Elk River players celebrate Saturday's victory over Alexandria in the 5A state high school football championship game at US Bank Stadium. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

What started out as a competitive match, with two teams throwing down offensive challenges, morphed into a game of keep away.

Which was just how Elk River wanted it.

The Elks refused to let Alexandria have the ball in the second half of the Class 5A championship game Saturday, crafting a pair of nine-minute drives that ended in points for a 33-24 victory.

Elk River controlled the ball for nearly 34 minutes. Alexandria managed just 14:05 of ball possession.

“Our game plan was to wear those guys out,” Elk River coach Steve Hamilton said, referring to the Alexandria defense. “We had to control the ball. I didn’t realize how much time of possession we had, but when I looked it up, it was a lot.”

For the first half, the two teams went toe-to-toe, each doing what it does best. Elk River, running it’s trademark Power-T offense, scored points in long, explosive first-half plays. Alexandria, which has developed a reputation for high-scoring games through their marvelously-accurate passer senior Chase Thompson and a cadre of talented, big-play receivers, took to the air for its points.

Thompson completed touchdown passes of 11, 80 and 23 yards before halftime. The offensive show ended tied 24-24 at halftime.

Elk River got the ball to start the second half and methodically drove 80 yards in 17 plays, taking a 30-24 lead on a 1-yard run by quarterback Levi Harris.

Trailing 30-24, Alexandria committed its first turnover. Thompson’s pass deep down the middle of the field was intercepted by Harris, who also plays safety.

“Up to that, we’d answered every time,” Thompson said. “But they made a great play and we didn’t.”

Elk River put together another nine-plus-minute drive and got a crucial lift from a video review in the process. Harris was originally marked short of the first down on a run on fourth-and-3, but the review showed that he passed the line, keeping the drive alive.

Six plays later, Elk River faced another crucial fourth-down play, this time from the Alexandria 11. Spencer Burgoon, a goalie on the soccer team, kicked a 28-yard field goal with 3:16 left, giving Elk River a 33-24 lead.

Elk River finished with 393 rushing yards, with three runners topping 100 yards. Thompson ended the game with 305 yards and three touchdowns along with two interceptions.

Elk River’s Gavin Schmidt, one of those 100-yard rushers, was a part of the Elks’ 2022 state championship team. Elk River went 4-7 in 2023 but put together a championship group this season.

“That’s when I started to realize that winning a state championship doesn’t just happen. It’s a hard thing to do,” Schmidt said. “I can’t explain how excited and happy I am.”