A jersey bearing the number 50 is not
typical for a running back. It’s traditionally a linebacker/offensive line
number, and that’s why LeRoy-Ostrander senior running back Tanner Olson wears 50.
He was an offensive lineman until the final game of the regular season and remains
a stalwart defensive end.
His performance, no matter the position,
is one of the reasons why the Cardinals will play for the Nine-Man state
championship next week at U.S. Bank Stadium. They secured their spot in the
Prep Bowl with a 49-0 victory over Kittson County Central in Thursday’s
semifinals. They await the winner of Friday’s semifinal between
Fertile-Beltrami and Hills-Beaver Creek.
Olson stands 6-foot-2 and weights 200
pounds. As Cardinals coach Trevor Carrier said after Thursday’s game, “he’s very
big, very strong and he’s fast.”
Olson rushed 22 times for 111 yards and
two touchdowns Thursday, coming on the heels of a 19-carry, 144-yard game against
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross in last week’s state quarterfinals. His totals over
those two games are pretty astounding for a one-time lineman: 41 carries, 255 yards and six
touchdowns.
Look at Trevor’s numbers, coupled with the
play of quarterback Chase Johnson and a hard-working offensive line, and it’s
no wonder the Cardinals are on the cusp of a state title. Johnson ran 23 times
for 323 yards in the quarterfinals and on Thursday he carried 21 times for 234
yards.
Between Olson and Johnson, their two-game
totals are 85 rushes and 812 yards … nearly 10 yards per carry. That’s tough to
stop.
“They are a good team, with players across the board,” said Kittson
County Central coach Cory Waling. “They don’t surprise you a whole lot with what
they’re going to do. Their quarterback is amazing and their fullback is a tough
runner. It just keeps you off-balance. And then you’ve got to tackle them. That
kind of creates problem.”
LeRoy-Ostrander played in the 1993 and
1995 Prep Bowls, losing each time. This is the Cardinals’ first state tournament
appearance since 2004. Kittson County Central, at state for the for the first
time since 2014, won a state championship in 1994.
Under The Bright Lights
When Chatfield junior Luke Carrier scored
the winning touchdown on a 47-yard pass with 2:21 to play in the Gophers’ 22-18
Class 2A semifinal win over Barnesville, the outcome of the play was uncertain as
the ball sailed through the air. The lights at U.S. Bank Stadium got in the way
ever so briefly.
“When (quarterback) Parker (Delaney) threw
up the ball … I lost sight with the lights in the stadium. I’m not used to that
kind of lighting,” said Carrier. “And I kind of kept running and then I eventually
saw the ball and it just happened to be in my hands.”
The touchdown put Chatfield in front for
the first time in the game and moved them to the Prep Bowl. They will meet the
winner of Friday’s game between West Central Area/Ashby and Maple River.
Pregame Prep
The Bearcats of Kittson County Central
(the high school is in Lancaster in extreme northwest Minnesota) arrived in the
Twin Cities on Wednesday and worked out underneath a bubble on the turf at Academy
of Holy Angels in Richfield. LeRoy-Ostrander (near the Iowa border south of Rochester)
didn’t find an available bubble but had a walk-through in a large hotel ballroom.
With 514 miles between the two schools, they may be the most distant schools to play in the state football semifinals.
Remembering Hall of Fame
Officials
In the last month, the MSHSL
officiating community lost two giants in Dick “Gramps” Eldridge and Darrell
“Bozo” Wincek, both members of the MSHSL Hall of Fame. To honor their memory
and excellence in working numerous Prep Bowls, photos of Dick and Darrell have
been placed in the officials locker room at U.S. Bank Stadium.
My Top 5 Favorite Nicknames In
The Football Semifinals
5.
Chatfield Gophers
4.
Kasson-Mantorville KoMets
3.
Mahtomedi Zephyrs
2.
Kittson County Central Bearcats
1.
Esko Eskomos
Football State Semifinals
Thursday
Nine-Man:
LeRoy-Ostrander 49, Kittson County Central 0
2A:
Chatfield 22, Barnesville 18
4A:
Becker vs. Kasson-Mantorville
6A:
Eden Prairie vs. Maple Grove
Friday
Nine-Man:
Fertile-Beltrami vs. Hills-Beaver Creek, 9 am
2A
West Central Area/Ashby vs. Maple River, 11:30 am
5A:
Robbinsdale Cooper vs. Mahtomedi, 2 pm
4A:
Orono vs. Hutchinson, 4:30 pm
6A:
St. Michael-Albertville vs. Lakeville South, 7 pm
Saturday
1A:
Minneota vs. Rushford-Peterson, 9 am
1A:
New York Mills vs. Mayer Lutheran, 11:30 am
3A:
Annandale vs. Plainview-Elgin-Millville, 2 pm
3A:
Esko vs. Dassel-Cokato, 4:30 pm
5A:
Rogers vs. Mankato West, 7 pm
Tickets, brackets, streaming, online program, etc.: https://www.mshsl.org/sports-and-activities/football
--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of
Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn
and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts.
Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org
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