Dassel-Cokato makes last-minute push into Class 3A Prep Bowl, and Stewartville will be waiting

If you didn’t know differently, you might never suspect Dassel-Cokato to be the up-tempo, fast-paced football team it truly is.

Many see the Chargers as a prototypical grind-it-out, 3-yards-and-a-blizzard-of-rubber-turf-pellets team that leans on its rushing attack. There’s no shortage of such teams in high school football in Minnesota, where the late fall weather holds sway.

Said running game defines Dassel-Cokato. What makes the Chargers unique is how they do it.

They move fast. And do it with a lot of players..

The up-tempo, personnel-heavy attack made the difference Saturday as Dassel-Cokato rallied to beat Pequot Lakes 29-26 in the first Class 3A semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Kobee Thielen capped a comeback from a 19-point second-half deficit with a 5-yard dive into the end zone with 51 seconds left. The Chargers added a two-point conversion for the game’s final score.

The key to the comeback was Dassel-Cokato’s pressure-cooker style. The Chargers operate fast. Keep up if you can.

“That’s kind of what we do,” coach Ryan Weinandt said. “We try to put a lot of guys on the field and we try to go as fast as we can and we think we can wear down teams a little bit.”

It’s a style that needs time to be effective. When Pequot Lakes got out to a 26-7 lead early in the second half, Dassel-Cokato didn’t worry.

The Chargers kicked it into gear and started moving the ball, mostly on the ground. The Chargers were building momentum, and Pequot Lakes was starting to feel the wear-and-tear.

“They kept coming at us and our kids just sucked it up,” Patriots coach Bill Magnuson said. “I’ll tip my hat to them. They get off the ball. We knew a little bit about the muddle huddle, that they would go right away, but it’s too hard to sub on something like that.”

Patriots senior lineman Jackson Jorgens said the warm conditions in U.S. Bank Stadium played into Dassel-Cokato’s hands, too.

“We played the last four or five games in cold and then just going to a really warm stadium, for sure it affected us,” Jorgen said. “And is was really hard to stop because their tempo was so fast. They kept just running and huddling. Obviously, that played in their favor.”

Dassel-Cokato got in position to win with a pair of touchdown runs by running back Caleb Smock. Dassel-Cokato finished with 321 yards rushing and 409 yards of total offense, most in the second half.

“It’s probably not a very well-kept secret, but we play 22 different starters as a Class 3A football team,” Weinandt said. “We try to get a lot of guys on the field. I think it’s good for our program, and it’s good for their safety and their health, to keep them fresh. And the way to make it advantageous is to try to go at a fast pace.”

Pequot Lakes (11-1) had won 11 games in a row with a versatile, balanced attack. Quarterback Mike Oseland completed 16 of 23 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns Saturday.

Stewartville came in known for its stout defensive unit, but Parker Wangen’s route running and hands can’t be taken lightly.

The 6-4 senior wide receiver caught nine passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and added a scoring run, leading the defending state champion and No. 1-ranked Tigers to a 33-20 victory over No. 3 Albany in the Class 3A semifinals Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was the Tigers’ 27th consecutive victory.

“Parker is one of a kind,” Tigers coach Garrett Mueller said. “He makes it look so easy. An outstanding talent.”

Stewartville (13-0) scored first when junior running back Abdimalik Abdi plowed in from the 1-yard line four minutes into the second quarter. Wangen set up the touchdown with a 47-yard reception where he broke three tackles and 7-yard catch down to the one on a fourth down-and-5play.

“He is savvy with the ball. He is elusive and tough to tackle,” Albany coach Mike Ellingson said about the MSU Mankato, recruit who has 68 catches for 1,126 yards and 20 touchdowns on the seasonand also has run for seven scores. “The kid makes plays.”

Albany (11-1) took a short-lived 7-6 lead when senior quarterback Boone Roemeling found classmate Ethan Meyer on a perfectly thrown out-and-up pass play that covered 23 yards. It was the first of three touchdown passes for the tandem, the others covering 2 and 7 yards.

“This was one of the best games we’ve played,” Meyer said. “It’s a terrible feeling knowing we won’t be playing together any more.”

It only took Wangen 57 seconds to answer, outjumping two defenders to haul in a 50-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Vince Wellik.

“Vince had an amazing game,” Wangen said.

After a quick three-and-out by Albany, Wangen went back to work. He caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Wellik in the back corner of the end zone with 34 seconds remaining in the first half. Wellik completed 13 of 17 passes for 179 yards.

“That was a big end to the second quarter,” Mueller said. “Our guys are comfortable in that situation. They responded well.”

The Tigers took a 26-7 lead when senior running back Dylan Scanlan scored on a 1-yard run midway through the third quarter. The short 15-yard drive was set up by Wangen’s 44-yard punt return.

Wangen capped his outstanding performance with a 9-yard scoring run out of wildcat formation early in the fourth quarter.

“His punt return was a backbreaker,” Ellingson said. “The kid made some unbelievable plays. When they needed to make big plays they made them.”