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Football: BBE confident in confronting USA in Fargo

joe brown, west central tribune, willmar, minn.
·4 min read

Oct. 31—BELGRADE

— Upsala/Swanville Area gave

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa

its toughest game of the season back in Week 5. In a rain-soaked matchup, the Jaguars beat the Patriots 14-6 despite turning the ball over five times in the Sept. 29 match-up.

Weather won't be a concern when BBE and USA take the field for the Section 4A championship at 10 a.m. Friday. The title will be decided at the climate-controlled Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota, the home of North Dakota State University.

After an undefeated regular season, the Jaguars roll into Fargo a confident bunch as they look to go to state for the second time in three seasons.

"We're sticking to our game plan and whatever we're doing, we're building on it," said BBE head coach Chris Moscho.

BBE has picked up big wins over USA, West Central Area (44-14 in Week 2) and Browerville/Eagle Valley (42-6 in Week 6). The top seed in the section, the Jaguars opened the postseason with a 60-8 win over Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City on Saturday.

"Back in Week 2, we knew we had a good team, but we were preparing for a tough West Central team. We came in and we put up a lot of points on the board that game," Moscho said. "Then against Browerville, they kind of gave up at halftime. Tthey threw up the white flag. Then the last game, we were preparing for a tougher game against ACGC but our boys just came out and they showed up and shut them down."

One of four undefeated teams in Class A, BBE is averaging 42.4 points per game and giving up 11.2 points per game.

The driving force behind the Jaguars' offense is quarterback Luke Dingmann. A Mr. Football nominee, the senior signal-caller has a 69.5 completion percentage (116 of 167) for 1,624 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He's also run for a team-high 551 yards and nine touchdowns on 59 attempts.

What has set Dingmann apart this season, according to Moscho, is his ability to call an offense.

"If Luke doesn't see anything, he's able to audible out of it," Moscho said. "There's been a few games where we're like, 'All right Luke, show us what you got.' And he's been able to lead a few drives. ... We know Luke is pretty special."

Five BBE players have more than 10 receptions: Luke Illies (24 catches, 303 yards, 7 touchdowns); Brett DeRoo (22-372-7); Ryan Jensen (18-175-2); Hayden Sobiech (18-267-4) and Jack Lundberg (14-206-2).

"The first two games, Josh Walstrom had five touchdowns in two games, so I think opposition teams were like, "oh, we have to shut down Josh,'" Moscho said. "Then Josh had his brother's wedding and then other guys stepped up like Luke Illies and Brett DeRoo and Hayden Sobiech have all stepped in.

"We don't have one guy that has hardcore stats. Luke Illies is a guy defenses will try to take away, but if you're strictly going to take away Luke Illies, we have a lot of other weapons."

The Jaguars began the season with a three-back running game with Toby Cebulla, Braeden Michels and Jack Lundberg. Lundberg has emerged as the top rushing threat with 482 yards and five touchdowns on 64 carries.

"In the later part of the season, Jack is showing why he's back there," Moscho said. "His speed sets him apart. If he gets into space, he's fast."

Overlooked by the offense's excellence is a defense that has not allowed double-digit points in the last five games. BBE's menacing defensive line has been a problem for opposing teams. Filling in for an injured Carter Natvig in the Patriots' backfield is Caden Beseman. He ran or 103 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries in USA's 24-14 win over Browerville/Eagle Valley in the section semifinals.

"Our defensive end, Carson Gilbert, has a motor on him and we're not keeping him in one spot," Moscho said. "Harley Weber's been a wrecking ball inside and he's been taking away a lot of inside runs and demanding a double team. Him and Odin Jensen have figured out each other. With those two inside, you're looking at about 600 pounds right in the middle that are shutting things down."

DeRoo has also shown his worth as a shutdown corner. He'll be key in slowing down the Patriots' pass game, led by receiver Jack Primus and sophomore quarterback Franky Meagher.

"He's probably one of the best corners in our district," Moscho said. "We're placing him on the other team's best receiver and that allows our free safety to kind of cheat a little bit and our linebackers to play more freely. Brett DeRoo's kind of been a game changer for us."