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

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.