Elk River quarterback Corey Collins found a hole to run through in the first half against Elk River Friday night.
ELK RIVER – Elk River could have been content. But content does not win football games.
The Elks stopped beating themselves after halftime and outplayed intradistrict rival Rogers, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, to upset the Royals 17-14 on a last-second 37-yard field goal by Austin Larson.
“I was so nervous,” said Larson, whose last-second field goal had lifted Elk River over Moorhead in Week 3. “Way more nervous that at Moorhead. When is went through, I was like “Wow. I can’t believe I just did that.”
Which is pretty much what everyone at Schrempf Stadium — everyone not wearing a black Elk River jersey, that is — was also thinking.
In a season in which they had won five of their first six games, the Elks were competitive but mistake-prone in the first half and trailed undefeated Rogers 14-0. A competitive loss would have been understandable and something to build upon.
But Elk River didn’t give in. The Elks came out after halftime and thoroughly outplayed Rogers, which had a nightmare of a second half.
Things started to change when Rogers had not one, but two fumbles on the second-half kickoff. The Royals took over at their own 4-yard line but could not move the ball. A blocked punt lead to a scoring run by Elk River’s Dylan Chambers that cut the lead to 14-6.
The tone set, Rogers began to self-destruct. Quarterback Matt Weber was pressured and intercepted on the Royals’ next possession. Elk River tied the score 14-14 two plays later on a 25-yard run and a two-point conversion, both by sophomore Michael Larkins.
Rogers’ biggest mistake, however, came with 26 seconds to go. Elk River punted from midfield, but the Royals, rushing hard, clobbered the Elk River punter. A penalty for roughing the kicker gave the Elks a first down at the Rogers 40.
Elk River quarterback Corey Collins completed a pass to Jordan Meyer to the Rogers 20, setting up Larson’s winning field goal.
“Man, this is big,” said Steve Hamilton, Elk River’s first-year coach. “We cleaned some things up at halftime, [Rogers] helped us out a little bit and our defense played out of its mind. From where this program was last year to where we are now, I can’t think of anything better.”
Austin Larson ran the other way after hitting the winning field goal in the second half in Elk RIver
It’s heard so often that it’s become a cliché. Every coach trying to inspire his team to rally for an improbable victory has used the phrase “it’s not over until it’s over” or some variation thereof.