Recap: Fridley’s Darius Mulbah rushed for 174 yards on 28 carries and added three touchdowns as the host Tigers dominated Park Center in a Class 4A, Section 6 quarterfinal game.

Falling sleet made the ball hard to hang onto in the first half; both teams committed turnovers and struggled to keep possession. But Fridley’s ability to capitalize on  the Pirates’ mistakes proved to be a key difference-maker.

The Tigers cashed in on two of three turnovers by Park Center in the second quarter. One eventually led to Mulbah’s 12-yard touchdown run. Another resulted in Nick Rathke’s 5-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Chany Pal just before halftime that put the Tigers ahead 21-0.

The Pirates narrowed the gap in the third quarter, scoring their first touchdown on quarterback Armanie Hooker’s 11-yard TD pass to Adam Burige. In the second quarter, Burige also had an interception.

But Fridley answered with two more touchdowns, both on Rathke passes. He finished with 15 completions in 21 attempts for 132 yards and three touchdowns. Mulba caught three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown.

Key of the game: With Fridley leading 7-0 early in the second quarter, Park Center came up with a third-down stop that forced Fridley to punt. But Park Center was penalized for having 12 players on the field. Fridley kept possession and later scored on a Mulbah touchdown run to extend its lead to 14-0.

Quote: “We go hard in practice and we play for each other. That’s why I love my team. It’s just each other, nobody’s selfish. It’s just all about the team.” — Tigers running back Darius Mulbah

One thing to know: Fridley linebacker Luke Prosser came into Friday’s game ranked second in the state with 135 tackles. His 13 tackles against Park Center pushed him into the lead with 148.

BRADY O’BRIEN

First report from the game

Sloppy weather resulted in sloppy play but it didn't stop Fridley from routing Park Center 41-14 in a Class 4A, Section 6 quarterfinal Tuesday night at Fridley.

Fridley’s ability to capitalize on Park Center mistakes ended up being the big difference-maker. The Tigers cashed in on two of three second-quarter Park Center turnovers:  They scored on a 12-yard Darius Mulbah scamper and a 5-yard Nick Rathke pass to wide receiver Chany Pal.

 Mulbah finished the night with 28 carries, 174 yards and three touchdowns.  He caught three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown. Qarterback Nick Rathke completed 15 of 21 passes for 132 yards and 3 touchdowns.