Alex Varney passed on Caledonia's celebratory postgame pile-up, opting to walk around the Metrodome in teary-eyed ecstasy and wrapping himself in congratulatory hugs.
Moments earlier Friday, teammate Levi Schmitz booted a 24-yard field straight and true with no time remaining to give Caledonia a 25-22 victory over Moose Lake-Willow River and a third consecutive state title.
Caledonia, ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, won the title game rematch with the second-ranked Rebels. A year ago, the score was 27-0.
"It's the greatest thing," Varney said. "It was great to make history this year."
Varney, who threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brad Strub just before halftime, made a bigger play in the fourth quarter. Moose Lake, leading 22-15, had turned Caledonia over on downs at the Rebels' 2-yard line. But three plays later, Varney intercepted a tipped ball and his 14-yard return for a touchdown tied the score at 22.
A short punt on Moose Lake's next possession was downed at the Rebels' 47-yard line. Caledonia (13-0) had scored on its previous three drives that started in Rebels territory. Schmitz's field goal made the Warriors 4-for-4 on scoring TDs with a short field.
Before his winning kick, Schmitz lost track of time until he saw coaches frantically calling for a timeout. The clock was stopped with 1 second to play.
"It was more nerves than I ever felt before," Schmitz said. "I closed my eyes and imagined the ball going through the uprights. I kept calm because I knew that I've put in a lot of hours kicking and it would all pay off in this one second."
