If one thriller creates intrigue and two builds fervor, what does three make?
Arguably the best rivalry in the metro after Wednesday’s game between two neighboring schools in the Twin Cities-St. Cloud corridor.
St. Michael-Albertville rallied with a 15-point fourth quarter — punctuated by a daring move to go for a two-point conversion with 1 minute, 56 seconds left — and pulled out a 22-21 victory over previously undefeated Rogers.
The Knights had pulled to within a point when running back Tyler Hayes caught a screen pass from Jackson Greenwaldt and scampered around three defenders for a 19-yard touchdown.
Tyler Berg caught a pass from Greenwaldt on the ensuing conversion.
The two teams, separated by fewer than six miles along Interstate 94 northwest of the metro, played two epic games in 2013. Rogers won the first meeting in overtime and St. Michael-Albertville returned the favor in a tight playoff victory.
This time the teams, both ranked in the top four in Class 5A, were playing for the final Mississippi 8 Conference championship, making it a must-see game for fans of both schools.
St. Michael-Albertville coach Jared Essler, who played football at North Dakota State, has played in some big games, but even he said he hadn’t seen anything like this.
“It’s the biggest rivalry I’ve ever seen,” Essler said. “And with the way things happened last year, how could you think we would do it again?”
The fans stood two-deep ringing the field, watching a crisply played first quarter in which each team scored a touchdown on its opening drive, followed by a defensive struggle for the next quarter and a half.
The Rogers offense finally appeared to get on track midway through the third quarter, taking 14-7 lead on a 12-yard run by quarterback Andy Borchardt. The Royals added to their lead early in the fourth quarter when Gunnar Bloom scored from 3 yards out, making the score 21-7.
“We were playing well,” Rogers coach Marc Franz said. “But we needed to make just one more play and we didn’t.”
St. Michael-Albertville, needing a spark, got a torch instead when running back Jordan Joseph went 69 yards to the Rogers 1-yard line on the next play from scrimmage. Luke Eicher’s 1-yard dive made the score 21-14.
The Knights defense was stretched on the Royals’ next drive, but stiffened, stopping Borchardt on fourth-and-1 from the St. Michael-Albertville 16. That set up the winning 84-yard drive.
“That’s a classy team over there and I have a lot of respect for them,” Greenwaldt said. “But I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t feel really good to say you beat Rogers.”
With the section playoffs looming, there may be more thrills to come.
