State football roundup: Becker cruises into Class 4A final
CLASS 4A
Becker 28, Marshall 7
Becker’s defense held Marshall to just 1.7 yards per carry as Marshall went just 1 for 10 on third-down conversions on a day when the Bulldogs’ defense reigned supreme Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
After both offenses struggled for much of the first quarter, the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard with some trickeration on 4th and 1 from the Marshall 14-yard-line, as wide receiver Sawyer Brown hit Mitchell Soltau for a touchdown. Brown himself finished with 105 yards receiving. Tristan Kowalkowski hit Carter Reckelberg for a more traditional 29-yard scoring strike later in the game. Becker (12-0) also ran for 154 yards as a team.
Owen Angell had six tackles — including two for loss — and a pass breakup for Becker, which will meet either Totino-Grace or Orono in the Class 4A final at 1 p.m. on Nov. 22. That will be the Bulldogs’ first title game appearance since 2015.
Gavin Schaefer ran in the lone score for the Tigers (10-2).
9-PLAYER
Hills-Beaver Creek 26, Mountain Iron-Buhl 20
Micah Bush had 12 receptions for 115 yards — with 76 yards coming after the catch — while quarterback Jamin Metzger plunged in for a pair of rushing scores while throwing for another as Hills-Beaver Creek (12-0) punched its first ticket to the Prep Bowl since winning a state title in 1990.
Metzger was 19 for 23 passing on a day where Mountain Iron-Buhl largely limited the Patriots’ rushing attack.
Derik Dahl had 12 tackles on defense and 91 yards rushing on offense in a losing cause. His five-yard touchdown run brought Mountain Iron-Buhl (12-1) to within six with fewer than three minutes to play. The Rangers got a stop to get the ball back with 43 seconds to play on their own 18-yard line, and a big completion to TJ DuChamp, who finished with two grabs for 115 yards and a score, moved Mountain Iron-Buhl to the Hills-Beaver Creek 32-yard line, but Sawyer Bosch came up with the game-sealing interception on the very next play.
The 9-player title game is set for 10 a.m. on Nov. 23.