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Last-second TD wins it for Osseo

By Michael Rand, Star Tribune, 10/14/11, 10:30PM CDT

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A desperation 30-yard pass as time expired lifted the Orioles over rival Champlin Park.

 As teammates and fans mobbed him, Osseo senior wide receiver Tyler Stromback clutched the football that had improbably landed in his hands. He wasn’t sure he ever wanted to let it go, and he still couldn’t believe he caught it in the first place.

Nobody could.

Stromback hauled in a 30-yard desperation touchdown pass from DJ Hebert as time expired, giving the Orioles a dramatic 26-21 victory over rival Champlin Park.

“I just went up for it, and there was so much adrenaline,” Stromback said. “It’s all still such a blur.”

Hebert was being pursued by two defenders as he flung the ball high and into the front right corner of the end zone. Stromback, also flanked by defenders, tracked it and settled under it, then hauled it in as those in the crowd in the stadium at Champlin Park either gasped or fell silent.

“I thought I was going to get tackled,” Hebert said.

Instead, he threw perhaps the most memorable pass of his life, capping a frantic Osseo comeback with an even more frantic finish.

Champlin Park jumped to a quick 14-0 lead before Osseo could even get its bearings. The Orioles went three-and-out on their first possession, and Champlin Park QB Trevor Garrison took his team’s second play from scrimmage 69 yards for a touchdown and a quick lead. Osseo fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and a 6-yard touchdown by Garrison seven plays later had the Orioles reeling.

Osseo clawed back to 14-7 with less than a minute left in the first half. Champlin Park responded with a seemingly deflating 92-yard TD kickoff return to take a 21-7 lead into the break.

The Orioles drew to 21-14 after three quarters, and Hebert’s 5-yard TD run midway through the fourth seemed poised to tie things, but a missed extra point kept Osseo down 21-20. The Orioles got the ball back with 3:30 left and embarked on a final miracle drive.

Osseo (6-1 overall and in the Northwest Suburban Conference) remained in the hunt for a conference title, while Champlin Park’s title hopes faded.

“I’ve been playing football since the third grade, and I’ve never been in a more memorable game,” Stromback said. “DJ is going to have a hard time getting this ball back from me.”

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