Saturday's football roundup: Rogers stuns Armstrong with big rally

Rogers wasn't quite ready to turn in its jerseys and call it a season Saturday afternoon.

The Royals scored 27 points in a row in the final 13 minutes, overcoming a 16-point deficit to beat Armstrong 34-23 in the Class 5A football state tournament quarterfinals in Osseo. It was Rogers' seventh straight win after starting the season 2-3.

Senior running back Anthony Powell ignited the Royals' comeback with two long touchdown runs. He scored on a 57-yard run in the final minute of the third quarter and broke loose on a 50-yard run to start the fourth quarter, closing the deficit to 23-21. Powell, who rushed for 289 yards on 33 carries, scored Rogers' lone touchdown in the first half on a 1-yard run.

Calvin Kolleh, a junior running back, scored on a 34-yard sweep left with 2 minutes, 3 seconds remaining to give Rogers (9-3) a 27-23 lead. Senior defensive tackle Thomas Dickerson added an insurance touchdown with a 20-yard fumble return.

Senior quarterback Jamen Malone threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third as Armstrong built a 23-7 lead in the third quarter. The Falcons (8-3) added a safety before halftime.

Malone opened the scoring with a 24-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Marquan Tucker in the second quarter and a 37-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Seth Newbern in the third quarter.

Elk River 44, Moorhead 20: The Elks' punishing ground attack beat up the Spuds (5-6). Sophomore Gavin Schmidt scored three touchdowns and junior Logan Bunker two for the third-ranked Elks (11-0). Schmidt scored on runs of 8, 10 and 67 yards and Bunker on runs of 19 and 33 yards. Senior quarterback Gavin Quade threw three touchdown passes for the Spuds.

Schmidtke and Meyerdirk, who had four receptions for 167 yards, hooked up on 67- and 77-yard scoring plays in the first half, when the Cardinals built a 35-7 lead. The Crusaders answered in the first quarter with a 66-yard touchdown run by senior Evan Valleau.

Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 21, Esko 17: Senior quarterback Owen Leach and junior running back Nicholas Waale teamed up for an 85-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter, lifting the No. 2 Rebels (11-0) over the top-ranked Eskomos (11-1). It was Leech's second touchdown pass of the game and came 18 seconds after Wyatt Hudspith's 35-yard field goal gave Esko a 17-14 lead.

Esko appeared to regain the lead with less than two minutes remaining on a direct snap to a player coming across the formation at the 5-yard line, but it was called back for illegal motion. Two false starts backed up the Eskomos farther before Leach made an interception in the corner of the end zone to seal the Rebels' victory.