Mahtomedi's version of "Thunder and Lighting" set the stage for a 42-14 Zephyrs' victory over the Millers on Wednesday night in the Class 5A, Section 4 quarterfinals at Washburn High School.

During halftime at the south end of the field, and as jets descended overhead on the way to land at nearby Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Mahtomedi committed to shelving its air attack completely and going all-in with its rush.

It proved decisive. 

Fifth-seeded Mahtomedi took to the ground in the second half and methodically controlled the clock with an unbotched string of runs. The Zephyrs racked up first downs and yardage as they moved upfield on the legs of junior running backs Jalen Frye and T.J. Tumbleson.

Mahtomedi finished with 26 first downs for the game, and nine of them came in the third quarter when the fourth-seeded Millers had the ball for less than 90 seconds of clock time.

“That’s our goal, to be able to run the ball like that,” Zephyrs coach Dave Muetzel said. “Going forward, we know we are going to need to throw it a lot more. But tonight, we were having a lot of success with the run, and it became a credit more to our mentality. We were going to come right after it.”

Frye, listed at 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, finished with 143 yards and one touchdown on 26 attempts, and was a workhorse in the third quarter. Tumbleson, an opposite style of runner listed at 5-9 and 218 pounds, scored three touchdowns - all from 2 yards or less – on his way to 90 yards on 18 carries.

Washburn struggled to contain the inside-outside balance Mahtomedi presented.

“It’s our 1-2 punch, ‘Thunder and Lightning,’ as we like to call it,” Frye said. “T.J. gets the dirty work done, and I do what I do. We work well as teammates.”

“That’s been our commitment all season,” Tumbleson said of the ground attack. “It’s our bread and butter.”

Over the first six minutes, the Zephyrs built a 21-0 lead - sparked by a pick-6 on the first play from scrimmage. Senior defensive back Jake McDonald returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown just 12 seconds in.

The Millers eventually woke up and scored the next two touchdowns to enter halftime trailing 21-14. But that's as close as they would get. 

After a rough start, Washburn sophomore quarterback Rory Purnell began clicking with junior wide out D’Angelo Moore, who hauled in touchdown catches of 5 and 17 yards. However, the Millers lacked the ability to sustain drives like their opponents.

Winning at the line of scrimmage proved pivotal.

“Our line was able to come right at them, and it kept them off-guard,” Muetzel said of his front five. “Our fullback (Tumbleson) was running hard inside to keep them honest, and then we got our tailback (Frye) was able to pop it outside a little as well. We were able to keep it moving inside and then out, and it was because our line went right at them.”

In the second half, Mahtomedi scored three unanswered touchdowns as the Zephyrs padded their lead and kept the ball away from the Washburn offense.

“The offensive line was opening the holes and setting us up…we just thought, 'Why not keep going?'” Frye said.

With the victory, Mahtomedi improves is season record 5-4 overall and advances to face unbeaten and No. 1 seed SMB on Tuesday. Washburn ends the year with a 4-5 overall record.

Mahtomedi is hoping that this second season, the playoffs, is a rebirth of sorts for a team that now sits with a winning record.

“We are excited to keep this momentum going and to believe that it’s all going to end up well for us,” Frye says.

Mahtomedi's version of "Thunder and Lighting" set the stage for a 42-21 Zephyrs' victory Wednesday night in the Class 5A, Section 4 quarterfinals at Minneapolis Washburn.

Fifth-seeded Mahtomedi started the game with a pick-6 on the first play from scrimmage. Senior defensive back Jake McDonald returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown just 12 seconds in, and the Zephyrs led the rest of the way.

Over the first six minutes, Mahtomedi built a 21-0 lead before forth-seeded Washburn woke up. The Millers scored the next two touchdowns and trailed 21-14 at halftime, but that's as close as they would get.

Mahtomedi took to the ground in the second half and methodically controlled the clock. The Zephyrs racked up first downs and yardage as they moved upfield behind junior running backs Jalen Frye and T.J. Tumbleson.

Frye, listed at 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, finished with 143 yards and one touchdown on 26 attempts, and was a workhorse in the third quarter.

Tumbleson, an opposite style of runner listed at 5-9 and 218 pounds, scored three touchdowns - all from 2 yards or less - as the Millers struggled to find a solution for either.

Tumbleson carried the ball 18 times for 90 yards.

With the victory, Mahtomedi improves its record to 5-4 on the season and advance to face unbeaten and No. 1 seed SMB on Tuesday. Washburn calls it quits on the season with a 4-5 overall record.

Spotlight Game Coverage