FARGO - Kittson County Central’s ground game was so dominant Thursday that even its ultra-conservative quarterback sneaks consistently gained substantial yardage.
“The quarterback sneak is my favorite play because it has reduced chances of something bad happening,” coach Cory Waling said with a wide grin after his Bearcats thumped Win-E-Mac 35-0 in the Minnesota Section 8 nine-man football championship in the Fargodome.
He wasn’t being purposely comical. It seems the closer-to-the-vest the Bearcats get, the more they score - and win.
Their turning point came in a 13-7 loss to Stephen-Argyle two weeks ago, when the Bearcats committed five turnovers. After that, the offense took a dramatic turn to the right.
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The changed philosophy worked in a rematch with top-seeded Stephen-Argyle in the section semifinals, with KCC gaining revenge by a convincing 28-0. The formula worked again Thursday against W-E-M, which also turned heads with a win over second-seeded Warren-Alvarado-Oslo in the semis.
“Earlier in the year, we were trying to be more diverse on offense, so we were spreading it out and throwing the ball more,” Waling said. “We had to convince the players to go back to the basics and it took some time for them to buy in.”
They’re all in now, hook, line and sinker. The running game is centered on 200-pound workhorse Carson Thorsteinson, who carried 32 times for 247 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown romp for a 14-0 lead. Of their 444 yards, 359 came on the ground.
“Our attitude now is to grind and grind and eventually something will break,” Thorsteinson said. “The holes were there.”
His workload of 30-plus carries as been consistent since the philosophical change.
“Carson is big and powerful and hard to take down by just one tackler,” Waling said. “He’s also got a stiff-arm, a burst in the open field and a weird wiggle.”
In addition to consistent yardage on sneaks, accounting for most of his 50 yards on 11 rushes, quarterback Dylan Olsonawski also completed three of seven passes for 80 yards. And, most importantly, none of KCC’s 64 plays resulted in a turnover.
“They were just bigger and stronger than us,” W-E-M coach Jeremy Morgenroth said. “They probably ran only about six different plays, but they ran the ball down our throats. The other key was that they didn’t allow Tradewell outside on the run.”
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Morgenroth was referring to Patriots’ quarterback Zac Tradewell, who was held to 25 rushing yards and seven completions and 69 yards in 25 attempts through the air. The defense kept him in the pocket, limiting his scrambling opportunities.
The Patriots threatened to score twice in the second quarter. KCC defensive back Ty Diamond broke up a pass in the end zone on the first threat and then Tradewell got three unsuccessful shots in the end zone in the last eight seconds before intermission, leaving the score at 14-0.
The Bearcats (8-2) added two touchdowns in the third quarter and another in the fourth for their second straight section championship win over Win-E-Mac.
Contact Bakken at rbakken@gfherald.com .
