Hills-Beaver Creek and Fertile-Beltrami move on to Nine-Player Prep Bowl

Hills-Beaver Creek went into Thursday’s Nine-Player semifinal knowing that, despite its undefeated record and a season of impressive victories, it was considered an underdog. Its opponent, Mountain Iron-Buhl, had a remarkably similar season. But the Rangers had put up offensive numbers that boggled the mind and demanded attention, averaging 66 points per game, topping 90 once, 80 twice and 70 two other times.

So the Patriots used their platform at U.S. Bank Stadium to state their case. They were just as good, the feeling was. Now they had to prove it.

Which was exactly what they did.

Hills-Beaver Creek took an early lead, expanded that to a 10-point halftime margin, then matched everything Mountain Iron-Buhl did in the second half, emerging with a 26-20 victory and a berth in the Prep Bowl on Nov. 23.

“Everything has come pretty easy for them,” Hills-Beaver Creek coach Rex Metzger said. “Our goal was get them to have a little tension, get them a little bit uncomfortable.”

Hills-Beaver Creek, 19 miles from Sioux Falls in the southwest corner of Minnesota, started strongly, taking a 2-0 lead when Beau Bakken sacked Mountain Iron-Buhl quarterback MiCaden Clines in the end zone.

The Rangers (12-1) trailed for the first time all season.

They bounced back with a 65-yard scoring pass from Clines to T.J. Duchamp, but Hills-Beaver Creek had the answer. Quarterback Jamin Metzger scored on a short run that capped a 14-play, 66-yard drive. A two-point conversion restored the two-point advantage, 10-8.

The Patriots (12-0) made it 18-8 just before halftime on a 16-yard pass from Metzger to Bakken, further emboldening them.

“Any attention they’ve gotten over the year was well deserved,” Bakken said. “The attention that we didn’t get didn’t worry us too much. I think it was good to kind of fly under the radar.”

The teams traded touchdowns in the second half.

Leading 26-14, Hills-Beaver Creek was poised to close out the victory but fumbled on its own 5. Mountain Iron-Buhl took advantage immediately, making the score 26-20 on Derik Dahl’s 5-yard run.

The Rangers forced the Patriots to punt with less than a minute to go and got to the Hills-Beaver Creek 32 on a 50-yard pass from Clines to Duchamp with 30 seconds left. On the next play, Sawyer Bosch, whose fumble had given Mountain Iron-Buhl new life, atoned for the mistake by intercepting a Clines pass, clinching the victory.

“I’m so happy for the kid,” coach Metzger said of Bosch’s interception. “He was hurting after he fumbled the ball. Then for him to pick that off, uh, was pretty awesome.”

Isaiah Wright limped off the field midway through the second quarter. It didn’t prevent him from running wild.

A senior running back, he rushed for 361 yards on 24 carries with seven touchdowns — the second most in a state tournament game — leading third-ranked Fertile-Beltrami to a 60-33 victory over fifth-ranked LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli in the second Nine-Player semifinal Thursday.

Wright scored three touchdowns in the first half, when the Falcons (12-0) fell behind the Cardinals (12-1) 27-22. He scored on runs of 13, 46 and 59 yards.

Wright stole the show in the second half, scoring on 6-, 38-, 43- and 56-yard runs. Three of his touchdowns came in a span of 2 minutes, 46 seconds, breaking open a close game. He also had three two-point conversion runs.

Cardinals senior quarterback Cam Hungerholt threw for three touchdowns and ran for a score. Both teams came in packing plenty of firepower, each averaging over 50 points per game.