 4A football scores:
#5 Mayer Lutheran 26, #4 Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 6
#2 Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 30, #7 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 14 (the Fighting Saints trailed just 15-14 heading into the fourth quarter)
#5 Mayer Lutheran 26, #4 Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 6
#1 Minneapolis North 33, #8 Kimball Area 0

Other area football scores, playoff openers: 
Section 6AAA
Melrose Area 32, Litchfield 22
Annandale (six seed) 22, Montevideo (three seed) 13
Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 42, Redwood Valley 13

Section 5AAA
Foley (seven seed) 29, Aitkin (two seed) 14
St. Cloud Cathedral (three seed) 32, Milaca (six seed) 18

Section 4AA
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 35, Spectrum 0 (Lakers are the number two seed)

Section 6A
Royalton 43, Prairie Valley 7

Section 6AA
Holdingford 47, Wadena-Deer Creek 0
Osakis 26, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 19 (first playoff win for the Silverstreaks since 2009)

Section 5AA
Minnewaska Area 38, Sauk Centre 24
Eden Valley-Watkins 41, Yellow Medicine East 8
BOLD 54, Benson 13

Section 4A football playoffs

Video from the second half of the football game last Friday night:



Section 4A seeding (final):
1st Minneapolis North (7-1)
2nd Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity (5-3)
3rd Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (3-5)
4th Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart (2-6)
5th Mayer Lutheran (1-7)
6th B-B-E (1-7)
7th Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (1-7)
8th Kimball Area (0-8)

The B-B-E Jaguars football team will being the playoffs with a Section 4A quarterfinal game at Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City high school in Grove City next Tuesday, Oct. 21 with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Above are the section seedings, with the top four seeds hosting the opening round of the section tournament.

FILL these bleachers!

Sauk Centre's football stadium bleachers seats over 1,100.

I'm not so worried about what will happen on the Sauk Centre field (shown below) as the players will take care of that...but B-B-E fans have their own assignment tonight.

This will be B-B-E's third game of the season on turf.

I am extremely anxious to see if Jaguar Country can shock me for a second football game in a row. I don't believe I have told anyone this, but I was actually pretty surprised at not only the turnout for the football game on Saturday night but also at the energy and enthusiasm the crowd brought. Paid attendance was 573 for the A-C-GC game, which doesn't include anyone with postseason passes or workers for concessions or the Pep Band. I'd venture to guess we had a strong crowd of 650 on what was a pretty cold night. It was certainly the biggest football crowd we've had at B-B-E since the 1997 season.

However, I recall at certain junctures of the game where A-C-GC fans "owned" that stadium. (The Jaguar players remember it too)

A look at the history of the two schools sort of tells why that happened right in our own stadium: folks in Falcon Country know all about having football success in the playoffs. While they had a number of teams cut down in the Section 5AA championship in the 2000s by Eden Valley-Watkins, they at least were able to get that far.

Looking back just to 2004: A-C-GC went 0-1 only one time in the playoffs, that being in 2011 when they took a 4-4 record in the playoffs and lost in the opener to Kimball Area; from 2004 to 2013, they went 1-1 in the playoffs only twice (2005, 2013); between 2004 and 2008 they were beaten out of the playoffs every year by Eden Valley-Watkins. Oh boy, that had to get old...back to my point, between 2004 and 2013, A-C-GC piled up a whopping 17 section playoff wins. SEVENTEEN! Wow! They advanced to the state tournament the past two seasons and picked up one state win in that time.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars didn't win a lot of playoff games until recently. I won't dive into those numbers...they are completely and wholly irrelevant today. We're just not used to seeing our football team win in the playoffs. Well, Jaguar Country, time to get used to it! The time to get out and rally around our team is TODAY. Bring your school spirit, bring all the loud voices and excited attitudes you can come up with and get to Sauk Centre for this game.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: our guys deserve to have a thousand fans at this game tonight!!!! Let's make LP/HT fans stand along the chain-link fence to the west and east of the stadium bleachers because we've taken all the seats! Yes, today is the day to get greedy!

Section 4A championship football game is in Sauk Centre

A panoramic view of the Sauk Centre football field near the 50-yard line. (Click on the photo for a better view)

What they had in Sauk Centre through the fall of 2011 / Spring 2012. This was completely renovated in 2012.

Cement being poured on August 14, 2012 for the foundation of the stadium bleachers and press box.

Shown is the press box in Sauk Centre getting the siding added on Sept. 26, 2012.

A photo of the Sauk Centre football stadium taken today.

B-B-E Jaguar fans have basically no excuse not to get to Sauk Centre tomorrow night, where district officials are rolling out the red carpet for fans in order to accommodate a huge crowd. I just heard that two additional portable bleacher sets are being added. That's on top of the regular stadium seating that holds 1,100.

