Panthers stun Huskies 25-20 in semis
Owatonna’s Carson Bock tackles a Century ball carrier. Owatonna’s defense put in a valiant effort by scoring seven points and holding Century to just three touchdowns and one field goal in a 25-20 upset loss. Staff photo by Lucas Candullo
No. 1 Owatonna was left in shock as it watched its state tournament hopes come to an abrupt end in the Class 1AAAAA semifinals as time expired in a 25-20 loss to No. 5 Rochester Century at Federated Field last week.
The Huskies entered the section tournament as the undisputed No. 1 seed following a 7-1 regular season campaign and a perfect 6-0 conference record, but a ready Century team played spoiler on a night where finishing drives made all the difference.
Scoring began late in the first quarter when the Panthers connected on a 30-yard passing touchdown to take a 6-0 lead.
Century’s extra point attempt was unsuccessful to keep the team’s lead at just six points.
After Owatonna’s offense was held in check for the entire first quarter, it was the defense that would manage to put the first points on the scoreboard for the Huskies.
A Century fumble was scooped up by linebacker Zachary Roesner and returned 45 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 6-6 with 10:13 left in the half.
Owatonna tacked on the extra point to take the lead at 7-6, which it would hold into halftime.
The small momentum boost wasn’t enough to deter the Panthers as the visitors struck first again in the second half to regain the lead.
After an extended drive to begin the third quarter, Century found the endzone on an eight-yard rush to go ahead 12-7.
The Panthers opted to go for two and were successful on another rush to lead 14-7 with 9:18 left in the quarter.
The Huskies’ offense was held off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter when runningback Kade Hullopeter broke through to tie the game.
Hullopeter found space on a four-yard rush to cut the lead to 14-13 and kicker Canaan Zinter tied it up by adding the extra point with 10:57 left in the game.
Owatonna kicked off primed to find its way back into the game, but Century was not keen on allowing the Huskies any time to find their footing.
Instead, Century scored just 17 seconds later on an 80-yard rushing touchdown to go up 20-14 with 10:40 remaining.
The Panthers chose to go for two points again following the touchdown and were successful to lead 22-14.
Owatonna tried to find answers to the Panthers’ defense, but came up short again multiple times as the game began to slip away.
The real dagger came with 1:59 left when Century made it a two-possession game following a 41-yard field goal to lead 25-14.
Owatonna’s offense worked down the field to score on a six-yard passing touchdown from quarterback Aedan Tackmann to wide receiver Cooper Routh, but time had already vanished in the process.
Now trailing 25-20 with just six seconds remaining in the game, Owatonna went for two points and came up short, forcing the team to attempt an onside kick and go the length of the field in a nearly impossible amount of time.
With the odds stacked against them, the Huskies were unable to create their miracle to save the season, falling 25-20 to a Century team they had beaten 34-7 just over a month prior.
|
Team |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
|
Century |
6 |
0 |
8 |
11 |
25 |
|
Owatonna |
0 |
7 |
0 |
13 |
20 |
Player Stats
Owatonna
Passing
#7 Aedan Tackmann – 10/25 97 yards 1 TD 1 Int.
Rushing
#21 Kade Hullopeter – 29 att. 129 yards 1 TD; #26 Zach Roesner – 5 att. 57 yards; #7 Tackmann – 4 att. 15 yards
Receiving
#1 Cooper Routh – 4 rec. 45 yards; #88 Ashton Wilkemeyer – 1 rec. 13 yards; #21 Hullopeter – 2 rec. 13 yards; #9 Nolan Johnson – 1 rec. 10 yards; #8 Lee Smith – 1 rec. 9 yards; #2 Nolan Rolloff – 1 rec. 7 yards
