Third time is charming for state champion Stewartville

Nov. 25—MINNEAPOLIS — The third time was indeed the charm.

Stewartville, playing for a state football championship for the third time in its history, finally got it done. And this one was a no-doubter.

Dominating on both sides of the ball, unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Stewartville drilled No. 3 Annandale 43-13 in the Class 3A championship at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

"They are really good," Annandale coach Matt Walter said of the Tigers. "They are big, physical and just really good. They were just better than us today."

Stewartville was better than everyone it played all season long. Annandale was just its final victim.

That dominance led the Tigers to their first-ever unbeaten season as well as their first state football title.

"You know, 14-0 is tough to do," said Stewartville coach Garrett Mueller, who had his team in the state tournament for the second straight year and 12 months removed from losing in the quarterfinals. "Very few get this opportunity. It was a combination of things that led us to a state title this year. This group is extremely talented and I've been lucky to have them. And our seniors, they are a great group who led the way."

Stewartville sure didn't see the Cardinals' initial 68-yard touchdown drive coming. The Tigers, after all, own a defense that had been allowing an average of just five points per game.

But here came that quick punch to the face.

It might have been just what the Stewartville defense needed, Fully aroused after that, the Tigers permitted the Cardinals next to nothing the remainder of the game. Annandale"s other TD came in the game's final 10 seconds.

"Mainly, it just came down to us settling down," Stewartville star senior linebacker Caleb Jannsen said. "We knew what we had to do. We just had to settle down because we know that no one can play as fast as we can for four quarters of football. We just had to get rid of those nerves."

The numbers finished heavily in Stewartville's favor. There were 471 yards of offense for the Tigers, compared to just 190 for Annandale. There were also a bunch of splash plays by the Stewartville defense. That included a pair of interceptions from junior defensive back Jayce Klug. It also included defensive end Graysen Schneider being all over the field. He ended with a team-high seven tackles.

While the Stewartville defense did its things, its offense also made sure to hold up its end of the bargain. As expected, the guy who leaped out most was Helder, the Tigers' 6-2, 205-pound star.

The senior and Mr. Football candidate threw for two touchdowns and 206 yards. That went nicely with his 2,252 passing yards and 40 touchdowns entering the game, both of them single-season Stewartville records.

The way Helder started the game gave a hint to what was to come. On a drive that started at the Stewartville 32, Helder came through with a 22-yard pass to Parker Wangen and finished things off with a 5-yard screen pass for a touchdown to senior running back Carter Miller.

"They've got a great quarterback," Walter said.

Really, Stewartville has a great everything. That's how a team ends up with a 14-0 record.

As good as Stewartville's passing game was against Annandale, its running attack was also lethal. Credit Miller for much of that. The senior dazzled with 144 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also caught that touchdown screen pass.

Not to be lost in all of this was a Stewartville offensive line that provided Miller with whatever running room he needed. Big and physical was how Walter described the Tigers. Nowhere did that size and strength show up any more than it did along that offensive line.

But it wasn't just the Tigers players who were drawing credit for this state championship. Those players made sure to point to where all of their direction, energy and will comes from.

It's their head coach, Mueller, and the rest of his young, inventive and enthusiastic staff.

They've built a winner. A huge winner.

"Our coaches do a great job," Janssen said. "They make going to football practice the best part of our day."

BOX SCORE: Stewartville 43, Annandale 13