The distance from the northern border of B-B-E (the B-B-E/Sauk Centre line) to the Sauk Centre football stadium is just 9.86 miles. It's the shortest distance a B-B-E team has ever had to play in a section championship. (Barely beating out the 2005 volleyball section final, when the Jaguars played in Melrose.)

Once again: the Section 4A football championship between the B-B-E Jaguars and Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity is Friday, November 1 with a 7:00 pm kickoff. Let's give the Jaguars a real home field advantage tomorrow!

What a game playing out in Minneapolis. Wow.

Disclaimer: I hope no one on the B-B-E football team reads this...it doesn't matter guys! Get your head on ACGC, the only thing in your universe right now.

North's Josh Cunningham, running back, caught a 5-yard touchdown pass with 11:52 on the clock in the first quarter. Their quarterback was flushed but ran in the two-point conversion pass. The touchdown was the first successful reception for North.
Second quarter, 11:52: LPHT 16, North 8.
LPHT started their next drive on their 26-yard line. It's the first time in the game where they've had the length of the field to start a series.
1st-10: 1-yard gain
2nd-9: a big 19-yard catch by Machemehl to the LPHT 45-yard line.
1st-10 @ B-45: 2' run
2nd-8: Heigl keeper for 3 yards
3rd-5: Heigl is flushed, runs, gets a couple yards but is short.
4th-3: Bulldogs are going for it from their 47-yard line. Tesch bulls forward and gets a couple extra with a big gain!
1st-10 @ N-44: Tesch reaches the corner, gets a good block and gains a bunch of yards. He has 7 carries so far for 35 yards.
2nd-3: Tesch gets a 3-yard gain to convert! He blasted into a pile of defenders.
1st-10 @ N-34: Tesch runs for 5 yards.
2nd-5: Heigl uses trickery and carries, looked like Tesch had it...Heigl gains 16 yards!
1st-10 @ N-11: Heigl under center, hand off to Tesch, he's around the right side for a touchdown!      6:59 the Bulldogs score on a rushing touchdown.  Machemehl PAT kick with the trademark "shift"...ball snapped right to Tesch who walks in the 2-pt conversion.
2nd quarter 6:59: LPHT 24, North 8.

North started the next possession on their 37-yard line.
1st-10 at N-37: INC pass.
2nd-10: Cunningham has a hole and crosses midfield to the LPHT 48' with a huge 15-yard gain.
    6:15 left, timeout LPHT.
1st-10 at B-48: reception to the Bulldogs 41-yard line.
2nd-3: Bulldogs snare an interception! Nathan Anderson successfully fights for the ball with 5:31 left in the second quarter.
BULLDOGS ball
1st-10 at B-21:  Heigl is sacked in the back field for a 5-yard loss.
 2nd-15: Machemehl fumbles on an end-around play, Polars recover.
POLARS ball on the LPHT 13' line.
1st-10 at B-14: Hampton reception to the 7-yard line
?  missed this play
? -GOAL at B-7: Johnson in shotgun, he runs in a quarterback keeper from 3 yards out.
Polars score on a Johnson QB keeper from three yards out. On the 2-point conversion, Johnson looking to pass, but it's intercepted.
2nd quarter 3:33:  LPHT 24, North 14.

Wow! This is an incredible game.
BULLDOGS take over from their 30-yard line after the kickoff with 3:24 left.
1st-10 at B-30: Stibal 3' gain.
2nd-6: Heigl breaks free and runs for a 67-yard touchdown!!! Wow!
Two-pt. conversion coming, they shift, Machemehl shifts to the right, Polars bite, Tesch moves forward with the ball but the Polars were able to stop him this time.
2nd quarter 2:38: LPHT 30, North 14.

POLARS ball after the kickoff with 2:30 left from their 31-yard line.
1st-10 at N-31: Johnson keeper for 3 yards.
2nd-7: Johnson in shotgun, they look down field, Keyon Thomas almost gets a reception but can't hold on to the ball.
3rd-7:  ?Mathias? catches the ball for a 9-yard gain. His first catch of the day.
1st-10 at N-43: Johnson keeper after being flushed, brought down at the 47-yard line but there's a flag on the play after a North holding infraction.
96 seconds to go before halftime.
1st-a bunch ... a huge interception by Machemehl!!!! an LPHT pick on a jump ball! They have a minute left on the clock with a long field.

