BLOOMING PRAIRIE — The Awesome Blossoms showed they’re not just a flashy passing team as they weren’t afraid to play a little smash-mouth football in a 20-14 win in the Section 1A title game over Southland at McFarlin Field Friday.

BP will move on to play Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity Friday at Macalester College in the Class ‘A’ quarterfinals at 7 p.m.

Against a Southland team that was loaded with three premiere running backs, it was the top seeded Awesome Blossoms (10-1 overall) who controlled the ground game in the fourth quarter as they held on to win.

“When you get to this point, the line wins games,” BP head coach Chad Gimbel, who now has 100 coaching wins, said. “Everybody was telling us we couldn’t do it. We know what we have, we have a great group of kids and a hard working, unselfish line. They put it all out there every time and they take pride. When I start getting upset, I go to the running game.”

In a game that featured two high powered offenses, it was the special teams unit that helped BP take the lead for good. Immediately after Southland’s Tyler Kressin broke off a 31-yard touchdown run that saw him break a couple off tackles to tie the game at 14, senior Gabe Kartes put BP back in the driver’s seat when he took the ensuing kickoff back 65 yards to the Southland 15-yard line.

“I was supposed to go to the right, but I saw all of our jerseys on the other side so I went that way,” Kartes said. “I saw (Mike Goergen) coming and he had that perfect angle. I watched him the whole time, and he was the only guy who could get close to keeping up with me. I just took my yards and went down and we’d try to win it on offense.”

After being run down by Goergen, Kartes scored four plays later when he plunged in from five yards out to make it 20-14 with 11:55 left in the game.

No. 3 Southland (8-3 overall) had three more posessions, but it didn’t get a first down on its last two drives. The Rebels drove to near midfield after Kartes scored, but that drive was stalled by a fumble that was recovered eight yards in the backfield, setting up a third and 19 that the Rebels couldn’t convert.

Despite the loss, Southland head coach Shawn Kennedy was pleased with his team.

“I was really, really proud of those guys. It wasn’t quite enough and we had our opportunities,” he said. “(BP) has a great football team and I hope they can win the whole thing. They’ve got the whole package. It’s just unfortunate because we’ve got a lot of seniors who have worked their butts off.”

BP ended the game when Michael Thomas picked off a desperation pass by the Rebels, who didn’t complete a pass the entire night. Their running game was also held in check at times, as they had six carries of 10 yards or more and only one run of 20 yards or more.

“They came out running in the second half, but we made adjustments and plugged their holes and shut them down,” BP linebacker Luke Hueman said.

Hueman, a senior, played in the state tournament as a sophomore along with quarterback Luc Zellmer and Kartes. After losing in the Section 1A title game last year, he’s glad the Blossoms are headed back to state.“I needed to get that feeling again, and now all three of us have that feeling again,” he said.

Both defenses dominated early on, but the BP got it’s offense going on the most unlikeliest of scenarios — a third and 15 from deep in their own territory. On that play, Zellmer, who had misfired on nine of his first 12 throws, hit Michael Thomas on a jump ball for a 16-yard gain. Zellmer followed that up with up with another jump ball to Thomas for 12 yards, before hitting Kartes over the middle, who took the pass for a 53-yard TD that made it 7-0 with 1:25 left in the half.

“That kind of got Luc going,” Gimbel said. “Who would think that a fade route would get a quarterback going? Usually you throw bubbles or something like that, but that got him going.”

Southland opened the second half with a six play, 51 yard drive that saw Nick Schmitz score from six yards out and BP responded with a 5 play, 65 yard drive that saw Jonny Kraling, who ran for 86 yards, score from eight yards out.

The entire second half was a dogfight, and Kartes walked away with a lot of respect for the Rebels.

“We totally respect them, that was a hard grinding football game,” he said. “Both teams were hitting hard, they came just as fast as us and I think were pretty evenly matched. I don’t think we worked harder, we just executed better.”

Gimbel also tipped his hat to Southland.

“It’s too bad that Southland didn’t get the experience of going to state as well,” Gimbel said. “I can’t say enough great things about them and Shawn Kennedy, he runs a great program.”

SCORING SUMMARY

Southland 0 0 14 0 — 14

BP 0 7 7 6 — 20

First quarter

No scoring

Second quarter

(BP) Gabe Kartes 53 pass from Luc Zellmer (Pat Jones kick) (5 plays, 80 yards) 1:25

Third quarter

(S) Nick Schmitz 6 run (Lee DeHough kick) (6 plays, 51 yards) 9:41

(BP) Jonny Kraling 8 run (Jones kick) (5 plays, 65 yards) 6:10

(S) Tyler Kressin (DeHough kick) (9 plays, 59 yards) 1:30

Fourth quarter

(BP) Kartes 5 run (kick failed) (4 plays, 15 yards) 11:55

BP STATS

Rushing: Jonny Kraling, 17-for-86, TD; Gabe Kartes, 6-for-6, TD; Zellmer, 12-for-6; Cole Sunde, 1-for-(-1) Passing: Zellmer, 11-for-22, 155, TD, INT; Receiving: Kartes, 7-for-98, TD; Michael Thomas, 3-for-46; Kraling, 1-for-11; Sacks: Weston Fiebiger (1); Brett Wacek (1); Interceptions: Thomas (1); Fumble recovery: Isaiah Toquam (1); Penalties: 4-for-40

SOUTHLAND STATS

Rushing: Tyler Kressin, 14-for-82, TD; Nick Schmitz, 10-for-59, TD; Mike Goergen, 11-for-55; Jake Frodl, 4-for-(-6); Passing: Jake Frodl, 0-for-6; Decker Bendtsen, 0-for-5, INT; Sacks: Schmitz (2); Goergen (1); Ben Wolterman (1); Interceptions: Bendtsen (1); Penalties: 2-for-30