Minneota linebackers Parker Bradley (51) and Lincoln Jarzak intercept Bradley’s goal-line interception during the first half of a prep football game against Dawson Boyd on Friday night at KP Compelien Field in Minneota. Celebrate.
MINNEOTA — The first quarter of the Senior Night game between the top-ranked Minneota State football team and No. 11 Dawson Boyd was evenly matched Friday night when the Vikings and Blackjacks met at KP Compelien Field. Ta. That didn’t happen for the rest of the game. The Blackjacks are the most recent team to beat Minneota on Oct. 19, 2022, but no one can match this year’s Vikings, who went 54-0 and won 28 straight games.
Over the past three games, the Vikings have scored a total of 197 points. The Vikings led 14-7 against Lakeview two weeks ago and cruised to a 76-7 win, and last week they defeated Lac Qui Parle Valley 81-0.
“We’re doing a lot of good things. Dawson is a quality football team with some weapons.” Minneota head coach Chad Johnston added that he tries to apply pressure with the pass rush and feels his team has been successful in that aspect. “I think some of his (quarterback Dawson Boyd’s) throws weren’t 100 percent accurate. I don’t know if it was because he was in a hurry or if it was a miscommunication, but it was a big one. It also makes a big difference if you can get five IN-Ts in one game.”
Dawson-Boyd looked promising on its first drive, reaching the Minneota 34-yard line with a 22-yard catch from Colton Bothan. Still, the Blackjacks were energized by a sack by Eli Grunes, who went 4-12 before Dawson Boyd made an interception.
Lincoln Jarzak came up with the Vikings’ pick, jumped up and caught the ball near the Minneota 10-yard line, and returned it to Dawson Boyd at the 47. It didn’t take long for Ryan Meagher to take advantage of that. He completed a 36-yard run with almost no touches, making the score 7-0 five minutes into the game.
Meagher continued to penetrate Dawson Boyd’s defense all night, racking up 222 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries. Fear gained 65 yards on seven carries in the game and finished with a team-leading 52 receiving yards.
After turning the ball over on their first drive, the Blackjacks looked hungry to claw back the game on their second drive. Dawson-Boyd marched down the field with a series of quick passes. On one of those passes, Drew Helmeland snatched a chip drill out of a teammate’s hands, setting up the Blackjacks for a first-and-goal situation from the 9-yard line.
After an incomplete first down, Minneota linebacker Parker Bradley jumped a route over the middle and intercepted the Viking defense for the second time, giving them the most possession.
Brayson Boyk had solid receptions against Dawson-Boyd, gaining 76 yards on six receptions. Grayson Olson and Nate Hansen added two more catches of 26 and 24 yards, respectively. Libre completed 12 of his 26 attempts for 151 yards and five interceptions.
After a touchback brought Minneota to its own 20-yard line, Dawson Boyd’s defense forced Minneota into a rare three-and-out. But rather than the Blackjack offense taking over, a rough punter call on fourth down kept the defense on the field. Meagher had a 42-yard run on the next play to bring Minneota within range of the Blackjacks, and on the first play of the second quarter, Grunes scored a 32-yard receiving touchdown on a pass from Fear to open up Dawson Boyd’s secondary. It broke. The score was now 14-0.
The touchdown was just the beginning of a dominant second quarter in which Minneota scored 33 points. Johnston attributed this change to the success of the Vikings’ pass rush and their increased comfort in settling into the rhythm of the offense.
From there, a wheel fell off Black Jack’s wagon. Grunes and Kyson Arndt were sacked on the next play from scrimmage, resulting in a three-and-out, and Destin Fear’s 41-yard run on the Vikings’ first play put them in plus territory. Carson Javers then ran wide open for a 19-yard touchdown, extending the Vikings’ lead to 21 points.
After getting the ball back and facing 2-20, Dawson-Boyd threw his third interception of the night on a deep ball aimed at Boyk. This time Chase Johnson played for the Vikings and started the offense at the 45-yard line. They moved rapidly down the field again, capping off the drive with Meagher’s two runs totaling 31 yards and a Viking touchdown with less than five minutes left in the second half.
Even with time running down in the first half, Minneota continued to find ways to get the ball back and score quickly. A botched punt gave the Vikings the ball at the Dawson Boyd 44-yard line, and Meagher completed runs of 33 and 11 yards for touchdowns. After another stop by the defense, Meagher stopped a 70-yard run with 72 seconds left in halftime and headed back to the locker room with a 40-0 lead.
Minneota showed no signs of slowing down after halftime. On the Vikings’ first set of downs after receiving the kickoff, Brody Larson found Fear over the middle for a 52-yard touchdown, making the game 47 points.
On the Blackjacks’ first pass attempt of the second half, Adam Devraemink picked off Dawson-Boyd. Minneota was unable to capitalize on turnovers and avoided a punt for the first time all night, but Easton Johnston intercepted the Blackjacks on their next possession and took it 35 yards to the house, making the score 54-0. did.
Facing an early deficit, Dawson-Boyd was never able to establish a lead. He finished the day with -4 rushing yards compared to Minneota’s 309 yards.
The Blackjacks had great field position after a high snap on a Minneota punt attempt gave the ball to Dawson-Boyd at the Minneota 18-yard line. But four consecutive fumbles squandered that chance and gave the ball back to the Vikings.
Minneota improved to 8-0 with the win, while Dawson-Boyd fell to 6-2. Both teams will now await seeding for the Section 5A tournament, which begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Vikings, likely the top seed, enter the tournament looking for their fifth consecutive section title. The top two seeds in the section tournament will advance to the semifinals with byes, which will be held Saturday at 3 p.m.
Heading into the postseason, Coach Johnston said the team’s focus is to stay focused and get healthy. He added that the team will continue to look to acquire second- and third-line players to help the team develop and prepare the team for injuries.
