Blossoms finally get their revenge

Published 11:30 pm Saturday, October 25, 2008

BLOOMING PRAIRIE — After almost a year of waiting the Awesome Blossoms finally got their second chance at the team that knocked them off last year — and they didn’t waste it.

Blooming Prairie (8-2 overall) made big plays at the right time, while quarterback Austin Moe contolled the pace. The senior threw for three scores, and ran for 194 yards and two scores behind some strong blocking as No. 2 BP beat No. 3 Goodhue 34-14 in the Section 1A semifinals Saturday at McFarlin Field.”

“My adrenaline was pumping,” said Moe “We got sweet revenge on these guys from last year and it’s great thing. We came out, we hit them in the mouth, kicked them and kept them down.”

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Things went BP’s way on two early punt fakes. First, BP stopped Goodhue’s punt fake pass play from the Goodhue two-yard line. The Wildcats (4-6 overall) probably expected BP to be rushing the punt, but the Blossoms stayed disciplined and forced an incomplete pass.

“(Our defense) did play it well. To be honest, that was a great time (for Goodhue) to do it,” BP head coach Chad Gimbel said. “They caught us off guard, but our kids did what they needed do and that was a big momentum change.”

The Blossoms quickly turned the turnover on downs into a two-yard TD run by Moe and made a quick stop on Goohue’s next possesion when Matt Zellmer picked off a pass at the BP 32-yard line.

The Blossoms ended up faking a punt on fourth and nine from the Goodhue 38-yard line and Moe threw a strike to Zellmer down the left sideline for a score.

“(The play) developed pretty bad because the guy didn’t fall for it at all. They were watching for it,” Zellmer said. “But Austin made a great throw stride for stride. I had like a half step on him. Then I made a side-step move and scored. I’d rather walk in than get hit.”

BP ran the lead up to 27-0 in the third quarter after Moe threw two TD passes to sophomore Cooper Nelson. Nelson hauled in a fade pass for a 16-yard score with 54 seconds left in the first half to cap a six play, 80 yard drive that took just over one minute, and Nelson pulled in a 20-yard strike from Moe in the middle of the end zone that saw him get drilled by two defenders with 2:11 left in the third quarter.

Nelson was down for short while after the play, but returned to action.

“It was a helmet to helmet hit so it hurt pretty bad,” Nelson said. “I guess I was kind of tired and I wanted to take a little break so I figured I’d lie down for a while.”

Moe and a few other BP players watched carefully as Nelson was slow to get up.

“I was praying that he was alright. I felt so bad,” Moe said. “Cooper had two amazing catches tonight. All I have to do is throw it up to him or any of my other receivers and they make the plays.”

While the offense racked up 361 yard for BP, the defense made big plays at big times.

BP defensive back Aaron Niles picked off a pass on a fade pattern to the end zone in the second quarter and the Blossoms defense recovered a fumble at their own one-yard line in the third quarter after Goodhue lost the snap and first and goal.

Those plays reminded Gimbel of the Blossoms loss to Goodhue in the Section 1A finals last year. In that game, BP had three turnovers in the red zone.

“It was almost the complete opposite turn of last year were we would drive and not be able to finish it,” he said. “They drove a number of times, but our defense stepped up. It was almost the flip flop of last year.”

BP will travel to No. 1 Rushford/Peterson (8-2 overall) — a team it beat last season in the second round — for the Section 1A championship Friday at 7 p.m.

BP STATS

Rushing: Austin Moe, 35-for-194, 2 TD; Jamie Willette, 3-for-10; Luc Zellmer, 1-for-6; Justen Ingvalson, 1-for-6

Passing: Moe, 8-for-14, 143, 3 TD

Receiving: Matt Zellmer, 4-for-93, TD; Cooper Nelson, 3-for-48, 2 TD; Jamie Willitte, 1-for-0

Interceptions: Zellmer, Aaron Niles

Fumble recoveries: Logan Underwood

Sacks: Jeffery Doerhoefer

Penalties 3-for-25

GOODHUE STATS

Goodhue rushing: Jared Dicke, 21-for-80; Bryce Dankers, 7-for-18; Blayne Erie, 5-for-15; Ethan Tutewohl, 1-for-12; Cameron Peterson, 2-for-6

Goodhue passing: Blayne Erie, 16-for-28, 194, 2 TD, 2INT

Goodhue receiving: Bryce Dankers, 4-for-84, TD; Cameron Peterson, 4-for-69, TD; Ashton Erie, 4-for-27; Brady Bigalk, 1-for-14; Richard Bigelow, 1-for-8; Jared Dickie, 1-for-(-6)

Penalties: 4-for-50

SCORING SUMMARY

Goodhue 0 0 0 14 — 14

BP 7 13 7 7 — 34

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

(BP) 5:47 Austin Moe 2 run (Aaron Niles kick) (2 plays, 8 yards)

Second quarter

(BP) 9:23 Moe 38 pass to Matt Zellmer (Niles kick) (10 plays, 67 yards)

(BP) :54 Moe 16 pass to Cooper Nelson (kick failed) (6 plays, 80 yards)

Third quarter

(BP) 2:11 Moe 23 pass to Nelson (Niles kick) (7 plays, 76 yards)

Fourth quarter

(G) 11:03 Blayne Erie 26 pass to Bryce Dankers (Ross Schrimpf kick) (8 plays, 64 yards)

(G) 6:37 Erie 26 pass to Cameron Peterson (Schrimpf kick) (10 plays, 90 yards)

(BP) 3:04 Moe 8 run (Niles kick) (8 plays, 50 yards)