By Chad Courrier
MINNEAPOLIS — Nicollet knew what was coming. Stephen-Argyle's rushing attack was relentless.
But Nicollet was unable to do anything about it.
“They're physical, and they handled us all night,” linebacker Jared Blackwell said. “They're big and strong and well-coached.”
Stephen-Argyle defeated Nicollet 37-22 in the Class 9-Man championship football game Friday at Metrodome, setting Prep Bowl records for offensive plays (94), first downs (34), rushing first downs (32), rushing attempts (88), rushing yards (569) and total yards (616).
“They really pound on you,” Nicollet coach Tom Murphy said. “They're disciplined and stay with what they do. The kids gave everything they had.”
Stephen-Argyle, which won state championships from 2003 to 2007, dominated from the opening kickoff, putting together two long drives in the opening quarter and totaled 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Raiders had nine plays, only one of which went for positive yardage, a 7-yard keeper by quarterback Jordan Rudenick. However, an interception put the Storm on a short field, and another Storm rushing touchdown came early in the second quarter that made it 18-0.
Nicollet got on the board in its next drive. Rudenick hooked up with Nick Mans on a 42-yard screen pass, and receiver Sean Murphy passed 17 yards to Jamie Fischer, setting up Rudenick's 3-yard touchdown run. Rudenick's kick was blocked, but the Raiders had cut the gap to 18-6 with 10 minutes to play in the half.
“For the last three weeks, we've run into teams that have been bigger and more powerful than us,” Murphy said. “Two of three weeks, we got the job done.”
Blackwell stopped the next two Stephen-Argyle drives, forcing and recovering a fumble at the Nicollet 11 and making an interception that he returned to the Raiders' 39 to keep the score at 18-6. Blackwell also had 11 tackles in the first half.
Stephen-Argyle amassed 327 yards in the first half, 280 on 46 rushes, and converted 19 first downs. The Raiders had only 79 yards, with 68 yards passing, and two first downs.
“They outmatched us in the first half, obviously,” Rudenick said. “In the second half, we knew what we had to do. We did a couple things differently (in the second half), but I think we just played with more intensity. I think we came out a little scared. They're a good team, but we're a good team, too.”
The second half was more competitive, but Stephen-Argyle scored first with 9:25 to play on a 4-yard run by Evan Schindele, his third touchdown of the game.
Nicollet answered quickly, with Rudenick completing two passes, the second of which covered 50 yards to Jamie Fischer for the touchdown. Rudenick's run completed the two-point play as Nicollet made it 24-14.
“We're a team that's lived by the big play,” Murphy said. “We gave them too many, and we didn't make enough.”
However, the Storm had another scoring drive, converting a fake punt on the possession, which ended with a 19-yard run by Jamison St. Germain. Another touchdown run with 1:03 remaining made it 37-14.
The Raiders scored last on Rudenick's 1-yard sneak as the final score ended up 37-22.
“I think we ran our routes a little better, and I had a little more time to throw,” Rudenick said. “We came together (at halftime) and said we don't want to go out like this.”
Rudenick, who holds school career and single-season records for passing, completed 12 of 24 passes for 244 yards, with four interceptions. Fischer caught five passes for 103 yards as the Raiders (10-3) totaled 276 yards.
“Nobody picked us to be here,” Rudenick said. “Our goals were to win the section and play (in the state tournament). We played well, and we played with heart. I don't think anybody outside of us thought we could play for the championship.”
Blackwell led the defense with 18 tackles, and Rudenick had 12.Stephen-Argyle had possession for 34 of the 48 minutes, with St. Germain rushing for 193 yards and two touchdowns and Schindele gaining 181 yards and three scores.
“It's disappointing to lose,” Blackwell said. “We've been here to other times (1999 and 2002) and lost so it would have been nice to win. Second place is fine, but you always want to have first place.”
