Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
Triton's defense stops Otter Tail Central Cobras grab early lead and hang on Rob Fine, VarsityOnline.com 24-NOV-00 MINNEAPOLIS - Triton took an early lead and relied on its defense the rest of the way as they won the Class AA state championship. After taking a 17-6 first half lead, the Cobras allowed just one more Otter Tail Central score before winning 31-12. The Cobras (13-1) limited the Bulldogs to 226 total yards, and picked off two passes in the fourth quarter as OTC tried to get back into the game. Head coach Don Henderson has relied on the defense all year, and knew he would have to do the same in the Prep Bowl. Before the game, Henderson made some key adjustments to try and limit an OTC offense that averaged 46 points per game. "They're a good football team," he said. "I made some defensive adjustments before the game. I moved Matt Adams to nose guard and moved Grant McNielus to defensive end. McNielus is faster and Adams hadn't played defense for eight weeks. Adams made some big defensive plays for us and McNielus played well on the outside. The kids came through." The Cobras averaged 5 yards per play while racking up 280 total yards. Brian Garness led the rushing attack with 71 yards on 18 carries. Senior fullback Matt Lawson netted 33 yards on seven carries and scored two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Zakary Midthut threw for 106 yards and one touchdown on eight-for-13 passing. Midthut, who also returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, played outstanding on both sides of the ball. "I knew he would have a great game," said Henderson, referring to Midthun. "He threw some bad balls but he's a playmaker, a heady kid, and a great athlete. Can't say enough of what he has meant to this team all year. He's such a leader." Otter Tail Central (13-1) opened the game with an impressive drive that covered 82 yards on 13 plays. The Bulldogs ran the ball on all 13 plays to set the tone early. John Mess capped the drive with a three-yard run up the middle but the extra-point failed as the Bulldogs took a 6-0 lead. Triton came right back with a similar drive. The Cobras covered 74 yards on 12 plays with a mixture of offensive looks. Midthun found senior Bryon Wolf late in the drive for a 17-yard gain to give the Cobras first-and-goal. Lawson used a few crafty moves as he scored two plays later on a four-yard touchdown run. Midthun connected on the extra-point to give the Cobras a 7-6 lead. The Cobras defensive came alive. They stopped the Bulldogs on three plays to force a punt. Then, it was the offense's turn to extend the lead. Midthut found Matt Narveson on third-and-four from on the Bulldogs 45 for a 23-yard gain. The Cobras mixed a shuffle pass two plays later to give them first-and-goal on the 7-yard line. Midthut, for third time in the drive, found a wide-open Nate Bendorf at the 8:12 mark of the second quarter for a seven-yard touchdown pass. The PAT gave the Cobras a 14-6 lead. Both teams traded offensive possessions but failed to put any points on the board. The first drive of the third quarter resulted in another three points for Triton. After stalling on the Bulldogs 21, Henderson decided to try a 36-yard field goal. Byron Ramirez split the uprights with 6:48 gone in the quarter as Triton extended its lead to 17-6. The Cobras defense shut down the Bulldogs in the third quarter and for most of the fourth. Midthut gave most of the credit for the win to the defense. "Our defense has been strong for us all year," he said. "We made some adjustments which helped but we just try to get the lead and let the defense get the job done." Desperate to get a score in the fourth quarter, OTC went to the pass. Mess attempted a deep halfback pass but Midthut intercepted it and returned it 32 yards to give the Cobras a commanding 24-6 lead. The Bulldogs did score a possession later. Mess capped a 69-yard drive with a seven-yard run but it was little to late. The score after a failed two-point conversion made the score 24-12 with just over five minutes remaining. Otter Tail Central did have one more drive in the game but quarterback Sean Belmont was intercepted by Matt Huber to seal the win. Lawson scored on a 25-yard run with 59 seconds to go in the game to put the game well out of reach at 31-12.