Blaine high school football beats Rosemount on last-second field goal by kicker Jared Killian in 6A playoff opener

Also, Rochester Mayo defeats Centennial 28-24 after Isaiah Beale scores his fourth touchdown of the game on a 14-yard run with 90 seconds left.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 26, 2024 at 3:06AM

Blaine and Rosemount struggled to keep each other out of the end zone. It was ironic that it would be decided by the kicking game.

Senior Jared Killian kicked a 29-yard field goal with two seconds remaining, giving the No. 10 state-ranked Blaine Bengals a wild 38-36 victory over the Irish in the opening round of the Class 6A football playoffs Friday night.

It appeared Bengals senior quarterback Sam Shaughnessy had run for his fourth touchdown on a 35-yard scramble down the left sideline on the previous play. Officials ruled he had stepped out of bounds at the 12-yard line. Following two Irish timeouts, Killian booted his game winner.

Rosemount took a 36-35 lead with 1 minute, 27 seconds remaining. Senior quarterback Gavin Caswell scored on a 5-yard run and added the two-point conversion run as the Irish (1-8) were playing for the victory. He threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to senior Jack Roth in the third quarter.

Senior Finn Biegel scored Rosemount’s other three touchdowns on runs of 1, 3 and 9 yards.

Shaughnessy carried the Bengals (6-3) throughout the back-and-forth matchup. He scored on runs of 5, 7 and 33 yards and threw touchdown passes of 3 and 7 yards, respectively, to senior Kamden Leitheiser and junior Noah Tieden.

In other Class 6A first-round games Friday night:

Eagan 28, Osseo 20: The No. 8 state-ranked Wildcats (6-3) scored two touchdowns just over two minutes apart between the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, rallying to beat the Orioles (2-7). Sophomore Gage Halvorson gave the Wildcats a 21-20 lead with a 94-yard kickoff return while senior quarterback Brooklyn Evans scored his second touchdown on a 5-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Eden Prairie 42, Woodbury 15: Senior Elijah Rumph scored three touchdowns on runs of 4, 12 and 75 yards as the No. 6 state-ranked Eagles (6-3) soared above the Royals (2-7). Teammate Jeremy Fredericks added two scoring runs of 11 and 19 yards, both coming in the second quarter.

Forest Lake 45, Buffalo 7: Sophomore Mack Jurkovich ran for three consecutive touchdowns in the first half, scoring on runs of 3, 23 and 50 yards, as the Bison (5-4) defense didn’t have an answer for the Rangers’ ground game. Junior Kevin Ndirangu added a 6-yard scoring run late in the second quarter as the seventh-ranked Rangers (7-2) built a 31-0 lead at halftime. Both added another touchdown run in the second half.

Lakeville North 50, Hopkins 7: In the first half, Riley Grossman threw three of his four touchdown passes and Sam Ripplinger ran for two scores as the Panthers’ senior leadership dominated the Royals (3-5). No. 4 state-ranked Lakeville North (8-1) built a 43-7 lead at halftime.

Maple Grove 55, Burnsville 6: The No. 1-ranked and lone unbeaten Crimson (9-0) had five different players score in the first quarter, overwhelming the winless Blaze (0-9). The defense also got on the scoreboard during the quick start when junior linebacker Will Raymond picked up a fumble and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown. Teammate junior Beaux Thyen added a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown in Maple Grove’s 49-point first half. It was his fourth pick of the season and second returned for a touchdown.

Minnetonka 47, Park of Cottage Grove 7: Senior Chase Conrad and sophomore Caden Gutzmer each scored two touchdowns in the first half when the No. 5-rated Skippers (7-2) scored 34 points en route to an easy victory over the Wolfpack (2-7). Conrad scored on runs of 4 and 29 yards while Gutzmer scored on a 5-yard run and caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from senior Vincent May. Conrad added a 41-yard scoring run in the third quarter.

Rochester Mayo 28, Centennial 24: Isaiah Beale scored his fourth touchdown on a 14-yard run with 1:29 remaining as the Spartans (3-6) edged the Cougars (4-5). Beale earlier scored on runs of 3, 5 and 58 yards. Centennial took a 24-21 lead on junior quarterback Isaac Belinske-Strauss’ 3-yard run two minutes earlier.

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about the writer

Ron Haggstrom

Prep Sports Reporter

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