BULLDOGS ball from their own 26-yard line.
1st-10 at N-26:  Jazz BaIRD catch at the 50, he gets to North's 41-yard line! A 33-YARD catch for Baird's first catch of the day.
1st-10 at N-41: Stibal catches a pass from Heigl, his first reception of his varsity career, he gets 8 yards.
2nd-2 at North's 33-yard line:
34 seconds left, timeout Bulldogs.
2nd-and-2:  Tesch breaks free, he's pushed out of bounds past the 20-yard line....it was a reception for 13 yards...25 seconds left.
1st-10 at North's 20:  Machemehl in motion, he almost caught it after turning but dropped it, great coverage by North......21 seconds left.
2nd-10: Heigl rolls right, he flips a pass to Machemehl for a 5-yard reception to increase the shot of at least getting a field goal.
3rd-5 at North 15:  Machemehl coming from the left, Tesch right...Heigl moves to the left and tucks it in, trying to get out of bounds, he gets to the 10-yard line but might be just short...nope, he gets the first down.
1st-GOAL at North's 9 1/2 yard line with 4 seconds left. Do they go for a touchdown or field goal? Bulldogs take the field and set up a field goal attempt. Ball at the 17-yard line for a 27-yard attempt. Snap good, Heigl holds, and it's a good field goal.    
HALFTIME: LPHT 33, North 14.

**Here's a score from St. Agnes high school, where Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted is playing in the Section 4AA semifinals...with just the 4th quarter remaining, the Lakers are in a 14-14 tie!

Bulldogs will start the 2nd half with the ball.
John Williams 2-point conversion pass (he's #66 in the program) after Machemehl 90-yard kickoff return. Wow.
41 to 14 Bulldogs lead just seconds into the 3rd quarter.

North having trouble on the ensuing kickoff...they went backwards but got a few back then ultimately will start the ball on their 25-yard line.
(11:31 left)
1st-10 at N-25: K. Thomas smothered by LPHT defense, loss on the play.
2nd-11: Johnson looking to pass, flushed, flag on the play, North holding penalty.
2nd-22 on the Polars 13: Thomas reception for 7 yards
3rd-15: Johnson back to pass, flushed, rolls right, gets free, Bulldogs miss him...Johnson gets 5 yards dodging numerous Bulldog defenders.
4th-10: PUNT

BULLDOGS field the kickoff with Heigl at the B-37, he moves out to the 39 and is tackled, 8:57
1st-10 at B-39: Jared Stibal runs up the middle for a big gain of 9 yards.
2nd-1: Stibal unable to get the 1st down, Polars tighten up, loss of yards.
3rd-4: Stibal again and he gets the first down to the 50.
1st-10 at the 50: Tesch finds a hole, dives forward for a first down.
1st-10 at North's 40:  ?? missed the play
2nd-4:  Tesch up the right side, finds a hole, he's free and hits the corner for a 15' gain.
1st-10 at N-21:  Andrew G. looking for room, gets a few yards
2nd-? :  Stibal short gain
3rd-2: drive up the middle by #12 to convert and get goal-to-go on the 4-yard line.
1st-GOAL on the North four: nowhere to go for a running back
2nd-GOAL on North four: Heigl keeper, flips it to Nathan Anderson for a reception of 4 yards for a touchdown!    47-14, PAT good.
3rd quarter, 3:10 left: LPHT 48, North 14.

More to follow after 5:00, including the final score. **Update: with 6:34 left, the Bulldogs have a 54-20 lead.

With North's starters playing out the rest of the game, they scored with no time left on a 20-yard pass play to make the final score 54-26.

Time for all of us to get to Belgrade!!!!

Friday Night Lights IX: Jaguars pull off a win in an ugly, ugly game

The Jaguars' offense could never get on track tonight against an inspired Kimball defense.

Oh, boy...the worst happened to be when Kimball scored first. The #7-seeded team scored first on a #2-seeded team, which was embarrassing. The Cubs had a 7-0 lead at the start of the 2nd quarter. The game didn't get much better from there, but luckily, the Jaguars football team was just barely better than Kimball Area tonight and came out on top by a 21-13 score.

Just when it appeared as though the Jaguars had things put back together, and the ship straightened out and were ready to redeem themselves, they let the Kimball Cubs score on a fake punt play when they let a receiver get loose down the right sideline and scamper in with a 65-yard touchdown pass. That was on the first series of the second half, and fortunately Trey Heinsius blocked the PAT kick to leave the score at B-B-E 14, Kimball 13 with lots of game left.

The Jaguars (8-1) put up another touchdown with 2:19 left in the 3rd quarter and hung on for the win. They now have 8 wins in a season for only the second time in school history (1988)....but it won't really mean a thing if they come out flat on Saturday night and let Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City destroy them on our home field.

