Trailing 10-24 midway through the 4th quarter, the Packers started a comeback that will be remembered in South St. Paul for a long time.
Before we get to that though, let’s rewind 364 days to the 2010 3AAAA Section Final. The 10-0 Packers travelled to Mendota Heights to take on #1 ranked, 9-0 Saint Thomas Academy. The Cadets returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and like a pin, popped the Packer balloon. South St. Paul never recovered and were blown out 35-7 as Saint Thomas Academy went to state for the 3rd year in a row.
Now back to tonight. Hootie Hubbell got the Cadets on the scoreboard first on their opening possession and then Kevin Gray added a TD after Packer QB Harrison Rund fumbled a snap on a 4th down punt attempt at the 2 yard line. A field goal by Wyatt Schmidt put the STA lead at 17-0 and the Packer crowd looked eerily similar to 2010.
But this time, the Packers didn’t roll over. South St. Paul got a Kevin Ward field goal and a Harrison Rund score on their next two possessions to make it 17-10 at the half.
Saint Thomas Academy came out of the locker room and promptly marched down the field and capped their drive with a touchdown pass from John Gould to Will Johnson. This is where it got interesting.
A second botched punt started the Cadets in the SSP red zone for the third time of the game. A few plays later STA was about to ice the game until the Packer defense stripped the ball at the 1-yard line and got the recovery. However a long Packer drive resulted in a Cadet interception when SSP was on the doorstep of the end zone in the 4th quarter. After another SSP defensive stop, the Packers would begin their comeback for the ages.
Down 10-24 and staring at a 4th and 18, the Packers picked up the first down and would eventually score on a short Rund run. A failed extra point made it 24-16 with about 3:30 left. Despite having all three time outs, the Packers still went for, and got, the onside kick. They used a combination of runs and passes to move the ball down the field until Sam Sura capped the drive with a TD plunge with under a minute to play. And then Sura did it again on the 2-point conversion to make it 24-24 and put the Packer crowd in a frenzy.
Saint Thomas Academy had no problem chipping away in the final 50 seconds to set themselves up for a game winning, 33-yard field goal with 4 seconds left on the clock. With everyone in Gerry Brown Stadium on their feet, Wyatt Schmidt set up to attempt to win the section for STA. But SSP senior Josh Trifunov had other plans as he leapt up and blocked the kick to send the game into overtime.
The Packers won the toss and elected to play defense first. But it took STA all of two plays to score and it was 31-24. But the Packers wasted no time and Rund scampered in from ten yards out to cut it to 30-31. South St. Paul got the “2″ signal from the sideline from head coach Chad Sexauer. The season for both of these Classic Suburban powers would come down to one play.
Rund took the snap, turned, and handed the ball to Sura as the Packer line surged forward. Sura flopped down at the goal line and there was a brief moment of silence until the officials made their call. For the first time in seven years, the Packers had defeated Saint Thomas Academy. And for the first time in seven years, the Packers were going back to state.
Cadet players fell dejected to the turf as Packer fans stormed the field.
In a battle of two heavyweights, the Packers were left standing at the end. For SSP seniors, who went 0-9 their freshmen year, this win has got to mean a lot. I can’t remember a bigger football game between two local communities that ended up being this good. Both are worthy of playing in the final four of state, but because of how the football playoffs are set up, some of the best teams in Minnesota won’t even reach the Metrodome. But regardless, hats off to both of these teams for an outstanding game.
The Packers just knocked off the #2 team in Class AAAA. Up next, #1 ranked Mankato West and future Gopher QB Philip Nelson.
Town Square Television will be in Chanhassen for the State Quarterfinals between the Scarlets and the Packers.
