Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton's state football memento is a 21-play TD drive

It's a footnote in a 28-7 semifinal loss for Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, but the Rebels' 21-play, 83-yard touchdown drive in the first half is sure to remain a teaching tool for future DGF offenses.

The 10-minute, 20-second drive was completed by a Caleb Johnson scoring run and produced a 7-6 halftime lead. DGF ran the ball 17 times and completed four passes. The Rebels twice converted on fourth down. Taking sensible bites, over and over again, got results.

"My brain thinks, 'Four plays, 10 yards,' " senior tight end Brody O'Keefe said. "And you just have to try and get that next 10 yards. You see the clock ticking down, and you can see the other team is wearing down. We're built for those kind of drives; we condition every day."

The type of winning history Minneota has constructed in eight state tournament appearances and five state championships since 2009 means being a Vikings football player comes with inherent expectations.

The players refuse to call it pressure. To them, it's about wanting to measure up to the teams of the past.

"There's not really any pressure," senior Maxwell Rost said. "But it drives you. You go into the year, you don't want to be that team. We want to be just like everyone else."

The players say much of their drive comes from players on previous teams who remain in the area and support the program.

"You look in the stands, and you see them cheering for us," quarterback Ryan Dalager said. "They stay, and they want their kids to go through the program. It's the legacy. We just want to be part of it."

Annandale coach Matt Walter admits that if he had his way, the Cardinals would be throwing the ball all over the field all game.

But he learned his lesson in 2018 when Annandale was routed in the Class 3A quarterfinals by defending state champion Pierz.

"There was about 4 inches of snow a couple of hours before the game. They ran all over us," Walter recalled. "We got off the bus and said we are never, ever losing like that again."

So Walter made the running game, to that point an afterthought, a point of emphasis.

"We want to make sure no matter what conditions we get, we can run it and we can throw it," he said.

Annandale passed for 185 yards and ran for 216 in its 24-14 victory over Dassel-Cokato.