STACKED — Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman defenders Keagan Berhow (21), Carter Brudelie (19) and Hunter Grathwohl (on ground) stack up Sebeka running back Gene Strayer (42) during regular-season football action. Sebeka’s Gabriel Clark (52) blocks the Jaguars’ Tristen Werner (75) on the play. The Jaguars travel to Alden on Tuesday night to open sectional play against Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons. (Photo by Greg Abel)
FAIRMONT — The Minnesota sectional football playoffs begin Tuesday night and there are a few area teams looking to advance to the second round.
The Blue Earth Area Bucs, Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman Jaguars and Martin County West Mavericks have all had varying amounts of success during their regular seasons, but each team will come into Tuesday night’s 7 p.m. postseason games with a blank slate.
Blue Earth Area arrives in the Section 2AA postseason with a 3-5 record overall, but as the No. 5 seed, will be viewed by most as a slight underdog when they take on the No. 4-seeded New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Panthers in New Richland. The Panthers finished their season with an overall record of 4-4, including four straight victories to end the year.
Statistically speaking, the two sides are as close as it gets. Offensively, the Bucs are averaging 18.5 points per game, while the Panthers come in averaging 13.4 points per game. While the Bucs hold a slight edge offensively, the opposite is true on defense. Blue Earth Area enters the matchup allowing 20.8 points per game while NRHEG is allowing just 16.4 points per game.
Blue Earth Area head coach Randy Kuechenmeister provided insight into his team’s mentality as their first-round game approaches.
“At this stage, we just started breaking them (NRHEG) down. We want to run the ball, but that isn’t always our choice and we will throw the ball if we have to,” Kuechenmeister said. “Given the fact that we run a four-man front, our defensive line and linebackers need to limit their playmakers. Then offensively, our playmakers Jacob Grandgenett and Caleb Langager will not be successful without our other players stepping up as well.”
If the Bucs win on Tuesday, they will move on to the second round where the No. 1-seeded Maple River Eagles await.
On the opposite side of the bracket, the No. 2-seeded St. Clair/Mankato Loyola Spartans have a first-round bye and the No. 3-seeded Triton Cobras host the No. 6-seeded Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Bulldogs.
Moving over to another area team’s opening round game, here’s a look at Nine-Player, Section 3 football. The Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman Jaguars will travel to Alden to face the Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons Knights on Tuesday night for a rematch of their 35-14 loss during Week 5.
Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman finished the regular season with an overall record of 5-3, which was actually better than higher-seeded ACGE, who finished with a 3-5 record overall. The Knights received the higher seed due to their better sectional record and head-to-head victory.
Jaguars head coach Alex Roorda and his team haven’t forgotten the loss during the regular season and are chomping at the bit for the opportunity to avenge the defeat.
“Absolutely — it adds motivation. We had some bad calls that didn’t go our way and mentally we went south,” Roorda said. “Then late in the game they threw a long touchdown pass instead of chewing the clock and our kids remember that.”
As for key players, Roorda thinks the Jaguars could be ready to have a big game, but kept the list short. Senior running back Hunter Grathwohl was the first name. Grathwohl finished his season leading the district in rushing yards and touchdowns, including two 50-plus yard runs against ACGE in their first matchup.
The other name he provided was junior quarterback Jackson Madsen, who Roorda is confident will do damage with both his arm and legs. The Jaguars averaged 30.9 points per game on offense in the regular season while only giving up 18.9 points on defense. Conversely, the Knights averaged 23.6 points on offense while conceding 34.4 points per game on defense.
If GHEC/Truman wins the first-round matchup, it would advance to face the No. 1-seeded Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots in the Section 3 semifinals.
On the other side of the bracket, the No. 2-seeded Edgerton Flying Dutchmen face the No. 7-seeded Madelia Blackhawks in the first round and the No. 3-seeded Mountain Lake Area Wolverines will host the No. 6-seeded Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda Wildcats.
In Section 3A action, the Martin County West Mavericks netted the No. 6 seed and go into their quarterfinal with the No. 3-seeded Tigers in Springfield on Tuesday.
The Mavericks’ record for the season stands at 3-5, while the Tigers come in riding a three-game winning streak and sitting at 7-1 overall. The Tigers possess a high-power offense, which has scored at least 48 points in six of the team’s eight regular-season games.
A couple of Maverick players to watch are senior running back Rylan Cutler, who is coming off a 90-yard rushing performance which included a touchdown. His backfield mate, junior quarterback Lucas Larson, will look to bounce back following his three-interception performance against St. James Area.
Should the Mavericks come out on top of the Tigers, they will have a date with either the No. 2-seeded Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers Panthers or the No. 7-seeded Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Knights in the sectional semifinals.
On the other side of their bracket, the No. 1-seeded Sleepy Eye Indians host the No. 8-seeded Wabasso Rabbits and the No. 4-seeded Adrian/Ellsworth Dragons will be hosting the No. 5-seeded Murray County Central Rebels in the opening round.
The Section 2AA, 3A and Nine-Player Section 3 semifinals will be held at the higher seeds’ home fields on Saturday, Oct. 28, with the sectional championships set for Friday, Nov. 3.
