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JCC dominates Caledonia 41-0 to advance to state semis

skyler jackson, the daily globe, worthington, minn.
·4 min read

Nov. 10—ROCHESTER — The Jackson County Central Huskies started fast and never looked back in their Class AA state playoff opener Thursday night.

JCC (11-0) put together a punishing rushing attack on offense and a shutout effort on defense to dominate to a 41-0 win over Caledonia in the Class AA State quarterfinals at Rochester Mayo High School. It was JCC's third shutout victory of the season.

The Huskies now head back to the Class AA State semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Nov. 17. It is the second-straight year and eighth time overall in school history that the Huskies have made it that far.

JCC's fast start included three possessions that resulted in three touchdowns from the offense for a 21-0 first-half lead. From there, the lead continued to grow as JCC kept winning the battle up front on both sides of the ball.

Following a quick 3-and-out from Caledonia, the Huskies established the run early on their first offensive drive. 11 plays and 68 yards later, sophomore quarterback Roman Voss capped off the drive with a 6-yard rushing touchdown for a 7-0 JCC lead.

Following the kickoff, a pass from Warriors QB Ethan Stendal on the drive's first play was picked off on a diving interception by JCC cornerback Ben Dahlin, setting up the Huskies inside Warrior territory.

The Huskies physical rushing attack set up another scoring drive that ended with a second rushing touchdown from Voss, this one from three yards out. After two possessions, the Huskies already had two touchdowns for a 14-0 first-quarter lead.

On Caledonia's next drive, the offense finally got going, driving inside the 10 yard line, aided by a 40-yard completion. When the second quarter started, the Warriors drive stalled at the 10 yard line and a 27-yard field goal attempt missed left.

The Huskies again responded after a Caledonia offensive drive coming away empty when Voss threw a strike to Dahlin, who outran the secondary for a 61-yard touchdown.

Caledonia's offense again moved the ball on its next drive, but JCC's defense would again bend but not break. On a fourth down, Stendal threw a deep pass into the end zone, and cornerback Sam Brinkman was there to make a play to force a turnover on downs.

Before halftime, JCC's offense was stopped for the first time, but the Huskies still led 21-0 at the break.

When the Huskies got the ball to start the second half, Voss broke free on a quarterback keeper on his way to the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown, his third rushing score of the night.

Following another Caledonia punt, JCC again turned it into six points when running back Seth Stai took a handoff up the middle and 23 yards to the end zone for a 35-0 lead. Stai's score capped off a 58-yard, 7-play drive.

When the fourth quarter started, Caledonia still couldn't generate much offense and JCC was beginning to run the clock out. The Huskies drove 73 yards in 14 plays that took 8:40 off the clock, capping off the drive with Stai's second touchdown of the game from four yards out. The PAT hit the upright and missed, but JCC still held a dominant 41-0 lead which would eventually be the final margin.

In the end, the Huskies scored touchdowns in six out of their seven offensive possessions and totaled 418 yards of offense, 333 of which came on the ground.

Voss finished with 20 carries for 147 rushing yards and three touchdowns to go along with 85 yards passing and a touchdown on 4-of-7 completions. All four of Voss' pass completions went to Dahlin.

Stai was also dominant running the ball, rushing for 142 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns.

JCC's next opponent in the state semifinals will be against 12-0 reigning state champion Barnesville, the team that knocked the Huskies out in the semifinals last year. The Trojans defeated Section 6AA champion Osakis 42-36 in the quarterfinals Thursday night. The Huskies will look to get to the state title game for the first time since 2015.