KoMets football cruises to section title game

KASSON — No.2-seeded Kasson-Mantorville ousted No. 3-seeded Winona, 29-5, in the Section 1AAAA semifinal round on Saturday, October 29. That sets up a battle between K-M and top-ranked/top-seeded Stewartville, for the section championship.

Phenom senior Broc Barwald rushed for 178 yards, and ran-in a pair of lengthy first-half touchdowns, en route to the KoMets victory. K-M charted a 22-3 advantage at the hiatus, and that was all they needed to seal the deal. To solidify matters, junior quarterback Kyle Nelson tacked on a touch of insurance, completing a 20-yard scoring pass to Aidan Smith, in the third stanza.

K-M Stats: Passing: Kyle Nelson, 2 for 6, 25 yards, TD; Rushing: Broc Barwald, 11 carries for 178 yards, 2 TDs; Kyle Nelson, 7 carries for 34 yards; Henry Paulson, 10 carries for 32 yards; Jeremiah Peterson, 3 carries for 4 yards; Caisen Thome, 3 carries for 4 yards; Emmett Ricke, 1 carry for 2 yards; Receiving: Aidan Smith, 1 catch for 20 yards, TD; Jeremiah Peterson, 1 catch for 5 yards; (Box score: Winona: 3-0-0-2—5; KoMets: 7-15-7-0—29).

Football Bears bid adieu
to the season

STEWARTVILLE — Having pulled the upset a year ago, defeating No. 1-seeded Stewartville in the section semifinals, the Byron boys came to Tiger town with great memories and big dreams. But Stewie shared those memories too, and this time around, they exacted revenge in a big way.

The Section 1AAAA semifinal showdown between the two on Saturday, October 29, turned into a big Byron nightmare, as the state ranked No. 1 Tigers devoured the Bears, 56-0.

Stewie made their point quickly, when Owen Sikkink ran the opening kickoff back 78 yards for a touchdown. Tigers quarterback Ayden Helder was a perfect 10-10 for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Stewartville finished with 298 yards, 167 rushing and 131 passing. The home-towners held their guests (6-4) to 131 total yards, 138 passing and minus-7 rushing.

Kale Robinson was 10-17 passing for Byron, for 99 yards and 2 INTs. Reid Bielen completed a 39-yard pass to Dominic Cartney, and Tyler Fox rushed for 20 yards on 10 carries.

Stewartville will face No. 2 Kasson-Mantorville (7-2) in the Section 1AAAA finals at 7 p.m. on Friday at Mayo High School. (Byron: 0-0-0-0—0; Stewartville: 14-28-6-8—56)

Football Bears cruise through quarters

BYRON — The Byron football team dominated Red Wing, 37-0, last Tuesday, October 25, in a Section 1AAAA quarterfinal matchup. Controlling play from start to finish, Byron broke loose in the second stanza, scoring three touchdowns, for an 18-0 half-time lead. They tacked on a pair of TDs in the third, and one more in the fourth, completing the final tally. The Bears’ defense also stepped up again, as usual, forcing four turnovers in the game.

Bears QB Kale Robinson had a strong game leading the offensive attack. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. Dom Cartney caught three of those balls for 53 yards and a TD. Tyler Fox rushed for 145 yards and a TD on 22 carries, while Luke Scheuer ran four times for 41 yards and a TD. The Bears ran for 260 yards as a team, on 41 attempts. (Red Wing: 0-0-0-0—0; Byron: 0-18-12-7—37).

Hayfield football team done
for season

RUSHFORD — The Hayfield football boys lost to a stellar third-seeded Rushford-Peterson team, by a final tally of 41-6, last Tuesday, October 25; in Section 1A Playoff action.

The Trojans scored twice in the first quarter, then tacked on three more second-quarter touchdowns, to build a 34-0 half-time lead. After seeing their five-game winning streak snapped last Wednesday, by Faribault, in a tight 20-13 game, R-P (7-2) left little doubt that they are back on track, scoring early and often against the Vikings (3-6).

Hayfield’s lone score came late in the third quarter, on a 22-yard pass from Ethan Pack to Cole Selk. (R-P: 13-21-7-0—41; Hayfield: 0-0-6-0—6).

Hayfield Stats: Passing: Ethan Pack, 8/16, 91 yards, TD, INT; Rushing: Ty Bronson, 4 carries for 7 yards; Cole Selk, 7 carries for 3 yards; Ashton Beckman, 2 carries for 3 yards; Receiving: Cole Selk, 2 catches for 42 yards, TD; Landon Wiley-Beckman, 1 catch for 18 yards; Isaac Matti, 2 catches for 17 yards; Ty Bronson, 2 catches for 16 yards; Corbin Krueger, 1 catch for (-2) yards; Defense: Ashton Beckman, 7 tackles, 5 assists; Ty Bronson, 6 tackles, 4 assists; Sam Tucker, 4 tackles, 1 assist; Brody Johnson, 1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery.

Triton gridders edged-out
of playoffs

DODGE CENTER —
It just wasn’t in the cards for the No. 3-seeded Triton boys last Tuesday, October 25, as they lost to No. 6-seed St. Charles, 19-14, in Section 1AA quarterfinal action. It was a 13-7 half-time advantage for the Saints. The Cobras drove inside the St. Charles 10, with just under a minute to play, but St. Charles managed a big stop on fourth down to seal the victory and extend their playoff run. (St. Charles: 6-7-0-6—19; Triton: 7-0-7-0—14); Triton Rushing: Francis Price, 28 carries for 148 yards; Jayce Leonardo, 13 carries for 26 yards, 2 TDs; Brayden Rohwer, 2 carries for 3 yards; Carter Strieff, 12 carries for 70 yards.