Stewartville overcame a 7-6 halftime deficit, outscoring Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 22-0 in the second half and posting a 28-7 victory over the Rebels in the Class AAA State Semifinals at US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday. A 32 yard interception return for a touchdown early in the third quarter turned the game in Stewartville’s favor and they never looked back.
Stewartville took a 6-0 lead with 3:44 left in the first quarter when Carter Miller scored on a 4 yard run.
DGF took a 7-6 lead with just sixteen seconds remaining in the first half on a 1 yard run by Caleb Johnson and an extra point kick by Hayden Hauf.
Mikhail Heydt had a pick-six, giving Stewartville a 12-7 lead just 1:40 into the second half. A two-point conversion pass from Ayden Helder to Blake Turner put the lead at 14-7. With 3:45 left in the period, Parker Wangen was on the receiving end of a 9 yard TD pass from Helder and Wangen added the extra point kick for a 21-7 lead.
Helder and Wangen connected again seven seconds into the fourth quarter on a 50 yard touchdown pass and Wangen’s PAT kick gave Stewartville the 28-7 lead that stood as the final score.
Stewartville had 280 (169 passing, 111 rushing) total yards. They were led by Miller with 63 yards on 17 carries, Wangen with 5 catches for 90 yards, and Helder with 13 completions in 19 attempts for 169 yards. Defensive leaders were Isaac Larson (4 solo tackles, 6 assisted tackles), Lincoln Dube (2 solo tackles, 6 assisted tackles), Graysen Schneider (2 solo tackles, 5 assisted tackles) and Elijah Riggin (1 sack).
DGF quarterback Caleb Johnson was 8-for-19 throwing the football for 126 yards. Casey Macziewski led the DGF ground attack with 44 yards on 10 carries and Brody Friend had a team high 5 receptions for 104 yards. DGF had 236 (110 rushing, 126 passing) total yards. Defensively, Bodey Devries (3 solo tackles, 5 assisted tackles) and Macziewski (2 solo tackles, 5 assisted tackles) led the way. Sacks were recorded by Bodie Musolf and Brody O’Keefe.
The Rebels ended their season with a record of 10 wins and 2 losses.