Maple River can't finish drives in state semifinal loss
Nov. 19—MINNEAPOLIS — Nine plays, seven plays, 15 plays.
Maple River was able to move the football with long drives, but when it came time to find the end zone, those possessions didn't turn into points.
"Both teams battled extremely hard, and (the players) left it all on the field," Maple River coach Dusty Drager said. "We had some opportunities in the red zone that we didn't take advantage of. ... We just couldn't get that last yard."
Maple River had more total yards and were plus-2 in turnovers, but West Central Area/Ashby took advantage of key plays to post an 8-7 victory in the semifinals of the Class AA football playoffs Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was Maple River's second appearance in the state football playoffs and first since reaching the semifinals in 2016.
"We had some really good drives, and we've been good at finishing them," senior running back Boden Simon said. "But West Central was able to shut us down (near the end zone)."
The Eagles (11-2) had two good scoring chances in the first half, both the result of defensive stops on fourth down near midfield.
The first drive lasted nine plays but ended up fourth-and-2 at the West Central Area 5.
After another stop, the Eagles had three completions to move the ball into West Central Area's 37, but the next pass was intercepted.
"We thought we could score some points," Drager said. "But we couldn't get it in the end zone. You have to give credit to (West Central Area)."
West Central Area's ensuing drive was 10 plays, capped by a 16-yard halfback pass on fourth-and-1 for a 6-0 lead.
West Central Area tried the halfback pass again late in the second quarter, but Zach Herrmann made the interception.
Maple River went 47 yards in nine plays, covering 1:05, to score. Boden Simon, who gained 5 yards on fourth-and-5 on the previous play, scored on a 3-yard run, and Landon Fox's PAT put the Eagles on top 7-6 with 13 seconds remaining in the first half.
Maple River's Skyler Jenkins made an interception late in the third quarter, but he landed at the 1-yard line. On the second play, Simon was tackled in the end zone for a safety, and West Central Area led 8-7.
"We haven't seen a defense that switches in the last second (before the snap)," Simon said. "That disrupted our line, and it makes it tough for the running back to read."
On the ensuing possession, West Central Area drove inside the Maple River 10, but Will Trio made an interception, returning it to the 6. However, the 15-play drive ended with a sack with 3:31 to play.
Maple River had one last shot, getting the ball to the West Central Area 14, but a fourth-down run was stopped.
Drager said he talked with Fox, who is also Maple River's kicker, but they decided that any field goal attempt had to be a few yards shorter.
"We just needed one more first down," Drager said.
Maple River finished with 247 yards of offense, though only gained 91 yards on 44 carries. Simon finished with 93 yards on 19 carries, with 74 yards in the second half. Fox completed 14 of 22 passes for 156 yards.
West Cenral Area had only 185 yards of offense. Ethan McGregor made 11 tackles for Maple River, and Timothy Buckholtz had nine.
West Central Area (11-1) will play Chatfield for the state championship at 1 p.m. Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
"We worked hard all season," senior lineman Nolan Buckholtz said. "It sucks to be done, and we could have won this game. But we gave it our all."
Follow Chad Courrier on Twitter @ChadCourrier.
