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Big play lifts Anoka over Blaine

By DAVID LA VAQUE, Star Tribune, 11/04/11, 11:30PM CDT

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A 73-yard bootleg TD run in the second half gave the Tornadoes the lead for good.

Anoka quarterback Cole Boughner finished with zero yards passing Friday but used good speed and better blocking to make a big play nonetheless.

Boughner’s bootleg run for 73 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter gave the Tornadoes a lead they did not relinquish in a 27-22 victory at home over Blaine in Friday’s Class 5A, Section 7 final. Anoka heads back to state for the first time since 2006.

No. 6-ranked Anoka (9-1) had just one dimension offensively, but why mess with a good thing? All 467 of the Tornadoes’ yards came on the ground. Touchdown runs of 55, 63, 49 and 73 yards provided much of the ground gained.

Ryan Rand (155 yards) and Josh Werness (144) did their typical damage. But Boughner’s run was something special. With his team leading 21-14, Boughner took off on a bootleg and kept running until he gave his team a more comfortable lead late in the third quarter.

“I was expecting a first-down play, but then I got lead blockers out front and just made a play,” Boughner said.

Blaine quarterback Duke Anyanwu had a chance to answer late in the fourth quarter. After helping cut the Anoka lead to 27-22, Anyanwu dropped back to pass on fourth-and-15 from the Tornadoes 19-yard line. His pass sailed just high of the intended receiver in the end zone.

“Our kids had a lot of fight tonight,” Blaine coach Shannon Gerrety said.

Anoka crushed Blaine 59-32 in the regular season, but Friday’s game started with a combined five punts and two failed fourth-down conversion attempts.

Anoka’s defense forced Anyanwu to fumble in the second quarter. One play later, Rand ran for a 55-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Rand’s dash was the first of three consecutive long scoring plays in 1 minute, 3 seconds. Blaine (8-3) tied the score with an ensuing two-play drive capped by Mathias Spanier’s 36-yard run.

Anoka came right back, this time on an inside handoff to Werness. Showing great quickness for a bruising fullback, Werness went 63 yards for a score and a 14-7 lead.

Anyanwu tied the score in the third quarter. Then Rand struck again for a 49-yard scoring run. 

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