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North Branch couldn’t have scripted a better start to their first round state tournament game last week against Benilde-St. Margaret’s, with running back Tyler Minke ripping off an 82 yard touchdown score that set the tone for the night and propelled the Vikings to a 38-27 win on a cold and blustery Thursday, November 9 contest at Monticello High School.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s has not seen a Power T offense at all this year, and most of the players have likely never played against one in their football career. The offense relies on deception, with three running backs and the quarterback all possibilities to carry the ball, and each part of that formula has to execute their fakes to make sure certain defenders bite to open the holes.

The pace-setting touchdown by Minke was set up perfectly for the Vikings out of the Power T. The junior running back lined up on the right side of the T, but took the handoff to the left side, just behind offensive guard Austin Reynolds, who had pulled from the right side to lead the way. Reynolds’ block not only took two BSM defenders out of the play, but a third who was so confused at the deception, he ended up tackling Reynolds, thinking he was the ball carrier. Minke waited for the hole to develop and then burst through. Running back mate Jacob Tiegen had come out of the backfield and hooked around to block the backside safety, who was the only player left with a shot at Minke. Tiegen got his hands on him and Minke made the perfect cut to break back to the right side and the race was on, with no one catching him before hitting paydirt to give North Branch an 8-0 lead after the two point conversion.

“There are not many offenses like ours,” offensive lineman Ty Ellsworth said. “We knew we just had to be fast and physical with Benilde. We hit them low and they couldn’t react to the ball. They were more worried about protecting themselves than getting to the ball.”

“We knew coming in that if we did our jobs and move the linemen and get to the linebackers and put people on the ground that we’d be able to score a lot of points tonight,” lineman Austin Reynolds added after the game.

North Branch looked like they would get right back on the offensive again when their kicker booted the ensuing kickoff in the air perfectly over the heads of the first wave of BSM’s receiving team, but far enough in front of the second line for an easy recovery in midair by the Vikings. But, in high school football, the ball has to touch a receiver or the ground first on a kickoff, and it did neither, so not only did BSM get to keep the ball, they got a 15 yard penalty out of it too and started their drive inside NB’s territory.

The Red Knights’ first play brought them all the way down to the 20 yard line, with quarterback Nirvaan Yogaraja connecting with a receiver for a 23 yard gain. Five plays later, Benilde scored its first touchdown of the game, but NB blocked the extra point and led 8-6.

North Branch started the next drive near midfield after a nice kick return.  Carter Drill, who is trying to gut out some valuable touches through a high ankle sprain, started the drive with a nice 15 yard run. A few short runs followed before a 14 yard keeper from quarterback Jacob Robillard and then Austin Anderson, who was an offensive lineman last year and a tight end for much of this year, but was starting at running back in this game because of the rash of injuries, carved up the middle for 18 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings. Their two pointer was good, and NB was up 16-6.

Another tough kicking effort that squirted out of bounds gave BSM great field position again, starting on NB’s side of the 50. Three short rushes were bookended by two long passes, including a 19 yard touchdown pass by Yogaraja, and BSM answered back quickly. Their extra point was good this time, and NB led 16-13.

It seemed that Yogaraja, who was the state’s leading passer this year, was in a rhythm since NB’s offense was scoring so fast, so the coaching staff made an adjustment and decided to slow things down. They ground out yards on the next drive, going 19 straight rushing plays before finishing the drive with a two yard score from Tiegen. The two point conversion was no good, so NB led 22-13.

But, not only did NB burn a bunch of time off the clock, they made Yogaraja and the rest of the potent BSM offense sit in the cold temps for a long period of time, and that decision paid off in spades on the first play of the Red Knights’ next drive. Running back Sean Washington took a handoff down the right side of the field and had a nice gain going, but he was caught from behind and had the ball stripped away, with North Branch recovering the fumble and going right back to work on offense. 

It didn’t take long for Anderson to make the Knights pay. He plowed up the middle for 39 yards on the first play of the drive before finishing it off with a 28 yard touchdown run on the very next play. Robillard converted NB’s two point conversion easily, and the Vikings had a commanding 30-13 lead with just six minutes left in the half.

After a couple of first downs, Benilde saw their chances running out already, and they went for it on fourth and nine from their own 45 yard line. Yogaraja couldn’t find anyone open down field and took off running. Brody Beaver and Tiegen converged on the quarterback and stopped him just inches short of the line to gain, giving NB the ball back at midfield with a chance for an early dagger. 

But, on the fourth play of the ensuing drive, North Branch coughed up the ball and BSM recovered, giving them the ball back essentially where their fourth down play had been prior and giving them new life.

