Rocori makes a single TD stand up against Byron in Class 4A semifinals

Rocori's and Byron's defensive units are mirror images, each as tough as the other.

One of their offenses was going to have to wear down the opposition to settle their Class 4A football semifinal Thursday.

Third-ranked Rocori won the battle of attrition when senior quarterback Will Steil scored on a 2-yard run with 6 minutes, 27 seconds remaining, giving the Spartans a 7-0 victory over Byron at U.S. Bank Stadium. It capped a 13-play, 60-yard drive that took just over six minutes.

"It was a defensive battle," Rocori coach James Herberg said. "It was two teams that are very physical."

Steil had hobbled off the field two plays before his TD, troubled by a thigh contusion.

"It was pretty physical on both sides of the ball," said Steil, who finished with 16 carries for 62 yards and completed 11 of 13 passes for 73 yards. "We were hammering each other."

No. 9 Byron (10-2) marched to the Spartans 32-yard line on its final possession, but Rocori's defense held on downs with 1:41 remaining. Seniors Dwight Kiffmeyer and Grady Minnerath teamed up for a 9-yard sack on first-and-15 from the Rocori 37 after a false start.

"When you play teams like that you have to sustain drives and score," Byron coach Ben Halder said. "You have to push them in when you have a chance. You can't let them off the hook."

The Bears were limited to 162 yards of offense, 96 on the ground on 23 carries by senior running back Adam Glynn. Rocori (10-2) wound up with 206 yards of offense.

"They remind me of us," Halder said. "They are a great team and really run to the football."

Kiffmeyer, a defensive end, wreaked havoc in the Bears backfield. He had eight tackles, 4.5 of them for loss, and 2.5 sacks. He had a 15-yard tackle for loss on a fourth-down play and a 12-yard sack on a third-down play in the first half.

"We do a lot with our defensive ends," Herberg said. "They must be smart and athletic. I give him a lot of credit. He went to the bank tonight and cashed his check."