What began as a nightmare wound up as the sweetest dream Mountain Iron-Buhl could have imagined.
The Rangers put a first quarter in which they fell behind by 19 points behind them, cut the deficit to five by halftime, then completed the rally with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, emerging with a 28-25 victory over Spring Grove in the Nine-Man championship game Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
"We just had to keep fighting, no matter what," Mountain Iron-Buhl quarterback Asher Zubich said. "We told ourselves before the game: it's going to be rough. There is going to be lots of downs, probably more downs than ups, but we had pride, we had heart."
The Rangers (13-0) scored the winning touchdown with 25 seconds left when senior running back Damian Tapio took a direct snap and sped over left tackle for a 10-yard score. They added a two-point conversion on a pass from Zubich to Riley Busch.
The drive started with 3 minutes, 20 seconds to go after Micaden Clines' second interception in as many series.
The game began so well for Spring Grove (13-1), which scored the first three times it had the ball.
"I think we lulled ourselves to sleep, just a little bit," senior lineman Ty Cleven said. "We took our foot off the gas pedal."
Said Spring Grove coach Kody Moore: "Once you lose momentum, it's tough to get it back."