They used that momentum to move down the field, but it was at a slow pace due to some great coverage from the NB defensive backs. The Knights did eventually get a broken play to go for 18 yards that brought them to NB’s 24 without much time left on the clock. A sack by senior Ty Ellsworth on first down and a holding penalty on BSM on second down, though, set the Red Knights back a mile. They were eventually facing a fourth and 17 from the 31 yard line with just six seconds left before halftime. With just one gasp left, Yogaraja dropped back to pass and heaved a throw just short of the endzone, where NB’s Brody Beaver was waiting and playing the ball perfectly. But a full, two-handed shove from BSM receiver Jayden Daisy knocked Beaver to the ground and Daisy caught the ball easily at the one yard line and waltzed into the endzone. 

The North Branch sideline absolutely erupted with anger as two referees had a very clear view of the play and neither one threw a flag in one of the more egregious non-calls a fan will see in a football game. Even the Red Knight players on the field were hesitant to celebrate because they expected a flag to be thrown. But, it wasn’t, and the extra point was good and all of a sudden, BSM was down just 30-20 at halftime, and they were receiving the kick after the break, as well.

Benilde got a nice kick return to start the second half, with their offense taking over at their own 45. After an NB offsides penalty and an eight yard pass, Washington broke through the right side of NB’s defense and was off to the races. He shook a tackler off at the 15 yard line and finished the 42 touchdown run to trim NB’s lead to 30-27 after the extra point was good.

Sensing the urgency of the situation after having essentially dominated the first half but with a bad call against them, Head Coach Justin Voss commanded his team to gather around him on the sideline. He delivered a quick, but passionate plea to the team.  “All I asked them was ‘Are you ready to fight for it?’” Voss said after the game. “That felt like a moment where we lost our focus and didn’t have the energy and drive and I wanted to pull us back together. The whole purpose was to refocus. It wasn’t really about the words, but just the attitude. We had to stop that snowball and that was our best chance to do it with our entire football family. And they responded by fighting the rest of the game.”

Both the offense and the defense responded almost instantaneously. The offense went on a 13 play scoring drive that ended in another short Tiegen touchdown. The two point conversion was good, and just like that, NB’s lead was back up to 11 at 38-27. And then, the defense went to work. They got Benilde into a fourth and short situation, and a blitzing Tiegen basically carried a guard into the backfield to disrupt Washginton’s rush attempt and Ellsworth and Magnus Toussaint rallied into the backfield and stopped Washington for no gain, giving NB the ball back.

The Vikings didn’t end up scoring on the ensuing drive, but they were able to burn a lot of clock, much of which came after a bold fourth down call from Voss early in the drive. After three plays, the offense was facing a fourth and one on BSM’s 41 yard line, which was very manageable for an offense who had gained short yardage easily all night. But a false start penalty put them in fourth and six on BSM’s 46 yard line, which seems like a punting situation. But, Voss wasn’t about to punt. He had the Vikes go for it and offensive coordinator Kyle Kahl drew up a beautiful play action pass, NB’s first pass attempt of the night, and Robillard found Nathaniel Edwards-Goana wide open down the field for a 31 yard gain. The Red Knights had bit badly on the fake run and it opened up the play for an easy conversion. 

NB’s drive stalled out inside BSM’s 10 yard line, but the pass play had allowed them to burn another two minutes off the clock and made sure that if the Knights took over, it’d be deep in their own territory.

The Knights next drive was very eventful, but led to absolutely nothing except more time burned off the clock. The staunch NB defense had forced BSM into a fourth an eight from their own 12 yard line, and the Red Knights decided to go for it, realizing they couldn't afford to punt anymore. Yogaraja delivered a beautiful deep ball on the fourth down play, dropping a 50 yard rainbow pass right in the breadbasket of his well-covered receiver, getting the Knights to North Branch’s 38 yard line. BSM then went backwards in a way that is rarely seen on a football field. A loss of one yard on first down led into an offensive pass interference call on second down, which cost them 15 yards. On a replay of the down, BSM then committed an illegal chop block, which is another personal foul and set them back another 15 yards. After a short five yard gain, Yogaraja was sacked by senior Tyler Hendricks for an 11 yard loss on third down and all of a sudden, the team that couldn’t afford to punt had to punt as they faced a fourth and 47. The Knights even added on a quick false start on the punt attempt, putting them in an unbelievable fourth and 52 situation. Toussaint had a nice return on the ensuing punt, and the Vikes took over just past midfield with seven minutes left in the game. 

