OWATONNA — The Austin football team ran into a motivated Owatonna football team Saturday night, and it just couldn’t keep up.

The the top-seeded Huskies (9-0 overall) piled on 42 first half points and they ended Austin’s season with a 49-20 win in the Section 1AAAAA semifinals.

Austin’s defense stopped the Huskies on two of their first three offensive possessions and it was 7-0 after one quarter, but Owatonna ran wild in the second quarter as it scored five times on drives of 48, 42, 60, 39 and 26 yards.

“They played a lot harder this time (than the last time we played them) and they played a lot better game,” Austin running back Cory Hepler said. “We didn’t execute in the first half and that didn’t help us out.”

The Packers couldn’t get much going early on as the Huskies brought constant pressure up the middle. Austin was held to zero yards or less 21 times in the loss.

“Their number seventy-five played a nice game,” Austin head coach Brett Vesel said. “He’s a good player for them and he’s pretty physically imposing. You’ve just got to play the best you can against those guys.”

Owatonna’s offense did all of its damage on the ground as it racked up 384 yards rushing. The Huskies attempted just six passes.

“They didn’t run the stuff that they normally run,” Vesel said. “They just came out and ran the power stuff. They’ve got some physical dudes and we just didn’t meet their intensity to start the game.”

Austin (5-5 overall) trailed 49-0 in the third quarter when it finally got its offense going. Nik Gasner hauled in a six-yard TD and Zach Wessels hauled in a 16-yard TD on a leaping grab in the end zone. Cory Hepler, a senior running back who missed last season with an injury, scored a 29-yard TD run on his last carry of his Austin carry.

“Since I missed last year, I’m glad we did as good as we did this year,” Hepler said. “I wish we would’ve won this game, but we went .500 and that’s pretty good. We accomplished a lot.”

AUSTIN STATS

Rush: Cory Hepler, 12-for-41, TD; Nate Conner, 12-for-34; Brandon Edgar, 3-for-8; Bret Lukes, 2-for-(-1); Ryan Synoground, 16-for-(-21); passing: Synoground, 12-for-22, 105, 2 TDs, INT; Zach Wessels, 0-for-1; receiving: Wessels, 4-for-45, TD; Nik Gasner, 4-for-29, TD; Bret Lukes, 3-for-25; Jacob Kempen, 1-for-6; sacks: Kole Igou (1); fumble recoveries: Elijah Dahmen (2); penalties: 4-for-33

OWATONNA STATS

Rushing: 384; passing: 11; penalties: 5-for-63

SCORING SUMMARY

Austin 0 0 12 8 — 20

Owatonna 7 35 7 0 — 49

First quarter

(O) Luke Wanous 6 run (McCauley kick) (5 plays, 67 yards) 10:25

Second quarter

(O) Aaron Peterson 21 run (McCauley kick) (3 plays, 48 yards) 11:53

(O) Peterson 1 run 9:35

(O) Peterson 9 run (McCauley kick) 7:28

(O) Ian Langeberg 1 run (McCauley kick) 3:57

(O) Langeberg 14 run (McCauley kick) 1:42

Third quarter

(O) Tyler Sorenson 1 run (6 plays, 35 yards) 8:09

(A) Nik Gasner 6 pass from Ryan Synoground (pass failed) (8 plays, 26 yards) 4:50

(A) Zach Wessels 16 pass from Synoground (pass failed) (4 plays, 27 yards) 3:48

Fourth quarter

(A) Cory Hepler 29 run (Brandon Edgar run) (10 plays, 81 yards) 3:41