Kingsland runs past Fertile-Beltrami in Nine-Player semifinals

Beau Wiersma ran wild.

Isaiah Wright did his best to keep pace.

Wiersma, a senior running back, rolled up 297 yards on 29 carries with four touchdowns, leading fifth-ranked Kingsland past No. 2 Fertile-Beltrami 36-28 on Thursday in the Nine-Player semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium.

"When you have two high-powered teams on offense, that is what you get," Kingsland coach Matt Kolling said. "It turned into a shootout."

Wright, a senior, also scored four touchdowns, rushing for 184 yards on 21 carries for Fertile-Beltrami. He gained 165 yards in the second half.

"I thought they were going to come out and keep slinging the ball down the field [in the second half]," Kolling said. "They really ran the ball well in the second half."

The Falcons (12-1) had a chance to tie it after recovering a fumble on their 29-yard line with 2 minutes, 41 seconds remaining. Four plays later, Knights senior defensive back Ayden Howard intercepted senior quarterback Caiden Swenby's pass with 1:39 left to preserve the victory. It was Howard's second interception, the other coming in the third quarter.

"I could have played it differently. I took a chance," said Swenby, who completed seven of 18 passes for 188 yards, 123 in the first half. "I made a bad decision."

The teams combined for 896 yards of offense, with Kingsland holding a 466-430 edge. The Knights (13-0) had 416 on the ground.

"It was a total gut check," Kolling said.

Wiersma, whose season rushing total passed 2,000 yards during the game, scored on runs of 3, 12, 47 and 65 yards.

"It feels great to lead this team," Wiersma said. "I wouldn't be running for four touchdowns without our offensive line. I have to give a shoutout to them."

Sophomore quarterback Kaaleem Reiland's 10-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Parker Johnson early in the fourth quarter provided the difference. Reiland also gained 115 yards on 20 rushing attempts.

The Falcons were without junior running back/linebacker Jonah Harstad, who suffered a broken leg in the Section 6 championship game. Harstad is their leading tackler.

"It was unfortunate what happened to Jonah," Fertile-Beltrami coach Brian Nelson said. "It's next guy up. Things just didn't quite go our way."

Wright scored on runs of 2, 4, 13 and 55 yards as the two teams traded touchdowns over the final three quarters after the Knights grabbed a 14-0 lead.

"We don't feel pressure," Wiersma said. "We know if we keep working that we are going to come out victorious."