North Branch’s offense did its job on the next drive again, even though they didn’t score. They went 12 running plays, burning crucial time off the clock and leaving BSM essentially no time left to score once, much less that two that they needed. After a failed fourth down attempt, BSM took over at their own 16 but had less than 30 seconds left in the game to make up 11 points. They did get a long completion on the drive, with a 54 yard catch and run going up the left side, but the next play, Yogaraja threw a pick in the endzone to Owen Link, and that ended the game with the Vikings celebrating their first ever state tournament win. “That's a great feeling in the state tournament to get that interception,” Link said. “When I finally got one thrown to me, it was a great feeling.

Anderson was the rushing star for the Vikings in this one, as he toted the rock 23 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Minke had 120 yards on 11 carries before getting hurt in the second half. Robillard carried 10 times for 46 yards and also completed the huge 31 yard pass, going one-for-two in the air. Tiegen had 38 hard fought yards on 11 carries, often being highlighted as the short yardage back, and Brody Beaver had 20 yards on six carries in relief of Minke.

“It was a great team and a tough fight, but we had to push through and for the win,” Anderson said after the game. Robillard added that it was a “tough game” and that BSM was really physical with him.  “They played my quarterback keep tough, so [Anderson] was killing them up the middle,” Robillard explained. “We have a great offensive line and great depth for our running backs. When someone has gone down, someone else has stepped up.”

“It’s been exciting to see the next guys stepping up but not just for him but the guy next to him too. The support and excitement has been great,” Voss said. “We believe in them and we’ve been very positive. They get reps but not getting the reps so for those guys to step up into new roles when they’ve played other positions and to take and run with it and make the most impact they can has been great. The support they receive from their teammates and the belief they have in themselves is outstanding. We as a coaching staff are just proud of those guys and how they’ve stepped up. 

Voss continued, praising both the offensive line and the defense as a whole in their roles in the win over BSM. “The offensive line is the key to our success. Part of the running consistency is our line and the work they’ve put in and the communication they have and those guys are doing the work to consistently have success. They took on a challenging role and embraced it and have done a great job.”

As far as the defense, the Vikings play a lot of run heavy teams up north, so to jump into a game against an effective and athletic spread offense in just one week isn’t easy. “We are used to playing a different style of football, and there is a bigger learning curve to make sure we are prepared. The guys were really focused on and did a great job. There were moments throughout the game, and we made some big plays in those moments. They had their opportunities and we knew that would happen but the key was making the big stops in those moments. When things got rocky, the guys stepped up and took advantage of the opportunities.” 

STATE SEMIFINALS PREVIEW VS HUTCHINSON

The win sets up a showdown with the traditional Minnesota powerhouse Hutchinson Tigers, who are 10-2 on the year. The two programs couldn’t be any different in their history. Hutch has six state titles and have been to the last two championship games, winning in 2021 and losing to Simley last year. They’ve had just two coaches in the last 53 years, a father and son combo who have each logged over 20 years in the position. 

U.S. Bank Stadium might as well be a second home for Hutch, as they’ve played four games there over the last two years, while the Vikings are making their debut. “We’ve had transparent and open communication with the guys. We’ve talked about all the pieces leading up to the game and let them visualize and understand what it’s going to be like there just so they feel comfortable,” Voss said of his team’s potential jitters playing on the grand stage. “But, our practice plan has been consistent  and I think that’s important, as well. That feels comfortable to players.”

“It’s going to be our toughest game of the year, but we’re ready for it and we have to push through it,” Anderson added.

And although both teams are built to run the ball a lot, they are constructed very differently. North Branch uses deception, quickness and technique to run the ball. Hutchinson has an element of deception to their game, often faking an initial handoff to an upback before handing it off to a different running back. But, in essence, they are a downhill, smashmouth power running team. They have two big bookends at tackle who average 308 pounds between them, including all-state left tackle Anton Kadlec, and they have three running backs that all averaged over six yards a carry and had more than nine touchdowns. Nathan Thode led the bunch with 941 yards and 11 scores, Carter Verhasselt is the fullback and he ran for 936 yards and 18 touchdowns, and Charlie Renner ran for 660 yards and nine scores for the Tigers. They also have a quarterback in Logan Butler who can make some nice throws when needed. The 6’5” senior completed almost 60 percent of his passes this year for 830 yards and 10 touchdowns to only four picks. Renner is the primary receiving threat, with 487 yards and eight touchdowns.

“We are just so honored to play at U.S. Bank Stadium and we are going to try and keep things focused and consistent,” Voss ended with. “Hutch is one of the top schools in 4A every year. They are well coached and have great players and they are a great opponent for us, but just because a team is physically bigger or more athletic than us doesn’t mean we’re going to back down. We have a lot of respect for them, but we’re going to go in there and give it our best, and let the cards land where they may.”

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