Football: Superlarks use big plays to power past Rockets for 3rd title

Published 4:40 pm Friday, November 13, 2015

Grand Meadow’s Terrell Rieken celebrates with teammates after scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown against Underwood in the Minnesota State Class 9-Man Prep Bowl championship Friday at TCF Bank Stadium. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Grand Meadow’s Terrell Rieken celebrates with teammates after scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown against Underwood in the Minnesota State Class 9-Man Prep Bowl championship Friday at TCF Bank Stadium. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

MINNEAPOLIS — To win big games, you have to make big plays and the Superlarks delivered plenty of big plays when they beat Underwood 34-20 to win their third straight Minnesota Class 9 man state football championship in TCF Bank Friday.

The Superlarks (14-0 overall) trailed 20-14 halfway through the third quarter, but they came up with a bulk of big plays to respond and take over the game. Connor Hartson hauled in a 17-yard catch on fourth and six to set up a 10-yard TD run by Zach Myhre that made it 21-20 GM with 50 seconds left and after the Larks forced a three-and-out from the Rockets (13-1 overall), GM quarterback Michael Stejskal led GM on the biggest drive of his entire football career.

Grand Meadow’s Zach Myhre stiff-arms Underwood’s Coy Thorson on a second-quarter run in the Minnesota State Class 9-Man Prep Bowl championship Friday at TCF Bank Stadium. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Grand Meadow’s Zach Myhre stiff-arms Underwood’s Coy Thorson on a second-quarter run in the Minnesota State Class 9-Man Prep Bowl championship Friday at TCF Bank Stadium. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

GM went 76 yards on 15 plays — including a 23 yard pass from Stejskal to Christophor Bain on third and 23 and a 12-yard TD pass from Stejskal to Terrell Rieken on fourth and three with 6:38 left in the game.

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“Our offensive linemen showed up in that last drive,” Stejskal said. “I think that we knew we needed to get that one last touchdown to separate us to eight points. Everyone had the drive to do well and we made plays.”

Stejskal scrambled on the final play of that drive and he was able to find Rieken with a strike over the top. Rieken hauled in the catch in the back of the end zone as he was hit by a defender.

Although the Larks hadn’t ran that particular play to Rieken all season long, they sure knew how to execute it when it counted.

“The play’s pretty much designed to go to me,” Rieken said. “When I ran out there I knew I was open and I knew Mike would make a good throw. It was just up to me to make the play. It’s like nothing you’ve ever felt before, catching the pretty much game winning touchdown. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Rieken also had a big impact on the defensive side of the ball as he racked up seven tackles, while forcing and recovering a fumble, and picking off a pass near the end of the first half.

“I was pretty motivated. No matter what this was our last game,” said Rieken, a senior. “You’d rather end on a win than on a loss.”

Stejskal finished his GM career in style when he broke free for a 79-yard TD run to put the game away with 2:14 left in the contest. He finished with 218 yards passing with three TDs and an interception and 110 yards rushing and a TD.

Grand Meadow quarterback Michael Stejskal throws on the run during a fourth-quarter drive while being pursued by Underwood’s Adam Thormodson during the Minnesota Class 9-Man Prep Bowl championship Friday at TCF Bank Stadium. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Grand Meadow quarterback Michael Stejskal throws on the run during a fourth-quarter drive while being pursued by Underwood’s Adam Thormodson during the Minnesota Class 9-Man Prep Bowl championship Friday at TCF Bank Stadium. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

“Stejskal’s been the biggest leader on the team. He’s been carrying us the whole way and he’s just been a real good teammate,” GM senior Micahel Oehlke said.

GM now has the longest active winning streak in Minnesota prep football with 36 straight wins and it has played in the state title game four years in a row. GM head coach Gary Sloan was able to win the last three state titles with his son Tyler at his side in a coaching role and his son Trevor on the field as a lineman.

GM also had to battle multiple injuries this season as 11 players missed at least one game and standout junior Blake Benson missed the majority of the season with knee injury.

“I’m very proud of the way these guys battled all day long and all season long,” Sloan said. “Underwood is a very, very physical team and I like the way they run the ball. They block hard, they tackle hard and they do things the right way I have a lot of respect for their program. I know they can’t be big fans of Grand Meadow because we’ve had some great games in the last three years.”

SCORING SUMMARY

Underwood 6 8 6 0 — 20

GM 7 7 7 13 — 34

First quarter

(GM) Christophor Bain 38 pass from Michael Stejskal (Wes Ojulu kick) (8 plays, 48 yards) 7:56

(U) Coy Thorson 15 run (pass failed) (8 plays, 64 yards) 1:16

Second quarter

(U) Dylan Kalenze 21 pass from Justin Masloski (Thorson rush) (10 plays, 59 yards) 6:55

(GM) Bain 41 pass from Stejskal (Ojulu kick) (2 plays, 61 yards) :24

Grand Meadow’s Connor Hartson turns to run after a third-quarter reception against Underwood in the Minnesota State Class 9-Man Prep Bowl championship Friday at TCF Bank Stadium. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Grand Meadow’s Connor Hartson turns to run after a third-quarter reception against Underwood in the Minnesota State Class 9-Man Prep Bowl championship Friday at TCF Bank Stadium. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Third quarter

(U) Dylan Kalenze 6 run (run failed) (5 plays, 64 yards) 2:56

(GM) Zach Myhre 10 run (Ojulu kick) (8 plays, 56 yards) :50

Fourth quarter

(GM) Terrell Rieken 14 pass from Stejskal (Ojulu kick) (15 plays, 76 yards) 6:38

(GM) Stejskal 71 run (Ojulu kick) (2 plays, 78 yards) 2:14

GM STATS

Rushing: Stejskal, 13-for-110, TD; Myhre, 10-for-42, TD; Bain, 20-for-53

Passing: Stejskal, 12-for-19, 218, 3 TD, 1 INT; Brenn Olson, 0-for-1

Receiving: Bain, 5-for-118, 2 TDs; Connor Hartson, 2-for-38; Rieken, 2-for-34, TD; Wes Ojulu, 1-for-13; Myhre, 1-for-8; Jacob Oehlke, 1-for-7

Defense: Rieken, 7 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 fumble forced, 1 interception; Myhre, 7 tackles; Bain, 7 tackles, 1 fumble forced, 1 fumble recovered; Trevor Sloan, 5 tackles, 1 fumble forced; Connor Hartson, 4 tackles, 1 fumble forced; Brenn Olson, 3 tackles, 1 interception; Stejskal, 1 fumble recovered

Penalties: 5-for-29

UNDERWOOD STATS

Rushing: 289

Passing: 81

Penalties: 5-for-40