St. Michael-Albertville posted a season-high 21 points in the opening quarter of its Class 5A, Section 6 semifinal on Saturday afternoon, a head start the Knights were fortunate to have against the Elks' power running offense.
 
“We haven’t started that fast all year and Elk River can’t score quick, so we knew we had to put it on them quick and score in the first quarter,” St. Michael-Albertville quarterback Jacob Veire said.
 
The top-seeded Knights only scored twice the rest of the game, but it was all they needed as they relied on their run game to coast to a 35-21 victory over the fourth-seeded Elks at St. Michael-Albertville Middle School.
 
Veire accrued 111 passing yards in the game, a majority on one play in the waning minutes of the first quarter with the Knights leading by 14 points. 
 
Elk River (5-5) punted to St. Michael-Albertville's 5-yard line. Impatient with the run game, Veire found senior wide receiver Isaiah Weston deep down the middle of the field for an 85-yard touchdown at the close of the opening frame.
 
“It’s great to have a weapon like him,” Veire said. “I know I can trust him throwing deep and he’ll be there for me.” 
 
The Knights' run game rolled the rest way and totaled 323 rushing yards.
 
Senior running back Eric Sjelin finished with 137 rushing yards, helping St. Michael-Albertville advance to its fourth consecutive section championship game.
 
The Knights (8-1), ranked No. 4 in Class 5A in the final Associated Press state high school football poll of the season, face North Central Blue subdivision rival Rogers for the title.
 
St. Michael-Albertville coach Jared Essler felt the score of the team's Week 3 matchup didn’t reflect the game itself. The Knights won 26-7.
 
“We got a couple of big plays in the passing game -- made it look like a one-sided game -- but it was a dogfight when you turn the film on,” he said.
 
The plays Essler referenced were two long strikes from Veire to Weston in the second quarter that boosted St. Michael-Albertville's lead to 10 points, a margin the Royals never closed.
 
Weston has garnered attention from opposing defenses all season but still has been dominant facing double coverage.
 
“I expect them to double Isaiah. We had a lot of big plays against them [Rogers] so we just gotta do the same thing,” Veire said.
 
A win next Friday will send the Knights to their third straight state tournament.
 
Facing a familiar foe, Essler expects to see a much more developed Rogers squad in the section championship. The Royals, like the Knights, have only one loss on the season and both are riding long winning streaks.
 
“It’s hard to beat a good team twice and they’ll be amped up and ready for us as they’ll make some adjustments on some things that hurt them the first time,” he said.

First Report

Top-seeded St. Michael-Albertville posted 21 points in the first quarter, helping it ease past No. 4 seed Elk River 35-12 in a Class 5A, Section 6 semifinal Saturday afternoon at St. Michael-Albertville Middle School.

Ranked No. 4 in Class 5A in the final Associated Press state high school football poll of the season, the Knights (8-1) advance to their fourth consecutive section championship game after getting the usual contributions on offense.

Sophomore Mitchell Kartes had two 29-yard touchdown runs while quarterback Jacob Veire scored on a 1-yard keeper and an 85-yard pass to Northern Iowa commit Isaiah Weston.

Veire’s rushing touchdown came on St. Michael-Albertville's opening possession and capped a 60-yard drive that spanned just 2 minutes, 15 seconds. The Knights defense forced a three-and-out on the Elks' first drive and took control of the ball near midfield.

On a toss play to the right side, Kartes slashed his way 29 yards down the sideline to the end zone with six minutes left in the first quarter.

Elk River (5-5) appeared to be in good shape, trapping St. Michael-Albertville inside its 5-yard line with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Knights, however, flashed their big-play potential when Veire connected downfield with a streaking Weston for the final score of the opening quarter.

St. Michael-Albertville senior running back Eric Sjelin found a wide-open lane for a 29-yard touchdown in the second quarter, giving the Knights a decisive 28-0 lead they took into halftime.

Kartes scored his second touchdown in the third quarter to seal St. Michael-Albertville's victory. 

Elks quarterback Trent Pink scored on a 10-yard keeper in the third quarter and threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jack Kolar in the fourth.

The Knights face second-seeded Rogers for the section title next Friday at St. Cloud State's Husky Stadium.


Dylan Diehl runs in Elk River's final touchdown of the game. Photo by Kelly McGinley.


The Knights' Eric Sjelin celebrates his second quarter touchdown in the first round playoff game against Elk River. Photo by Kelly McGinley

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