Hutchinson's early burst stands up in football victory over Totino-Grace

A game that began in a way no one foresaw morphed into exactly what was expected as Hutchinson outslugged Totino-Grace 20-3 on Friday in a revival of a rivalry that two decades ago was one of the best in the state.

Hutchinson, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, took early advantage of a pair of Totino-Grace turnovers to build a 12-0 lead before the game was six minutes old.

Carter Verhasselt sprinted 39 yards for a Hutchinson touchdown on the next play after Totino-Grace lost a fumble.

Totino-Grace was a gracious host again the next time it had the ball. Hutchinson's Manny Pearce picked off a pass and returned it to the Totino-Grace 17.

Five plays later, Charlie Renner powered through the Totino-Grace defense from 7 yards out for another touchdown. That fast, Hutchinson owned a 12-point lead.

Neither Hutchinson coach Andy Rostberg nor Totino-Grace head man Jay Anderson believed the scoring was going to continue.

It didn't. Totino-Grace, despite two more turnovers and a snap that soared over its punter's head and was downed at its own 5, did not relinquish another point until the game was pretty much over.

Hutchinson's defense also held firm, a second-quarter field goal the only blemish.

"The only thing we did know is that both teams would be really sore Saturday," Rostberg said. "Both teams got defensive stands, both teams got turnovers on each other. It was a good game."

There was more to Friday's game than a win and a loss.

After playing against larger schools for 15 years, Totino-Grace is back in Class 4A this year, playing programs its own size. After back-to-back 1-8 seasons, Anderson knew many were wondering: Are the Eagles ready to regain their role as one of the state's best teams?

Anderson saw what he was looking for.

"Since last season, we haven't really thought about anybody else but ourselves," he said. "I told the kids after the game that we're going to come out of this much, much stronger as a team."

Rostberg acknowledged that the game was a little more meaningful than the first two weeks of the season.

"We had a lot of wide-eyed boys able to get through the first big game of their career," he said. "They did a nice job."