Defense has been the strength of the undefeated Owatonna Huskies football team this year, and it sure showed Saturday night against the New Prague Trojans in the Section 1AAAAA semifinals.
The Huskies won 19-7 in the regular season when the two teams played each other, and it was another defensive battle Saturday night. This time, the Huskies came out on top at 14-7 to advance to the section championship game.
The Trojans got the ball to start the game, and the Huskies’ defense showed up right away, as it forced New Prague to punt after a three and out.
While the Huskies’ offense has not been on par with their defense this year, they have had their moments, with their junior running back Tristan Graham becoming a reliable option at the position while their receiving core led by senior standout Nolan Ginskey has been dominant.
On a third down with eight yards to go in their own territory, the Huskies converted with a 10-yard receiving play by Ginskey, but there was offensive pass interference on the play with the Huskies redoing the third down. They had 22 yards to go after the penalty and while Ginskey had another catch, it wasn’t enough for the first down as Owatonna punted on fourth down and six.
The Huskies caught a break after senior defensive back Luke Webber caught an interception on a New Prague third down. The Huskies were then able to drive down the field and score off of a 7-yard passing touchdown from senior quarterback Hunter Theis to senior full back Blake Fitcher.
Ahead 7-0 over the Trojans, the Huskies got the ball once more in the first quarter after the Trojans turned the ball over on downs after going for it on fourth and one. The Huskies had a turnover of their own on the next drive though, as Theis threw an interception when the Huskies were at the Trojans’ 26-yard line.
The second quarter saw two punts to start the quarter and there was a third one as New Prague had a fourth down and nine, but Owatonna was called for roughing the punter with 2:29 remaining in the quarter. This allowed for the Trojans to march down the field and score on a 28-yard pass play to tie the game up at 7 points.
“We ended up giving them new life and the opportunity to score,” Owatonna Head Coach Jeff Williams said about the roughing the punter play.
The Huskies had another chance to score right before halftime after a big receiving play by Ginskey, but Theis threw his second interception of the day. The Trojans kneeled to send the game into halftime with the two teams tied at 7.
Owatonna’s offense came out in the third quarter with a nine minute drive to start the half, but the drive resulted in a 31-yard kick attempt that was blocked by New Prague. Owatonna’s defense bounced back after the New Prague touchdown in the second quarter and forced the Trojans to punt in their only drive of the third quarter.
Tied at 7 heading into the last quarter of the game, the Huskies once again had a great opportunity to score, as they converted on a fourth down to extend the drive. But on second down with just 9 yards from the end zone, Theis threw his third interception of the game.
The Trojans marched down the field and it looked like they were the ones who were going to finally break the tie, but they failed to convert on fourth down when they were on Owatonna’s 27-yard line.
With time running out, it was Owatonna’s offense’s time to shine, as they marched down the field thanks to plays from Ginskey and Graham. Graham had a lot of carries on the drive and it resulted in him scoring an 11-yard rushing touchdown to have Owatonna take the lead 14-7.
The Trojans got the ball back and still had a little time to work with to potentially tie the game with a minute left, but Owatonna’s defense did their thing and stopped them on fourth down to win the game 14-7. Owatonna’s senior defensive lineman Zach Dahnert sacked New Prague’s quarterback two staight times to end the Trojan’s hopes to tie the game. Theis kneeled on the last play of the game to secure the section semifinals victory.
“Give credit to New Prague,” Williams said after the game. “They had a great game plan in place for us and they did a really nice job.”
With the win, Owatonna will move on to the section championship that will take place on Friday night. Owatonna will host Rochester John Marshall, who they won against 32-22 during the regular season.
To hold a team like New Prague, who really prides themselves on running the ball, to 2.49 yards a carry on four downs is pretty impressive, and it was big stop after big stop,” Williams said about his team’s defensive performance against the Trojans. “Obviously we still got some things we need to solve on the offensive side of the ball. Hats off to the defensive kids for continuing to keep us in the football game, giving us a chance to win it at the end as we put a great drive together at the end.”
OFFENSIVE STATS
Passing:
Hunter Theis- 13/23, 163 yards, TD, 3 INT
Rushing:
Tristan Graham- 33 att, 200 yards, TD
Hunter Theis- 5 att, 14 yards
Nolan Ginskey- 1 att, -6 yards
Receiving:
Nolan Ginskey- 8 rec, 120 yards
Tristan Graham- 2 rec, 21 yards
Luke Webber- 2 rec, 15 yards
Blake Fitcher- 1 rec, 7 yards, TD
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