Purple Reign: Superlarks use passing game to cruise to state title
Published 5:25 pm Friday, November 21, 2014
Grand Meadow’s Cody Ojulu begins to celebrate as the Superlarks wrapped up their second-straight Minnesota State Prep Bowl Nine Man championship Friday morning against Edgerton-Ellsworth at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
MINNEAPOLIS — Every team that played the Grand Meadow football team this season knew about Landon Jacobson and the Superlarks’ rushing attack.
But not everybody knew about GM’s passing game.
Grand Meadow’s Landon Jacobson vaults across the line on a run in the first quarter against Edgerton-Ellsworth in the Minnesota State Prep Bowl Nine Man championship Friday at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Superlarks used some big plays in the air to pull away from Edgerton-Ellsworth in a 48-0 win to give GM its second straight state nine man football title in TCF Bank Stadium Friday.
Grand Meadow senior Cody Ojulu hauled in four passes for 105 yards and two scores to lead the GM passing attack.
“Being able to catch touchdowns again was amazing,” Ojulu, who had been used a lot as a blocking tight end this season, said. “It’s one of the best feelings in the world. We won the state championship and I’m probably the happiest guy on Earth right now.”
Micheal Stejskal threw for 215 yards and three TDs in the win. He knew going into the game that he was going to be involved a lot as the Flying Dutchman were likely to focus their defense on GM’s running game.
“I was excited for it. Coaches were saying I would have to play a good sound game to isolate the holes in their defense. They put in good plays to help us do that and our receivers got open,” Stejskal said. “They were keying more on Landon and they didn’t think that our receivers and I could make plays. We showed them that we’re not just one dimensional. We can use everyone on our team.”
Stejskal, a junior, played a smaller role on last year’s state championship team as he was mostly relegated to playing wide receiver and full-back. This year GM head coach Gary Sloan had the confidence to let his quarterback play a big role in the state title game and Stejskal answered the call.
Grand Meadow’s Blake Benson celebrates a second-quarter Grand Meadow score against Edgerton-Ellsworth in the Minnesota State Prep Bowl Nine Man championship Friday morning at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Sloan didn’t plane E-E for loading up against the run.
“If I was going to play us against us, I would do the same thing,” Sloan said. “You’ve got to stop something, but when you have a good team that has balance any time you try to stop something, you’re going to make yourself weaker somewhere else. As coaches we have to find out where that weakness is and try to exploit it.”