There's a lot more to say about tonight's game, and I'll get to all of it eventually, but one thing that stands out in my mind: if you play just good enough to win, you could easily get beat. That's almost what transpired tonight...the Jaguars (barely) played good enough to beat an 0-8 team.

Noteworthy: B-B-E's football field was incredible this week...I'd rate the soil/sod conditions "great" for tonight's game, which says a lot about how well-built it is after it has taken a beating in the last couple of weeks of rain and wear and tear. Not far to the west, Minnewaska Area learned a sobering lesson about how bad it is if your football field is not well-built and not well-drained. Their Veterans Field was partially-underwater as of Monday afternoon this week, and last night Minnewaska officials decided to move their quarterfinal game to the college in Morris. Their "home field advantage" was essentially wiped out by Mother Nature. Sauk Centre found an opening and hammered the Lakers 40-7 tonight. Ouch.

I don't even want to think about what would've happened tonight if we were unable to play on our home field.

Other interesting tidbits: tonight's game lasted 2 hours and 47 minutes for regulation play. B-B-E's offense churned out 153 rushing yards and 138 passing yards against Kimball; Adrian Belden and Jackson Gregory both had quarterback sacks; the Jaguars have scored 282 points this year against 142 points given up. Austin Kollman has 1,360 rushing yards through 9 games.

Check out the scoreboard below. The Central Minnesota Conference went 6-2 in playoff openers tonight, with one of them (B-B-E) ending another conference team's season. Talk about a tough conference! Wow! Down in Section 2AAA, sixth-seeded Rockford Area defeated third-seeded Minneapolis Henry/West Metro by a 32-12 score!!! (Henry/West Metro is a fellow conference team with Minneapolis North.)

**For a limited time, here's a short clip from the fourth quarter tonight...it gives a little glimpse into how the game played out and the struggles the Jaguars had:


**Up next: the Section 4A semifinals this Saturday at 7:00pm...back at the B-B-E high school football stadium. The opponent will be A-C-GC, a team that's 7-2 after throttling their quarterfinal opponent tonight in Grove City. PLEASE, PLEASE spread the word and bring as many friends, family and neighbors as you can to this game. I cannot stress how important it is that we have a HUGE hometown crowd at this game. It is only the SECOND time in B-B-E school history that we've hosted a section semifinal playoff game! (Last and only other time was in 1997, when the Jaguars beat MACCRAY 29-14 in the Section 5AA semifinals.) Folks, this is HUGE stuff!!! The Jaguars need your support! We need a large hometown crowd cheering them on the entire game.

Section 4A football scores on October 22:
Minneapolis North 48, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 6 (#1 beats #8)
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 48, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 6 (#3 beats #6)
Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 30, Mayer Lutheran 29!!!!! (#5 beats #4)

Area football scores for the playoff openers:
Sauk Centre 40, Minnewaska 7!! (a pretty big upset in my opinion...Mainstreeters turned their season around)
Paynesville 70, Yellow Medicine East 6 (593 yards of offense for the Bulldogs)
Browerville 29, Pillager 6
Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 26, Brooklyn Center 22
Holdingford 40, Staples-Motley 0
Pierz 48, Pine City 6
Maple Lake 39, Spectrum 0
Melrose Area 41, Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 15
Royalton 47, New York Mills 6
Upsala/Swanville 34, West Central Area 0
Pelican Rapids 49, Osakis 30
Ottertail Central 47, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 8
MACCRAY 46, Ortonville 14
BOLD 68, Eden Valley-Watkins 14
Minneota/Lincoln HI 44, Benson 0
**Rockford Area 32, Minneapolis Henry/West Metro 12! (#6 seed beats #3 seed!)
Albany 34, Fergus Falls 21


I will be updating this at least through 1:00am tonight....................stay tuned!

A half hour after the game is over, and I still can barely move my hands/fingers...tough to type!

Ugly 1st half

14 to 7 Jaguars at halftime. Kimball scored first.

3 minutes left...21 to 13 us@!

We won and ugly, ugly game.

More to follow later.

Terribly excited

So is anyone else as terribly excited as I am for tomorrow night's game? The Jaguars are on a roll, and I hope it continues tomorrow night. Kickoff is at 7:00pm. See you there!

John Gjerstad (55) tosses the football to the referees in Eden Valley right after he scored the game's final touchdown on a two-yard plunge in the fourth quarter. Also shown is wide receiver Tristan Nelson (32).

Here's Jordan Kollman's one-yard plunge for a touchdown with 4:09 left in the third quarter:

Remember!! We need all the fans that the B-B-E community can turn out for the upcoming home playoff games. No reason not to be there! Tuesday and Saturday nights, with 7:00pm kickoffs.

Go Jaguars!