The Becker Bulldog football team advanced to the Prep Bowl final with a convincing, 39-20 victory over Stewartville last Saturday. The Bulldogs got three TDs from Beau Pauly and amassed 31+ minutes of possession and 427 yards to drop the Tigers on a snowy field at Osseo High School.

 

The game started uncharacteristically for both teams as Becker punted the ball four out of their first five possessions and Stewartville (9-1, Section 1AAAA champs) mustered just 42 yards on their first five possessions while punting the ball away three times and going for it on fourth down two other times.

 

In between the punts and on Becker’s third possession, the Bulldogs scored their first touchdown when Dawson Brown caught a 13-yard pass from QB Michael Veldman with just 2:17 left in the first quarter. Cody Gruenhagen came on to attempt the PA but his straight-on kick glanced off the upright and fell left of the crossbar. It took nearly another quarter’s worth before Becker added to their lead when Pauly attained his first TD from one yard out to put the Bulldogs up by 12. The two-point conversion failed and the Bulldogs clung to a precarious 12-0 lead at the 4:33 mark of the first half.

 

It didn’t take long for Stewartville to light up their side of the scoreboard as Shane Curtis returned the ensuing kickoff  56 yards and QB Aaron Quandt guided the team 26 yards on just five plays to make it 12-6. with 2:44 left.

 

Becker needed more breathing room heading into halftime, so they proceeded to march 58 yards on seven plays as Veldman scrambled in from six yards out to put Becker up by two scores. The two-point conversion this time was successful and with just 15 seconds left in the first half, Becker held Stewartville to just four yards before the gun sounded, clinging to an 18-6 lead.

 

Things unraveled quickly for the Tigers coming out of the break as RB Collin Fanton mishandled the ball from Quandt on their second play of the drive and Dillon Radunz pounced on the loose ball to give Becker the ball at Stewartville’s 38.

 

It looked like Becker was going in for the kill right then as they drove to the Tiger six yard line. Pauly was smelling the goal line on an end around but lost the handle on the slippery pigskin and Stewartville had life when they recovered the ball at their four yard line at the 8:25 mark.

 

No harm as Becker thwarted any progress and Stewartville kicked the ball back to Becker at the Tiger 41.

 

A couple runs by C.J. Schwintek and Milan Kent, along with a pass completion to Eric Blomgren got the Bulldogs down to Stewartville’s seven before Pauly redeemed himself with a seven-yard TD carry to put Becker ahead 26-6 (failed two-point attempt).

 

The rest of the third quarter was a three and out by the Tigers and a failed fourth down attempt by Becker at the Tiger nine yard line. As the clock clicked down with one quarter left, Becker was up by three scores and feeling good about their chances of making the Prep Bowl final.

 

Quandt and the Tigers could do nothing on their first possession and Becker pretty much put the game away when Veldman found Blomgren from 16 yards out to put the ‘Dogs up by 27 at 33-6.

 

Not giving up, Stewartville put on a little charge and scored two quick TDs to make the score 33-20 with 5:42 left.

 

Kent covered up at the Becker 49 on a Tiger onside kick and Becker secured the win when Pauly scored his third touchdown from two yards out to make the final score 39-20.

 

In a surprising development of the opponents next on Becker’s radar, DeLaSalle knocked off the reigning Class 4A Champion Hutchinson team and will now play for the title against Becker Friday afternoon.

 

Becker and DeLaSalle met in the state quarterfinals in 2012 in which Becker beat the top-seeded, undefeated Islanders 21-14 at Hopkins High School.

 

Hutchinson’s loss to the Islanders was just their second loss in four years and ended their 37-game win streak.