Fast start sends Huskies to back to state

Owatonna football is headed back to the state tournament after dismantling the Rochester John Marshall (RJM) 38-15 in the Section 1AAAAA championship game.

The last time Owatonna faced the Rockets, a comeback win kept the Huskies’ perfect season alive.

This time around, the momentum never left Owatonna’s sideline.

“One of the biggest things since the last time we played them is that our defensive line has really elevated the way they play. They’ve really honed in on attacking the edges of offensive linemen. Our outside linebackers brought some great pressure. We got them behind the sticks and put them in positions where we knew what they wanted to do most of the time,” said Owatonna Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Marc Achterkirch.

The Huskies started hot scoring 24 unanswered points to begin the game.

Senior kicker Seth Johnson kicked off the scoring with a 32-yard field goal out the gate for Owatonna to take a 3-0 lead just under five minutes into the game.

Neither side managed to get into the endzone until an interception by Owatonna’s Nolan Ginskey set up the first major scoring drive of the game with time dwindling down in the first quarter.

Ginskey’s pick set Owatonna up in plus territory, and after a few plays, senior fullback Blake Fitcher dove up the middle to score the Huskies’ first touchdown.

The score came with 25 seconds left in the opening quarter, giving the Huskies a 10-0 lead.

As the momentum started to build in the Huskies’ favor, RJM struggled to find answers on both sides of the ball.

Another stalled drive gave Owatonna positive field position and once again the Huskies used the short field to their benefit.

This time an arching, 30-yard deep ball from quarterback Hunter Theis found wide receiver Luke Webber in stride down the visitors’ sideline, giving the Rockets front-row seats to the Huskies’ second touchdown of the game.

Johnson was unable to convert the extra point, but the score pushed Owatonna’s lead to 16-0 with 9:43 remaining in the half.

The Rockets came out pass-heavy as a result of the early deficit, and the Huskies used their predictability to force another turnover.

Edge rusher Zach Haarstad forced a strip-sack fumble on to set Owatonna up at the RJM 46, completely silencing the away stands.

The turnover resulted in eight more Owatonna points as Ginskey found the endzone from seven yards out, and Theis found Webber again for the successful two-point conversion.

RJM scored before half after a big quarterback draw rushing play set the Rockets up at the Owatonna three-yard line, but the Huskies put up another touchdown with 30 seconds left in the half courtesy of a four-yard Tristan Graham rush.

The touchdown put Owatonna ahead 31-7 at halftime.

Disaster struck in the second half when Owatonna senior center, captain and three-year varsity starter Jack Meneguzzo went down with an apparent knee injury and was forced to exit the game.

The extent of Meneguzzo’s injuries was not made available, but the senior left the game on crutches and appeared unable to put any weight on his effected knee.

Both teams scored once more in the game, with the Huskies’ final touchdown coming by way of Graham’s legs again – his second of the game.

The win improves Owatonna’s record to a perfect 10-0 and sets the Huskies up for a shot at Class AAAAA glory when the team travels to Eastview High School in Apple Valley for its quarterfinal matchup against Cretin-Derham Hall on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.

Player Stats

Passing

#7 Hunter Theis – 13-24 172 yards 1 TD 1 Int.

Rushing

#20 Tristan Graham – 25 att. 87 yards 2 TD; #3 Nolan Ginskey – 5 att. 28 yards 1 TD; #10 Blake Fitcher – 2 att. 2 yards; #7 Theis – 2 att. 2 yards

Receiving

#11 Luke Webber – 5 rec. 91 yards 1 TD; #3 Ginskey – 6 rec. 46 yards; #2 Seth Johnson – 1 rec. 20 yards; #20 Graham – 1 rec. 15 yards