Linebacker knew what he wanted — the ball and the title — so he took both

50 years in the making: Jayden Heisler's takeaway secured victory for Mahnomen/Waubun.

October 17, 2022 at 4:12AM
The ball thrust into the air indicated Mahnomen/Waubun quarterback Jon Starkey’s satisfaction in the Class 1A title game in 2018. (Shari L. Gross, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

This is the fourth part of a 50-day feature looking back at the 50 years since Minnesota's high school football state tournaments began. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here.

Year: 2018

"We did our thing." — Mahnomen/Waubun coach John Clark Jr.

Jayden Heisler is small in stature at 5-9, but it doesn't prevent him from jumping into the fray.

The gritty Mahnomen/Waubun linebacker wrestled the ball out of Dawson Vosika's hands and corralled it in his own at the Thunderbirds 10-yard line with 1 minute, 36 seconds remaining, preserving a 22-21 victory over BOLD in the Class 1A championship game.

BOLD marched down the field after Mahnomen/Waubun took its first lead of the game, 22-21, on quarterback Jon Starkey's 10-yard touchdown run and Parker Syverson's two-point conversion run with 5:12 remaining, setting up Heisler's takeaway.

"He's always in the middle of the pile somewhere," Thunderhawks coach John Clark Jr. said with a laugh. "He's going to make plays."

Heroes emerged from two other finals in 2018:

  • The Prep Bowl was also an opportunity for St. Paul Academy/Minnehaha Academy/Blake junior quarterback/cornerback Jalen Suggs to showcase his athleticism in the Class 4A final.

Suggs dazzled on three touchdowns: a 23-yard run during which six Willmar defenders missed tackles, a 97-yard interception return and a 76-yard pass as the Wolfpack beat the Cardinals 44-18. He finished with 216 passing yards, 67 rushing yards, four offensive touchdowns and two interceptions. It marked the only state championship for any of the three schools involved in the merger.

"He made some incredible plays," Willmar senior quarterback Drey Dirksen said. "He had the night."

"If you want to talk about a guy that worked his buns off to get here — the most offseason preparation by far — it was Zachary Jungels," teammate Pat Leary said. "We all fed off him in the offseason. He had the day he deserved today. He's a fantastic player."

State championship games

Class 6A: Lakeville North 28, Eden Prairie 21

Class 5A: Owatonna 14, St. Thomas Academy 3

Class 4A: St. Paul Academy/Minnehaha Academy/Blake 44, Willmar 18

Class 3A: Rochester Lourdes 24, Fairmont 7

Class 2A: Caledonia 21, Barnesville 0

Class 1A: Mahnomen/Waubun 22, BOLD 21

Nine-Man: Spring Grove 40, Mountain Lake Area 18

SMB Wolfpack quarterback Jalen Suggs (1) high-fived members of the student section after his team's 4A championship victory against Willmar. ] Aaron Lavinsky ¥ aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com
Jalen Suggs made it a fly-by celebration. (Aaron Lavinsky, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Rochester Lourdes' Zach Jungels (29) celebrated after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter. ] Shari L. Gross • shari.gross@startribune.com
Zach Jungels enjoyed a big moment. (Shari L. Gross, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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Ron Haggstrom

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Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.

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