Mustangs' late heroics earn 'W'
Jason Wilcox - Sentinel Sports WriterArticle Photos
GRANADA - Before Tuesday's game, Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Martin Luther grid coach Lee Dallager said he was hoping his team could get some practice coming from behind in a game.
He ended up getting his wish more than he could have ever imagined in the Mustangs' season finale.
Tanner Nawrocki's 80-yard bomb to Matt Knutson down the left sideline with 7.8 seconds left in the game proved to be the difference as the Mavericks held on for a 22-18 win over the Cleveland Clippers in Granada.
"It was something to be proud about tonight," said Dallager.
However, only a mere 19 seconds earlier it looked like the wind had been taken out of the Mustangs' proverbial sails.
With 2:27 left in the game, the Clippers stopped the Mustangs on fourth down and took over at their own 7. After three straight incompletions, Clipper quarterback Austin Goettlicher whirled away from two defenders and uncorked a long bomb down the middle of the field. Receiver Marcus Manser ended up twisting past another Mustang defender and ended up with a 44-yard gain to the Mustang 49.
On the next pass play, offensive tackle A.J. Zimmerman played the part of tight end, catching a pass from Goettlicher and using his mammoth frame to run over several Mustangs en route to a 19-yard gain down the middle.
"He's a horse, very tough to bring down," said Dallager.
Another key Goettlicher to Manser hookup resulted in 10 yards to the 20, before the Mustangs forced their guests into a fourth-and-goal at the 1 with 38.5 seconds left.
Goettlicher rolled left and fired a strike to Manser who took a hard hit in the corner, but hung on for the TD with 26.6 seconds left. The Mustangs stopped the conversion attempt as the visitors led 18-14.
An illegal block penalty on the return on the hosts pushed them back to the 20 with 19.9 seconds left.
"We probably shouldn't have been in that position (to win), we had a lot of penalties," said Dallager, whose team had nine infractions for 84 yards.
But on the first play of the possession, Nawrocki rolled right and let loose with a long bomb to a speedy Knutson who motored the final 40 some yards to paydirt with 7.8 seconds left in the contest. Nawrocki added the conversion run for a 22-18 lead.
"Two playmakers got the job done," said Dallager of his QB-WR combo.
Charlie Voit then returned the ensuing kickoff to the Mustang 45, with 1.2 seconds left, but on first down Charles Steuer deflected a Goettlicher pass into the arms of Corey Wiederhoeft for the game-clinching interception.
Steuer was also instrumental on special teams in the fourth quarter with a punt that bounced at the Clipper 5 and was downed at the 1, as the Mustangs ran time off the clock in a battle of field position.
"We worked on that punt in practice and it couldn't have worked out any better," said Dallager.
Oddly, the Nawrocki to Knutson connection commenced the scoring with 7:15 left in the first quarter on a 44-yard TD toss.
However, Manser countered with a 75-yard return on the ensuing kick.
Manser gave the Clippers (3-5) the lead at 9:28 of the second quarter with a 2 -yard plunge.
Jordan Stennes gave the Mustangs the lead back at 9:04 of the third quarter with 9:04 to play and Wiederhoeft added the conversion run.
Knutson had two catches for 124 yards and the two scores, while Nawrocki was 6 of 17 passing for 176 yards and added 87 yards on 11 carries.
Manser led the Clippers with four catches for 78 yards, while Goettlicher was 9 of 26 passing for 150 yards.
Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Martin Luther (3-5) opens the Section 2A quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Tuesday against an opponent and at a site to be determined.
Cleveland 6 6 0 6 - 18
GHEC/ML 6 0 8 8 - 22
SCORING PLAYS
1st Quarter
GHEC/ML - Matt Knutson 44 pass from Tanner Nawrocki (run failed), 7:15.
C - Marcus Manser 75 kick return (pass failed), 7:02.
2nd Quarter
C - Manser 2 run (run failed), 9:28.
3rd Quarter
GHEC/ML - Jordan Stennes 1 run (Corey Wiederhoeft run), 9:04.
4th Quarter
C - Manser 10 pass from Austin Goettlicher (run failed), 26.6
GHEC/ML - Knutson 80 pass from Nawrocki (Nawrocki run), 7.8.
TEAM STATISTICS
First Downs: Cleveland 10, GHEC/ML 12. Rushing: Cleveland 28-57, GHEC/ML 47-187. Passing (comp.-att.-int.-yards): Cleveland 9-26-2-150, GHEC/ML 6-17-1-176. Fumbles-lost: Cleveland 0-0, GHEC/ML 1-0. Penalties: Cleveland 2-9, GHEC/ML 9-84.
INDIVIDUAL
STATISTICS
Offense: Rushing: Manser (C) 13-40, Nawrocki (GHEC/ML) 11-87, Stennes (GHEC/ML) 18-59. Passing: Goettlicher (C) 9-26-2-150, Nawrocki (GHEC/ML) 6-17-1-176. Receiving: Manser (C) 4-78, A.J. Zimmerman (C) 4-40. Knutson (GHEC/ML) 2-124, Stennes (GHEC/ML) 2-32.
Defense: Interceptions: Charlie Voit (C), Stennes (GHEC/ML), Corey Wiederhoeft (GHEC/ML).
Blue Earth Area 42, St. Peter 28 - Garrett Anderson was 11 of 15 passing for 166 yards and two touchdown strikes, while running for 147 yards on 15 carries with two more scores to lead the Bucs to a 42-28 South Central Conference win over the Saints on Tuesday in Blue Earth.
Zach Tvedten ran 17 times for 165 yards and a score, while Nate Carr had five catches for 71 yards. Nick Lee made three grabs for 71 yards and a TD and ran for a TD.
Joe Franta had three catches for 24 yards.
Daniel Eckhardt led the Buc defense with 16 tackles, while Cody Eckhardt had nine stops and Franta had eight.
Jared Smith added a fumble recovery for a touchdown, Tvedten recovered a fumble and Dalton Hurn grabbed an interception.
For the Saints, Brodie Raymond was 14 of 25 for 129 yards passing with a TD, while Aaron O'Gorman had 90 yards on 18 totes. Beau Bachman caught four passes for 88 yards and Joey Bartlett had 67 yards on five catches.
Blue Earth Area (5-3, 4-1) opens the Section 2AAA playoffs at 7 p.m. Thursday against an opponent and site to be determined. Section 2AAA seeds its teams on Thursday.
Hills-Beaver Creek 41, Truman 6 - The Patriots scord a 41-6 nonconference win over the Bluejays on Tuesday in Hills.
Truman (1-7) opens the Section 2 9-Man playoffs at 7 p.m. Tuesday against an opponent and site to be determined.
